The Barker Center on Egg Harbor Road is about to be filled with the sound of children again Tuesday, something that was in doubt this summer. COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the operating results of the Door County YMCA, which used to run child care at the site. After closing Barker down in March due to the shutdown orders, the Y announced in July that it would step away from the business permanently. The Door County Medical Center is aiding a nonprofit organization to fill the void. YMCA Chief Executive Officer Tom Beerntsen says it is a shining example of leadership, and he praises the hospital for the good it is doing for Sturgeon Bay.

The YMCA still owns the Barker Center, but it is only tangentially connected at this point to the operations happening in the building. The space is being leased by the DCMC and then sublet to the nonprofit Door Community Child Development Center. Beerntsen says that even though the Y has no direct influence over the child care being provided, they remain a willing partner to ensure the best experience possible for the building’s new tenants.