United Learning Center Works to Finalize Contract With Department of Commerce Before Construction Can Begin

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The partners involved in bringing the United Learning Center (ULC) to life in downtown Centralia had hoped to begin construction before the end of 2020, but delays caused by the pandemic and formalizing contracts have slowed down the process. 

Nevertheless, Project Manager Todd Chaput said the partners are still forging ahead with the project.

“We’re kinda disappointed in how long it’s taken, but sometimes that’s just the way things go. We’ve got a lot of moving parts and lining it all up can be a challenge sometimes,” Chaput said.

Lewis County is known as a “childcare desert” with only 27 percent of kids under the age of 5 having access to childcare programs. The ULC is planned to be a 45,000-square-foot, multi-story building with multiple classrooms, a gym, a playground and a capacity for 150 to 200 kids. 

Chaput said the process has slowed down as the partners involved work to finalize the contract with the state Department of Commerce (DOC). The funds from the DOC have been secured thanks in large part to the legislative work of former state representative Richard DeBolt, who helped secure $3 million from the state for an early learning center.

“In order to get access to the $3 million, there are some requirements that we need to meet. There are a couple more things that we need to complete. We hope to be under contract within the next couple of weeks,” Chaput said.



Since the DOC grant is reimbursable, once the ULC project is under contract, the agency will start dispensing the money as the project moves along. The next step, Chaput said, is to formalize the design process and then go out for a construction bid. 

The ULC partners are also working on a more defined lease with the city of Centralia for the ULC, Chaput said. The ULC will be located at the corner of North Pearl Street and West Maple Street, across the street from Centralia City Hall. In August, the Centralia City Council approved the allocation of $1.9 million in real estate excise tax, city funds that can go toward capital projects, to go toward the construction of the ULC. 

The process of getting started on construction is more complicated, Chaput said, since there are multiple partners involved, including, the city of Centralia, the Discover! Children’s Museum, United Way of Lewis County, the Early Learning Center and the Boys and Girls Club of Lewis County.

Chaput said he is excited that with the completion of the ULC there will be more options within the community for affordable childcare. 

“There’s a lot of people out there that still don’t have access, and (the ULC) is not simply a daycare but an early learning center, so there’s a larger educational component to it as well,” he said.