Facing economic woes, University of Southern Maine officials are considering closing child care centers at both Gorham and Portland campuses.
The university is proceeding slowly on a decision as it considers budget reductions, said Bob Caswell, a spokesman for the school. But, a decision is expected within two weeks. Caswell said the two child care centers have 100 children with 75 children of university students, faculty and staff.
“It’s an annual expense to the university to keep it running,” Caswell said.
Caswell said the university’s annual budget is $118 million, with $44 million provided by the state. He said the university has been asked to reduce the state’s share by $2.7 million. He said the university has already cut $1.8 million and is in the process of identifying $900,000 in additional budget cuts.
If the university decides drop child care, the closing would not be effective immediately, Caswell said, allowing parents time to make other arrangements.
The university opened its new $1.5-million child care building on Husky Drive behind the John Mitchell Center on the Gorham campus in 2006. Besides university students, the child care center on the Gorham campus also includes the Headstart program of the People’s Regional Opportunity Program (PROP), which utilizes 25 percentage of the floor space.
The new structure consolidated child care in one building from two buildings on the Gorham campus. It was financed by bonds plus a $100,000 grant. Caswell said the university didn’t receive state revenue or use tuition money to build the child care center.
To make payments on the bond if the child care center on the Gorham campus closed, the university would have to decide on future use of the building. Tom Poirier, assistant town planner in Gorham, said Tuesday the university could have to seek Planning Board approval, depending on what the university’s plans would be for the building.
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