BELLINGHAM, Wash. — “I wanted to create a place where kids and families are taken care of.”
For nearly 14 years, Kathy Westover has cherished her time running the James Place Child Development Center in downtown Bellingham.
But now, she faces a big challenge after November’s bomb cyclone tore up the roof of the nearly 100-year-old building.
“The whole thing had just blown over on itself – it was like it folded in half and the water had been pouring in,” said Westover.
Tarps and two-by-fours are keeping the roof in place, for now.
Recently, Westover received a 90-day notice from the building owner, Hollander Hospitality, that she would have to pay $20,000 to fix the roof or shut down the center because insurance won’t cover it.
“I got the notice, and I was just stunned and shocked and, you know, despairing. I think I cried for a week. We’ve got all these families depending on us, and we’ve got to try to do something,” said Westover.
James Place takes care of nearly two dozen kids, from babies to five-year-olds.
Kelly Wall says she dreads the thought of having to find a new spot for her two girls.
“To the point where we’d have considerations about career and long-term finances and things like that, just because it’s really difficult to find good quality childcare,” said Wall.
Westover says she looked for help from government funding and grants, but came up empty.
She is now trying to raise money through a GoFundMe account to fix the roof, while her landlord is willing to make a deal.
“They said they would be willing to give us a three-year lease – that we could stay and that will give us time to find another place to move to, if we fix the roof,” said Westover.