R2024-256 Resolution Approving Bid with Henson Robinson for HVAC at 1170 Orchard Street

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providing high quality childcare services to our residents. She has attended Council meetings and understands there are some reservations. As an attempt to respond to these reservations, she has had continuous communication with the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to ensure a seamless licensing process. She has completed 51 hours of leadership training,partnered with Workforce Solutions to help certify young adults in the childcare field, including planning a job fair for LLLD once it opens for operation in the former Wee Folks facility, and worked tirelessly to clean out the facility in preparation for renovation. Mrs. Johnson is also the Founder of CJ's Loving Hands, a non-profit designed to help young mothers create a path to success for themselves and their children. She recently received a grant for her non-profit through the Community Foundation of Decatur to assist with these efforts. Mrs. Johnson serves as one of the Founding Board members for the Governor's Birth to Five Initiative, that seeks to provide emergency childcare services throughout Macon County. She also has soft commitments from other partners in Decatur-Macon County to ensure that her business, families, children,and mothers are successful. Mrs. Johnson currently has a waiting list of over 200 children for her home childcare. However, due to limited capacity in her at-home daycare, she is unable to meet this demand.An investment in this project is not only an investment in brick and mortar, but an investment in the people of Decatur. This project will provide careers for approximately 100 residents that will create a path for livable wages and benefits. Staff recommends accepting the bids and contingency costs in the total amount of $732,839 utilizing CDBG-CV and ABPA funds for the renovation of the former Wee Folks facility, to reoccupy it into an updated childcare facility that will be operated by Love Learning and Laughter Daycare. An Agreement between the City and the Daycare regarding transfer of the property and conditions under which ownership of the property will revert to the City will return to the City Council for their approval at a future date. This project is a rare opportunity to simultaneously create a catalyst project on the Jasper Street corridor,advance a key element of workforce development,aid a small business operator,augment existing urban core programs at Hope Academy and the Boys and Girls Club and reuse an old building that does not need to be demolished. The demolition cost for this facility is estimated at $250,000 per our demolition contractors and the cost to rebuild this facility will be between $4,000,000 - $6,000,000 per our architectural and engineering partners. The downside to this project, however, is that it exceeds the staff's original cost estimates. Ms. Johnson will grow her day care business incrementally and may help address another local workforce need, which is emergency daycare services. She must meet all other regulations from DCFS before receiving a license to operate in this facility, her facility will be eligible for direct reimbursements from the State, and she will also accept private pay clients. The city has not yet learned if it will receive assistance through the RECOMPETE program,but Ms. Johnson's plan is exactly the kind of additional"wrap-around services"it envisions, and which the city will need to provide as match for the RECOMPETE grant programs if they are funded by the federal government.