Langley Township will apply for funding to create almost 250 new daycare spaces at four parks around the community, from Aldergrove to Walnut Grove.
The New Spaces Fund is a provincial program that provides money in partnership with local groups.
Township council called for a study last year to look at locations in local parks that could serve as a future childcare site, and Township staff have identified four locations:
• Bell Park in Brookswood
• Topham Park in Walnut Grove
• Aldergrove Athletic Park
• Yorkson Community Park in Willoughby
Each site would host a single facility with a capacity of up to 49 children.
The council also voted to add McLeod Athletic Park, which would bring the number of sites up to five.
Councillor Misty vanPopta had some concerns about parking at some of the sites, notably Topham and Aldergrove, and worried that there could be traffic queuing onto busy 216th Street at the Topham location.
However, Coun. Barb Martens noted that parents don’t all pick up or drop off their children at daycare at the same times, so there didn’t need to be a parking space for every child in each of the centres.
“This is excellent, I’m really happy to see this moving forward,” said Martens.
The vote means the Township will apply in the next round of funding applications for the New Spaces Fund.
The Township will also consult with the BC YMCA about operating the facilities, and with its staff through the Township’s CUPE locals.
Specific issues like technological feasibility of land use, servicing the new structures, and so forth will be determined during the next phase, and the Township will continue to look for other sites that can be used around the community noted chief administrative officer Mark Bakken.
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