Doris Rizek, representing Telamon Corp. Head Start in Belltown, said the organization has been looking for a location to construct a new, larger building for the past two years.

“It’s been a challenge,” Rizek said.

Getting an approval from the board for a special-use exception may also be a challenge.

The board voted to table the matter to its Monday, Oct. 19 meeting after several local residents complained about safety and traffic issues.

According to county code, day-care centers, which the Head Start is classified under, can receive special-use exceptions to operate in AR-1 agricultural-residential districts.

Rizek said Head Start has outgrown its building in Belltown and children have been placed on a waiting list. The organization serves up to 34 preschool children, ages 3 to 5 years, in half-day shifts, from 8 a.m. to noon and from noon to 4 p.m., following the school schedule. The facility would be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, September through May.

The new building would be 3,000 square feet on 2 acres and would allow for expansion from one classroom to two, with office space.

“We only have funding for a school-year program, but based on community need, we could expand to a wrap-around child-care program throughout the year,” she said.

If granted, Chairman Dale Callaway said the special-use exception would only cover a school-year program. He said if any changes were made, the organization would have to come back through the process. “I’m very clear about that,” Rizek said.

Gary Johnson, also representing Head Start, said he understands residents’ traffic concerns. “We are on Route 9 now, and it’s a lot busier than Plantation Road,” he said. “We go on Route 9 every day, and we’ve had no problems. We make right turns and choose the safest routes.”

He said the bus used by the center is a 17-passenger bus that would make four stops at the center each weekday to pick up and drop off students during the two sessions. He said, depending on the numbers of children in the program, two buses could be used.

Johnson said a few parents transport their children to Head Start by car, but most use bus service.

Glenden Jackson, a resident of MacKenzie Way, disagreed with Johnson’s assertions on traffic. “Traffic is a lot worse on Plantation Road than Route 9,” he said. “I travel both roads all the time – and have lived here all my life. I’d take Route 9 over Plantation Road any day.”

He said the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) has not kept up with road improvements to match development along Plantation Road.

“There is no road that goes into there,” said Betty Deacon, who lives in nearby Sandy Brae. “MacKenzie Way is not a public road.”

Deacon wondered if Head Start could develop the site the way it’s planned. “There is no money for roads, and do you want to have children sitting next to a brownfield that we don’t know if it can be cleaned up or not?” she asked.

“This is an unsafe condition we are setting ourselves up for,” Jackson said. He said it didn’t matter if students were transported by car or bus.

He also read a letter in opposition to the project from Israel United Methodist Church, a neighbor of the proposed project.

Shirley Ford, representing the Eagle Point Coalition, said the estimated traffic from the proposed Arbors of Cottagedale apartment complex would be between 1,425 and 1,725 new trips per day – all passing the proposed Head Start on MacKenzie Way.

“This is just not the right place for a day-care or child facility,” she said.

Rizek said they have been operating off a private road at the Belltown facility for five years. “We operate our centers very safely,” she said.

Johnson said the proposed facility would be fenced in and children would not be permitted access beyond the fenced-in area. He said buses would not stop on MacKenzie Way.