Much has been said on social media and in the news after the popular Ranch daycare center in Madison closed Monday. What exactly happened? JJ did some digging and here is the story.
Cathy O'Kelly operated the CC Ranch on Christmas Lane for 45 years in Madison as it provided quite the experience for children. The daycare center was situated on several acres of wooded land with a complement of farm animals. Instead of being stuck in a building all day, children were encouraged to participate in outdoor activities and interact with the animals - healthy, wholesome fun. However, "Miss Cathy" ( as she is affectionately known) operated the daycare center out of her home on the property. Fire codes are more relaxed for residential daycare centers.
Cathy sold the CC Ranch to her son, Austin, sometime in the last year and that is where the problems begin. Austin changed the name to The Ranch.
Madison adopted the International Fire Code in the early 2000's. The city operates under the 2018 version of the International Fire Code. State law requires municipalities to adopt a version within "two code cycles."
CC Ranch was grandfathered and did not have to meet many of the requirements such as installing a fire hydrant. Unfortunately for The Ranch, the ownership change meant The Ranch would be treated as a new daycare facility Thus it would have to be brought up to code and pass inspection.* It would no longer operate as a home-based daycare center, thus forcing it to operate under a different set of rules.
The city learned of the ownership change in early 2025. Austin met with Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler, Fire Chief Derrick Layton, and other Madison officials in February. Getting the Ranch up to code was the subject of the meeting. Chief Layton recommended to Austin that he get an architect to conduct a fire code review of the facility. The Chief said The Ranch would have to install a sprinkler system, fire alarm linked to the sprinkler system (Thalia Mara Hall had the same issue), and a fire hydrant.
The Fire Department inspected the Ranch in June. The report states "New owners are currently working with the Fire Department to bring the facility up to current fire code standards." It stated the next inspection would be September 15.
Chief Layton warned Austin O'Kelly the deadline was soon approaching in an August 27 email:
Austin O'Kelly apparently contacted architect Robert Polk. Mr. Polk sent an email to Chief Layton on August 28:
September 15 rolled around and so did the Madison Fire Department. The September inspection found the Ranch still did not meet the Madison fire code. The report states:
Mr. O'Kelly complained it would cost $300,000 to bring the daycare center up to the fire code standards. The biggest expense is probably the installation of a fire hydrant. Installing the hydrant itself usually costs less than $10,000. However, the fire hydrant has to be within a certain distance of the Ranch. The Ranch would have to install a water line connecting the fire hydrant to Madison's water system approximately a quarter-mile away and that is not cheap.
The Ranch failed its Health Department inspection on September 19. The inspection cited the failure to meet fire code standards, failure to have adequate insurance, and other violations. The agency shut down the Ranch.
The property is classified as agricultural. The O'Kelly's are seeking special exception for the property so it can be re-zoned.
Austin O'Kelly and Sonny Sethi own The Ranch, LLC. The Secretary of State is in the process of dissolving the company due to its failure to file an annual report. However, it is not known if the company owns and operates the daycare center.
* A similar situation took place when Kane Ditto bought and renovated the Mayflower Cafe. The restaurant fell way short of meeting code so Mr. Ditto was forced to spend $300,000 just to get in compliance.
Note: Mr. O'Kelly provided a timeline of his version of events that is posted below. JJ will interview him this weekend.
Posted below: Fire inspections, Architect Letter to Austin O'Kelly, Architect email to Chief Layton, Chief Layton email to O'Kelly, Health Department inspection.
22 comments:
Thanks Kingfish for your findings
Wonder what the market value of that land is?
Shame. I moved here to Mississippi in August 1990, after my wife's death, with our young son. Took a job in Jackson so I'd be near family to help out. Enrolled him in school, Coach Kent was our VP and bus driver, and I was directed to CC Ranch for after school care until I could pick the boy up. He always had a great time. Knew Cathy through church for years. So sorry the place couldn't stay open.
Strict codes and regulations are running people out of business or keeping them from even wanting to open a business. Big corporations will take up the slack.
