Courtesy photo The outside of the Wells School is shown.

WELLS — The Northern Lights YMCA is busy renovating the former Wells School acquired from the Escanaba Area School District in June. The YMCA plans to turn the school into a modern childcare and youth development center.

“It’s a part of our overall Capital Development Project,” said Caron Salo, the YMCA’s Fund Development Director. The YMCA is in the midst of planning a large scale renovation of its facilities located on the campus of Bay College.

The Y is planning to have up to four rooms of childcare available this fall along with its after school program, which will change location to the school after renovations are complete.

“Being able to buy this school will immediately double our childcare capacity,” said Salo. “It will also give us the opportunity to add other youth programs and develop some of our Community Wellness programs further.”

The funds to renovate Wells school was made possible in part by the Hannahville Indian Community which had made a grant last year to the Bay College/YMCA capital projects for development of new athletic facilities and to fund expansion and renovations for the YMCA.

“We are very thankful to be in a position to have been able to buy the school when it became available,” said Salo.

Renovations have included preparing the school as a modern childcare facility complete with secured keypad entry and video surveillance along with heating and ventilation upgrades, new flooring and some remaining lead and asbestos abatement.

“It’s been a summer-long process with all of our staff chipping in time in addition to their normal duties back at the Y,” said Salo. “But we are now in the home stretch and intend to move the childcare program over here in the early fall with other programs coming onboard later in the fall and early winter.”

Salo said the combined purchase price of the school and the accompanying renovations will cost approximately $380,000 which represents less than half the costs of building new childcare space from the ground up.

“This school has a tremendous history in the Escanaba and Wells community and we’re excited to be giving it a second life as a YMCA program center,” said Salo.

For more information on the project or on YMCA childcare and youth programs call the YMCA at 789-0005 or visit on-line at www.nlymca.com