WAITE PARK -- Plans for a new Early Childhood and Community Center building look to take another step forward during Monday's Waite Park City Council meeting.

The council will look to approve a conditional use permit for the 68,000 square-foot facility to be built next to Discovery Community School.

The two story building would be constructed to the west of the school and house the Early Childhood Special Education Services from birth to age 5, Early Childhood Family Education, Family Literacy and Preschool Programming, and the Community Education/Adult Basic Education program.

District 742 Executive Director of Technology and District Support Gary Ganje says the new building will specifically designed for early childhood development.

"For years the early childhood program has been house in buildings that weren't built for early child, they were built for elementary students. This building will specifically have some of those need our early learners need," says Ganje.

Building designs will compliment the existing Discovery School building and also accommodates two areas for future growth.

Julie Midas is the Director of Early Childhood. She says it will not only be nice to have all the programs in once facility but should help increase enrollment again.

"It will be exciting to increase our enrollment again. These programs are a feeder for our K-12 system and we are excited to be able to provide these services again," says Midas.

Back in July the St. Cloud Area School Board approved $17.5 million in funding for construction of the project.

If approved construction on the project is expected to begin in Spring and hopes to be open by the summer of 2018.

District 742 has been searching for a permanent home for early childhood education since a fire heavily damaged the Roosevelt building in 2014.

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