Town hears report on replacing Houston House with new state-of-the-art children’s building for after-school program

Children in the Highlands community may have a new after-school building after the town commissioners heard a proposal that would replace the Houston House at the Highlands Civic Center with a brand new $4.5 million building.

Paul Schmitt with the Paul Schmitt Architectural Design Studio brought the proposal to the board during the annual budget retreat last Thursday.

He said in the proposal the building would have an after-school area, a 24x24 kitchen, storage, a climbing wall, bathroom area, main gym, raised walkway, outdoor basketball goals and an outdoor playing area.

“I’ve talked to a couple of builders, to try and get a sort of proposed budget,” Schmitt said. “I talked with a regional builder and a local builder, and they came back with $3.5 million and $6 million so somewhere around $4.5 million. Both of them had a thought process of over the next two years there would be cost increases based on current trends, but that is budgeted in there, as well as contingency costs.”

Highlands’ mayor Patrick Taylor said that it is a significant price tag, but on the other hand there is a big need for after-school care in the community.

“I support bringing in after-school care wholeheartedly,” Taylor said. “To me, this is a significant need. We used to have a 900 square foot facility and it is kind of in disrepair.”

The Highlands Recreation Park had an after-school program, but for the past two years, because of COVID-19, they did not have it.

“We would have from 15 to 28 kids in the after-school program and then 30 kids in the summer daycare program,” Parks and Recreation director Lester Norris said.

Taylor said that this is something that the town should buy into.

“I would hope that some of our benevolent citizens might see the need too and share in the cost of this,” Taylor said.    

- By Christopher Lugo