CDC, City Work Out 2-Year Lease Extension

The City of Falls Church City Council voted 4-1 to approve a lease extension that would keep the Easter Seals Child Development Center of Northern Virginia open through November 2013.

Bill Hicks was relieved to hear the daycare will remain open for at least for another 2-years. Hicks, who has a 4-year-old daughter at the center, said it would be virtually impossible to find another daycare center in the area for his daughter.

“She’s very happy there and it’s a great facility,” Hicks said. “With this new lease extension, she’ll be able to graduate from there.”

Under the lease extension, CDC will pay $3,000 a month for rent beginning Dec. 1. CDC will also be responsible for repairs to the facility unless it is something that needs to be replaced costing more than $20,000. At that point, according to the lease extension, the building’s landlord, the City of Falls Church, would be responsible. City Councilman Lawrence Webb said the extension would allow for parents to find alternate childcare for the more than 70 children at CDC. Ira Kaylin was the lone councilman who voted against the lease extension.

Months ago, Stuart Rubin started a Google group with other parents of CDC children to inform the masses of the discussions between the city and the daycare center. Monday, he said he was happy to know his 21-month-old son would have somewhere to go for the next 2-years.

“I would have liked to have seen a longer lease,” Rubin said. “It would have been great to see them do a five or 10-year lease.”

City Manager Wyatt Shields said . He said FCCPS affirmed him of their desire to occupy the building in writing over the summer and again last week.

Jonathan Horowitch, chief operating officer for Easter Seals Greater Washington which operates CDC, said it’s his understanding that FCCPS isn’t ready to make a decision on rather to occupy the building or not.

Mayor Nader Baroukh said the city and CDC worked hard over several months to come to a compromise. He said the decision is in the best for all the parties involved.

“Ultimately I think that we’ve gotten to a middle ground,” Baroukh said. “I don’t want the parents to walk away thinking there will be another extension.”