It looks like some poor business decisions were made around the transfer of ownership, and now they are suffering the consequences.
I do not understand all the people upset about this. This is a daycare that is not prepared if there were a fire. If there was a fire and a tragedy occurred, people would be rightfully livid that they were not compliant.
I side with Madison on this.
As a former career firefighter with a college degree and understanding of codes this is completely wrong.
The codes state as long as the occupancy type doesnt change after change of ownership it’s good to continue operating under the old codes. But if the property is sold and the occupancy type change then it can be required to be brought up to code.
Sounds like it’s time to sell the ranch.
It sucks but they should have never changed the name. It's all about the money anyway. Seems like a land grab to me.
Too bad they did not see the value in using a good business attorney.
If the city let The Ranch slide, it would set a precedent for every other business to ignore the rules. Then what happens when someone else says they don’t want to follow fire codes either? The city can’t fold on safety laws just because people are nostalgic. Once ownership changed, it became a new daycare and had to meet the same standards as everyone else. It’s not unfair, it’s called doing things right.
If there were casualties or fatalities at a day care facility in Madison that wasn't up to code, the crack investigative reporters we have around here would jump on it and blame the city/The Queen for not doing their jobs. Oh wait... there aren't any crack investigative reporters in the Jackson area. Never mind.
Funny how some people only care about “freedom” and “small government” until it’s their business that has to follow the rules. Then it’s all “the city’s picking on us.” You can’t scream about law and order one day and cry government overreach the next just because it costs money to comply. Madison didn’t create the problem. Poor planning did.
This is just ridiculous. It was completely okay to operate as it was under the old ownership. "Grandfathered in". The son takes it over and changes it from "CC Ranch" to just "The Ranch" and seemingly half a million of changes need to be made to make it safe. WHY THE HELL WAS IT OKAY BEFORE!!! Let them run the damn thing. If you're worried about codes and other bureaucratic nonsense, don't send your kids there. It's that simple. If you choose to keep your kids playing and not on their phones or tablets, take the risk. Less government = better.
@ 3:55 Madison could have worked with them instead of flexing its power on a family business that’s done good for the community.
One point that needs to be corrected in the article:
"However, the fire hydrant has to be within a certain distance of the Ranch. The Ranch would have to install a water line connecting the fire hydrant to Madison's water system approximately a quarter-mile away and that is not cheap."
The waterline would actually NOT connect to Madison's water system. It would instead connect to Bear Creek's water system. Bear Creek Water Association is the water provider in that area of the city.
I can see both sides. Let me explain.
My mom and dad's house was build in 1956 and adhered to the codes at that time. Over the years, maintenance, etc., we knew certain things needed to be updated but who has the money. One hand says safety, update. The other hand says, can you imagine the cost of ripping out all electrical and plumbing to update it? In the end, after my parents passed, I sold the house because there was just no way for me to do those types of updates.
4:10. So what? Maybe it should've just said "A" water system... anybody's. It'll probably cost the same to install 'whoever' it connects to.
What if...Just what if...This daycare had been owned by the family of one of Mary's hand-picked alderpersons?
Remember when Dale Danks was city attorney and Hickok was an alderperson as was his successor and all three of them lived in Northbay (less than a mile from 'The Ranch') and Danks' wife was/is Mary's personal assistant and the subdivision suddenly got approved for the riding of four-wheelers on city streets?
Just thinkin' out loud here. Not sure where I was going with this...
The drama is thick.
1) The city *learned* of the ownership change in early 2025. - Hmmm.
2) I'm surprised to learn that a property owner is responsible for the cost of a fire hydrant and water line to the hydrant. Is that not an ordinary municipal service like sewer service, fire and police protection, streets, etc.?
3) According to the attendance roster, Mary's city attorney was present at the transfer of ownership meeting. Should the attorney not have mentioned these hurdles to the 'new owner' at that meeting or was the 'new owner' being set up?
It would tickle the shit out of me if the owner could finagle a way to sell the land to a developer who could put apartments there.
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