Family representatives pushed the topic of expanding the room for Town of St. Paul FCSS and Parent Link at the April 25 town council meeting, calling the Parent Link Centre a saving grace and an immediate need for the community.
Abby Keyes, a resident of St. Paul and mother to two, described how the centre had helped her in her transition to the community.
“Moving from a large city, filled with indoor playgrounds, interactive museums and endless programs for tots, to a small town I was to say the least hesitant. Parent Link was the saving grace,” she said, explaining that children learn from play, while parents get to interact with one another. “The community benefits from the Parentlink program in endless ways, not to mention getting new mothers out who may suffer from post-partum depression.”
“To keep this community growing, St. Paul needs to keep the young families happy.”
The current space was constricted both for playing and storage, with Keyes adding attendance can be up to 60 people in a day, and with the numbers showing a 60 per cent increase in attendance over the past six months.
“I believe these numbers would be significantly higher as I have spoken with many mothers and caregivers that have stopped attending Parent Link because of the congestion. If a larger, safer place were used, they would once again come out.”
Keyes also presented council with an informal petition, signed by nearly 60 people.
“Every single person I approached was eager to sign,” she said, adding she was sure that even more people would have signed, given enough time.
At the last council meeting, Coun. Dwight Wiebe had suggested renovating the fire hall to house Parent Link and FCSS, but Keyes thought this sounded like a less likely option, because of the time and cost involved in renovating and building a new fire hall, while the vaulted ceilings at the current fire hall would make for “an acoustic nightmare” for Parent Link. Other options may make more sense, she said, pointing, for instance, to JMD Group’s former location across from the town building.
Whatever option was chosen, the centre needed ground level access, a larger entranceway and a place to lock bikes and strollers, she said.
“Let’s get the ball rolling and be proactive,” she said.
Noreen Brousseau, a grandparent, added her voice to Keyes, saying that as a grandma, she too benefitted from the program. Particularly for people who come to St. Paul without family, new moms, or other people who might feel otherwise isolated, “this program is a godsend,” said Brousseau.
As a member of the St. Paul & District Hospital Foundation, Brousseau said she learned that 250 little ones are born every year in the community. While older kids have a host of activities from figure skating to minor ball and soccer to gymnastics, she asked, “Where do the little ones go? Where is their safe space?”
Brousseau said the expanding of the Parent Link centre is not an issue that should be put on the backburner, adding, “We need it now.”
Interim CAO Holly Habiak said she had been told to look at options and get proposals on the project.
“We’re starting the ball rolling,” she told Brousseau and Keyes, saying council understood the importance of the centre. “They hear you loud and clear.”
Council all agreed there was a need in the community and the situation needed to be addressed, with Mayor Glenn Andersen saying that the town needed to look at and find a solution for all of its departments, including Parks and Recreation, Administration, Emergency Management, the Fire Hall, as well as Parent Link and FCSS.
“We’re not looking at the one aspect, we’re looking at the gamut,” he said, adding that the current town building has not been updated since 1965 and wheelchair accessibility and accessibility for seniors as well is lacking. He said he was well aware of the issues with Parent Link’s lack of space, as the centre had violated the fire code with too many families in attendance.
“We’re trying to cover all our bases as close to right as we can,” he said, adding to Keyes that any plans to reconfigure the space would be subject to consultations from the public. “We’re asking you to be patient with us as we move through this process.”
Sheila Parks, Parent Link Centre programmer, said she was glad council heard first hand from parents.
“Definitely the presentation made them aware there is an issue and that parents want that change,” she said, noting seniors that access FCSS would also benefit from not having to grapple with stairs to use the service. “It would be so wonderful to have a main level space.”
