WALLA’S successful bid for federal government funding to build a $500,000 childcare centre in the town won’t be the catalyst for Greater Hume Shire becoming the service provider.
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Once complete it will provide 50 childcare places as rural communities move from mobile to centre-based childcare services.
Similar facilities exist in Holbrook, Culcairn, Henty, Jindera and Burrumbuttock, but are operated by locally-based management committees with no affiliation to council. Albury-Wodonga Early Years Childcare is presently running a two-day service from the Walla hall and is the front-runner to be the provider once the new centre is built.
General manager Steve Pinnuck said the centre design would be crucial.
“The council is not in the business of providing centre-based childcare,” he said.
“They are under no illusions of the challenges ahead.
“The only way we can protect ourselves to some degree is to be very careful how the building is designed.
“If it can’t be used for childrens’ services then it potentially has to have another purpose.”
But Mr Pinnuck said council remained committed to building the centre which will be about 340 square metres in size.
“There are some potential opportunities to create a civic space,” Mr Pinnuck said on Thursday.
The council is prepared to take out a 15-year loan to build the centre with estimated annual repayments of $22,000 to be offset by rental income.
A meeting between representatives from council, the Walla community development committee and Albury-Wodonga Early Years Committee was held last week in the wake of the government funding announcement.
Meanwhile, Burrumbuttock’s Wirraminna Environmental Education Centre also received $38,000 of federal government funding to help expand the centre.
