By: Brenda Edwards, contributing writer

The Danville City Commission has agreed to work with Boyle County Board of Education on a project at the old Jennie Rogers Elementary School on East Main Street to provide community-wide childcare for children from infants up to three years old.

The project would provide stable partners for small children in the county.

The Commission agreed at its meeting on April 25 to discuss plans and work out details with the Boyle and Danville school systems to make a plan.

Chelsea Clark, preschool director for Boyle schools, and mother of three children, told the city commissioners that schools are in dire need of a place for child care after school.

“Jennie Rogers has a wonderful place to provide the center,” she added.

Clark also said some elementary students do not have daycare, and their parents are not able to work because they have to take care of their kids.

Preliminary plans call for a director to be hired for the program, which would have access to therapy and a health provider.

Jennie Rogers school building, which has been vacant for some time, has 10 classrooms on the Main Street side and about eight on the Walnut Street side.

Josh Morgan, city engineer, said a consultant suggested the childcare center be located elsewhere and to reach out to both schools for additional information.

In other business, the city commission:

• Made a proclamation for Mental Health Month.

• Passed the second reading of Ordinance #1991 to make an update to the city’s guidelines for erosion and sediment control. The current rules will be converted to ordinance form.

• Passed the second reading of Ordinance #1992 for post-construction stormwater. This new ordinance changes the guidelines of how developers can handle stormwater runoff.