ROCHELLE — The former Kishwaukee Family YMCA Child Care Center building at 1010 N. 15th St. that closed in 2020 has been listed for sale for $399,900. 

The Hayden Real Estate, Inc. listing said the 12,000 square foot childcare facility sits on 2.73 acres and includes eight classrooms, a sprinkler system, commercial kitchen and outdoor space. The building was built in 1993. 

The 1010 N. 15th St. property also includes approximately 50 parking stalls and a security system with cameras in place and a front door with a key card system. 

Rooms of the building include a reception area, a private office, a common area, a laundry room, bathrooms in all but two rooms, two school rooms and a room each for ages infant through six. 

The city has been without a daycare center since the facility closed. The City of Rochelle took on preliminary work last year to bring a daycare back to town. It put out a survey to residents that came back with overwhelming results in favor of a daycare with 72 percent of respondents saying they’re in need of a daycare and 71 percent saying their children would be likely to attend a daycare if it opened in town.

The city received a $10,000 grant from the Rochelle Area Community Foundation to start the process of a separate 501c3 nonprofit daycare board that has since been established and has taken on the task of bringing a daycare to Rochelle. The city will have no more direct involvement in a daycare.

The board includes Mayor John Bearrows (chairman), Jenny Thompson, Jillian Condon, Jessica Rogers, Edgar Lopez, Rosie Arteaga, Kevin Crandall, Brittany Boardman, Kim Montgomery, Becky Huntley, Will McLachlan and Jessica Morris. 

The board will be in charge of raising funds and making future decisions such as a location and who will manage the potential daycare facility. It will have different committees including one for fundraising. 

Late last year Rochelle CIty Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh said he was unsure what kind of funds the board would have to raise to open a daycare, but guessed the number could be over $1 million to get a building bought and the facility off the ground and running. 

Bearrows declined comment Thursday when asked about the listing of the daycare property. Talks did occur last year between the city and the YMCA and city officials toured the facility and Fiegenschuh said it was in “great shape” and still set up for a daycare service.