The First United Methodist Church of Merrill is waiting to hear back from the state fire marshal on whether or not their facility passes to serve as the site for a before and after-school program hoping to start this fall. [Click to enlarge]

Throughout the past year, the town has been working to develop a before- and after-school program to provide activities and supervision for students whose parents work longer than school hours.

The planned location for the program is Merrill's United Methodist Church, north of the library and city hall complex.

Merrill residents say they have been interested in starting such a program for some time now.

"We're trying to keep our numbers up by offering a program that will draw more people to town," said Dan Smith, a Le Mars Community School Board member and Merrill resident heading up the before- and after-school program efforts.

For parents who commute from the Le Mars and Merrill areas to Sioux City for work, Smith says he hopes those parents see the before- and after-school program as a chance to spend 15 more minutes with their child every day during their drive to work.

The United Methodist Church facilities are capable of hosting 14 before and after-school children and already eight have shown an interest in taking advantage of the program.

Yet, the before- and after-school efforts may not even come together due to specific requirements enforced by the Iowa fire marshal.

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According to Smith, in order for the before- and after-school program site to pass, blueprints of the United Methodist Church must be drawn by an architect and sent to the state fire marshal's office in Des Moines.

"We had blueprints of the church but not actual prints drawn out by an architect," Smith said.

Blueprints have since been drawn by an architect and submitted to the state fire marshal.

"We're now just waiting to hear back to find out whether or not the program's a go for this fall," he said.

Smith believes they'll receive word on whether or not to halt or continue the project by the middle of August, which may or may not be too late as the majority of area schools resume classes on August 21.

Besides the blueprints, the only other modifications recommended by the state fire marshal include 911 information listed next to the church's phones, a fire extinguisher in the kitchen, and a nail secured above the bathroom door in case a child would lock themselves inside the bathroom.

"These are all minor modifications that can easily be fixed," Smith said.

If approved, the church has donated use of its facilities for the before- and after-school students.

The program, which plans to employ two facilitators, will be educational-oriented, providing students with additional help on schoolwork, projects, and classroom activities.

No matter the outcome, Smith continues to stay optimistic about the potential before- and after-school program.

"If the program has a positive effect on how kids do in school, this may be something that schools might want to implement and offer to all students," he said.