Valley County approves emergency safety fixes at Cascade Community Center, will pursue CDBG funding

Valley County board members approved emergency repairs at the Cascade Community Center on Feb. 17 after the Ignite day care faced a threatened insurance cancellation, and directed staff to pursue Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for longer-term upgrades.

Unidentified Speaker 1, who reported taking immediate action to address safety problems at the center, said the insurance company had warned Ignite that it could cancel coverage unless three issues were addressed quickly. "So anytime I do that, I have to bring it back to the rest of you guys for, discussion after," Unidentified Speaker 1 said, explaining why the emergency measures were being presented for formal approval.

Board members described three immediate fixes: covering and securing an outdoor railing children were climbing on (staff used tarps and ordered netting), installing a temporary door between the men’s and women’s restrooms so children and seniors would have separate facilities, and turning off unsafe baseboard heaters with portable heaters brought in as a temporary replacement. Unidentified Speaker 3 told the board, "I do have some netting that I've ordered to put on that railing for safety," and noted facility technicians had removed the unsafe baseboard units.

Unidentified Speaker 1 said the daycare briefly closed for one day amid community concern but has since reopened, and that the emergency work was completed as a tenant improvement at the daycare’s expense. Speaker 4 moved to approve the changes to the Cascade Community Center; the motion was seconded and the board recorded three "Aye" votes and approved the proposal.

The board also discussed applying for a CDBG from the Idaho Department of Commerce to pay for more extensive work, including improved heating and cooling and a kitchen hood that staff identified as additional needed items. Unidentified Speaker 2 asked staff to research whether CDBG funds would cover HVAC and heating upgrades and urged that Ken be fully informed so the application can reflect the project's true costs. Unidentified Speaker 1 said Terry and Scott are assembling the project details and bids needed for the application.

The meeting record shows the board approved the emergency fixes and agreed to pursue grant funding and further scoping work; seniors are expected to resume using the senior side of the facility on March 1 while longer-term repairs are planned.