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Richland hosts opening of Jerry B. Robinson Child Care Center
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
RICHLAND – The town of Richland put another notch in its belt of accomplishments on Monday with the opening of a new child care center, built exactly where the Richland High School once stood about a block west of the square.
The building is named after Jerry B. Robinson, a former Richland resident who donated $1 million to build the child care center. A ceremony on Monday, Dec. 9 was held to dedicate a flagpole donated by the Richland Community Club, as well as a cornerstone saved from the former school when it was torn down in 2021. Within the cornerstone is a time capsule of memorabilia from Richland High School courtesy of Richland Community Club member and former Richland Mayor Tom Hoekstra.
“I’m the only one who knows what’s in it,” Hoekstra said of the time capsule, which will be opened in 100 years. “I’ve accumulated a lot of stuff from Richland High School over the years, even though I graduated from Pekin.”
Hoekstra attended Monday morning’s dedication, and said he felt a sigh of relief upon seeing the child care center open its doors.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Hoekstra said. “Everything goes back to Jerry Robinson. He always wanted to do something here in town, to invest in a project here.”
Hoekstra said he floated the idea of funding a child care center, but Robinson was cold to the idea at first. However, Robinson then read a magazine article about the shortage of day care options across the country, and that changed his mind.
“That’s when he climbed on board,” Hoekstra said. “He found the project he wanted to fund. I was always looking at child care, because I knew that Pekin has a [waiting list]. People need somewhere to take care of their infant kids.”
A board was formed to organize and fundraise for a new child care center, known as the Richland Area Child Care Organization (RACCO). In June 2023, board members broke ground on the new child care center.
Two of RACCO’s founding board members were Richard and Charlotte Downey, who participated in Monday’s ceremonies. Richard Downey served as an adjutant for 30-plus years, and has been the commander and vice commander of Richland American Legion Post 504, whose members raised a flag on the flagpole. Richard said the flagpole was previously on an empty lot on the square, and the Richland Community Club agreed to donate it to the child care center.
“It was great to see that go up,” Richard said about the child care center. “Our home is less than a block away, so we can see it from here. The school had been vacant for over 30 years, and to get rid of that and get this new building put in, it’s quite an improvement.”
Charlotte moved to Richland for the start of her freshman year of high school, and befriended Jerry Robinson as a classmate. They were in school together just two years because Robinson’s asthma made him seek a school in the mountains, and thus he moved to Colorado after sophomore year. He had a terrific career in real estate and this has allowed him to give back to Richland through numerous donations. He and Charlotte stayed in touch, and she kept him abreast of developments in the town.
“He loved Richland, and he never forgot about this little town,” Charlotte said. “He started school here at Richland Elementary, on the same lot where we built the child care. It was a fitting idea to put the child care there, because it’s for the education of the kids. We’ve been really blessed to have him as a friend and benefactor, not just for the Richland Area Child Care Organization but also as a supporter of other things in Richland.”
Charlotte said the Richland Community Club deserves a lot of credit for making this project a success, as well as all the individuals and business who have contributed to it.
“Richland is a little town that refuses to die,” Charlotte said. “It’s one of a kind. We’re really proud of this town, and it’s where we’ve raised our kids.”
The child care center’s director, Tabitha Unternahrer, said the facility is large enough to accommodate 65 children, and she’s hoping to generate exposure and interest through an open house the center will host from 3-7 p.m. on Dec. 20. The building will be open to the public, and the center will have games, activities and snacks for children.
Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com
