Cannelton Indiana

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The Perry County News Online edition

Couple's day-care plans find home in Cannelton
By KEVIN KOELLINGManaging Editor

CANNELTON - A couple who tried unsuccessfully to expand a child-care facility in Tell City have turned to Cannelton, where they found open arms and, perhaps, an open wallet.

Heather and Eric Daum's attempts to get a conditional-use permit that would have allowed her to care for up to 12 children at her 147 11th St. facility in Tell City were thwarted by neighbors who objected to traffic and other problems it might bring. Child care is an acceptable use of residential property under city rules, but requires prospective providers to obtain permission from city leaders.

A late-August meeting of the Tell City Advisory Plan Commission ended with members deadlocked on whether to allow the "conditional use" of the property - sending the issue to a Sept. 7 meeting, in which the commission forwarded the request to the city's board of zoning appeals with a neutral recommendation.

The board of zoning appeals is scheduled to meet Oct. 4 to consider the request unless the Daums withdraw their plans."We're closing the one in Tell City because they ran us out," Eric Daum told Cannelton's council members.The new facility will be in what is now the M & M Discount Grocery at 501 Taylor St.

"Everything is OK as far as zoning," Heather Daum said, although a number of renovations will be necessary to prepare the building. Her husband explained Indiana licenses child-care facilities for up to 12 children. To accommodate as many as 24 children up to 12 years old as the couple plans, their renovations will put two child-care centers in the same building, each managed by a licensed provider.

Now consisting of a large room in the front of the building and an apartment in the back, the building will feature separate play areas for younger and older children. A garage door will be sealed and two fire escapes added. Landscaping will include mulching with a child-safe material, and "we'll add a lot of outdoor play equipment," Heather Daum said.

"When we started trying to find child care, we saw there's a need for quality child care," she told council members. While several individuals may offer day care, "there are no licensed child cares in Cannelton," she added.

To get her new facility up and running, she requested an economic-development loan of "$15,000 or whatever you could offer me." On city attorney Bill Shaneyfelt's recommendation, the council authorized him and Clerk-Treasurer Mary Snyder to work out the details and bring the proposal back to a future council meeting for final action.

"People are talking about us," Heather Daum said. Some women working at Accent Customer Relationship Services conducted an informal survey for her, she said, and found a strong need exists for a child-care center.