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Council Minutes of June 15, 1999 <br />R have to. Mrs. Norris wondered if Council would also do this for her facility in the future <br />.,~ if they were considering a loan. Mrs. Norris is concerned about the site chosen by <br />Horizon as it does require a good deal of clean-up. She does not want to stop progress, <br />but she does believe that the city should not provide this service. There are four other <br />facilities within a half mile radius of this proposed site. She is looking at the possibility <br />of being put out of business. <br />Mr. Gareau commented that Mrs. Norris was right in assessing that this is a loan issue. <br />Whether or not Horizon relocates is not an issue controlled by City Council. Council will <br />ultimately review the site plans as submitted and will give its approval to the building as <br />they do for any other building constructed in the city. As to the issue of competition, it is <br />his understanding that Horizon will be doing this project whether or not the city assists <br />with the bonds. <br />Mary Flood, 6240 Wild Oak Drive, said one of the concerns she and her husband had <br />when moving to North Olmsted in 1989 was finding good affordable child care for their <br />children. Horizon was recommended to them by neighbors, and their two older children <br />attended Horizon for three years. Their memories of Horizon are very positive. Her <br />youngest child attended Special Horizon for one year. He was one of the first students in <br />that program and, as a result of his time there, he was well prepared to enter kindergarten. <br />At the time, there was no other program in the city which could meet his needs. As a <br />result of that year, he has done very well in school. Her family has had very positive <br />experiences with Horizon. She is an advanced practice nurse who works with children <br />who have special needs. Many of the families are dependent on temporary assistance, <br />TANF. One of the major obstacles that these families have is finding affordable day care <br />for their children in order to work to be eligible for the TANF grants. It is her <br />understanding that there are a considerable number of families in North Olmsted who <br />receive this assistance, and programs like Horizon and Special Horizon allow these <br />families to find cost-effective professional day care. We pride ourselves in being a very <br />culturally diverse community, let us not forget the culture of poverty that does exist in <br />our community and continue to support programs such as Horizon. By providing a good <br />foundation for children, those who are affected by poverty can eventually become <br />productive members of oua- society. <br />Stella Moga, owner of La Chaperone Rouge, said that Horizon's current site is her <br />neighbor. Her school does have full enrollment, and she has a waiting list. Her concern <br />about Horizon's move is the safety issue of the site since it is a former CEI facility. She <br />would like the city to investigate the safety of the site. Mrs. Moga is also concerned that <br />Horizon only pays $1 a year to the school system to lease their current location. She <br />wonders why the Board of Education is giving free rent when they are constantly <br />complaining about not 1laving enough money for the schools. Another matter that <br />concerns Mrs. Moga is why the schools are transporting children from all the public <br />schools to Horizon. Her school only receives transportation of children from the two <br />schools in her area. <br />8 <br />,.~«~.., ,...._ _ .., . _.. .»~..,~~..,..~.,, ...,,~.w,V.e»~.,~,~.~ ~..~,.,,,.~,.., , . <br />i <br />