Residents of Greenville will decide whether to borrow $1 million to help build a recreational building that would support childcare and preschool in a referendum this November.
The project could boost employment and growth in the four-season vacation town with just under 1,500 residents on Moosehead Lake, but some have questioned whether taxes should pay for the building slated for the site of the town’s defunct elementary school.
The question on the November ballot shows an isolated part of Maine grappling with a child care crisis that is hitting all parts of the state. There are just 16 registered providers in Piscataquis County, which is one of the most rural areas in Maine. Two are in Greenville, but none of them had open slots for kids as of May.
“People understand we need child care,” Town Manager Michael Roy said. “It’s tough for young families to come in without jobs, local jobs, and so people are having to commute in to work from other towns.”
A local nonprofit partnered with the town more than three years ago in an attempt to build a municipal building that would be partially leased to a childcare provider. It was granted federal funding with support from U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King, but inflation during a slow planning process has driven up costs and pushed the town to seek more money.
The Moosehead Caring for Kids Foundation, the town, and Greenville’s school district are pushing for the building, which would include space for up to 40 children ages 0-5 while expanding the town’s preschool program and including a fitness center aimed at adults.
The lack of child care space has caused problems for Greenville before. Officials said limited child care for workers helped derail a redevelopment of a local ski area in 2022. Roy added that some in the town have expressed “heartburn” over the fact that out-of-town children will likely use the new childcare facility as well.
Between the federal allocation and other grants and donations, millions are already slated for the project, which is expected to cost a total of $4.8 million. If the bond passes, taxpayers would have to cover the $1 million cost plus interest over the coming years.
If voters reject the plan to pursue a bond, it’s not clear what will happen with the money already set aside for the project. Roy said officials will have time to consider how to move forward, and officials are optimistic that voters will support the plan.
“I think the people that are in desperate need of child care may come out and vote,” said Jennifer Clark, the treasurer of The Moosehead Caring for Kids Foundation.
Daniel O’Connor is a Report for America corps member who covers rural government as part of the partnership between the Bangor Daily News and The Maine Monitor, with additional support from BDN and Monitor readers.
