Ottertail Family Center to break ground soon near former Smokin’ Iron track

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

An off-the-cuff comment about starting a childcare center in Ottertail, which was initially laughed off by Tyler Rupe’s wife, will soon transform the landscape of Ottertail for generations to come.

“It honestly started about 2 1/2 years ago when our day care provider for our son was closing. We were in search for childcare and realized how difficult it was to find space for childcare,” said Alex Rupe. “Tyler made the comment, ‘we should start our own child care center.’ I sort of laughed and the next day he came back and said I think I figured out how we could do this.”

While the Rupes were eventually able to find childcare for their oldest child, they were once again reminded about the pressing need for day care facilities in the region when they had their second child late last year. 

“We just had our daughter in December of 2024 and I started calling day care centers about six months out. I called over 30 places to find a spot for our daughter. At six months in advance I was being told they wouldn’t have a spot for 1-2 years before we could find a spot,” said Alex. 

As business owners themselves, the Ottertail couple began reaching out to people within the City of Ottertail, as well as residents to see if their dream of making a day care center could become a reality in town. What they quickly found was an overwhelming support from residents in town, many of whom no longer have children in need of day care, but have heard of the concern from the day care shortage across rural Minnesota.

What transpired since the Rupes initial conversation was nearly three years of planning, city council and planning meetings, grant writing and attempting to get donors on board to create what would become Ottertail Family Center. 

The day care center, which will feature four pods of up to 12 children each, is expected to break ground later this spring, while the expansive recreation center may not be completed until next year. The day care and recreation centers will be located on a vacant piece of land that has become synonymous with polka music and a big yellow tent near the water tower in Ottertail. The new facility has residents buzzing with potential growth and opportunities for the community moving forward.

The new day care center will essentially be two duplexes that can house up to 12 children in each pod. The plan is to have individual providers essentially rent space from a non-profit organization called Three Little Otters that was started by the Rupes and will operate the day-to-day operation of the facility. 

Alex said similar day cares have been established in places like the City of Morris as a way to try and fill the day care shortage in the region. The space will be available for new and existing providers who may want to move their at home day care out of their residence. 

“It is a great program that was supported by their county. That is what we are trying to bring to the area as well,” said Alex. “We are hoping to have an application process to find really great providers who are excited and passionate about providing childcare in the community.”

As the planning process continued for the new day care center, the Rupes helped to found a non-profit to operate the day care when it comes fully functional as soon as later this year.

“Tyler and I started the non-profit and organized a board of five members to curate this idea of a day care space and community space,” said Alex.

In addition to countless local donations and contributions, Otter Tail County was awarded a $240,000 Child Care Economic Development Grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (MN DEED). The funding will be a sub-grant to support the construction and start-up equipment costs of four child care sites in the City of Ottertail.

MN DEED is the state’s principal economic development agency. $6.1 million in Child Care Economic Development Grant funds were awarded to 25 organizations representing communities throughout Minnesota. The community organizations receiving the grants will use a variety of approaches ranging from expanding child care facilities, to creating resource centers for child care providers, to assistance with licensing.

Tyler said several community members have been instrumental in getting the project off the ground, including Tommy Merickel and Kenny Nelson, as well as Joe Hammers with the recreation center. 

  In fact, one of the first people Tyler reached out to when the family started to develop the idea of a day care and recreation center was Nelson, who Tyler said was supportive of the project from the get-go.

“We are very fortunate that he is willing to donate his money and try to grow this town,” said Tyler.

Nelson, Merickel and Hammers have all either attended several meetings in person or shared their expertise on the various aspects of the project, from functionality to fundraising and working through the challenges of locating such a large place in the shore land area near all of the lakes in Ottertail.

“We have been very lucky to have their support and knowledge,” said Alex.

Even though the original off-the-cuff comment from Tyler centered around day care, in the planning process the Ottertail family quickly learned about a need for additional common space in the community. Whether that be for seniors playing cards, tourists looking for physical activity or children wanting to have a place to play basketball or run, Tyler said there was an overwhelming need “to have a landing spot in this town.”

  Construction on the recreation center will begin after the day care center and may not start until 2026, depending on funding and the availability of contractors. When it is completed the plan is to have a full size basketball court, room for pickle ball players and a community room for meeting spaces or family gatherings.

“Our current plan right now is to  have an indoor play area for kiddos of varying ages to come in and use that space,” said Alex. “We are also hoping to have a full size court gymnasium with three pickle ball courts and a walking track around it.”

The final design of the rec center facility has not been completed and depends on how much funding is available for the expansive project. 

Ottertail Mayor Ron Grobeck said the rec center facility will be a nice addition to town as it will provide a place for music in the park to be held in the event of inclement weather, as well as the Ottertail Lions Polka Days celebration that had previously been housed under a temporary yellow tent and wooden dance floor. 

He said the day care center will be a great addition to the community as well and was a great example of community members and the city coming together to work on finding a solution to a pressing issue for many young families in the region.