City discusses potential use of Shannon, Carpenter properties

   Prior to another Fiscal Year 2026 budget work session on Feb. 10, the Monticello City Council discussed the future potential of both the Shannon and Carpenter elementary school properties.

   The Monticello school board was also set to have the same discussion during their Feb. 12 board meeting. Due to the weather, the meeting was cancelled.

   City Administrator Russ Farnum said Superintendent Brian Jaeger spoke with him and Parks and Recreation Director Jacob Oswald about the future potential at both properties. Of course, nothing will happen until after the new elementary is built.

   "This isn't a decision that needs to be made tonight," prefaced Farnum. "Let's open the door to discussion to make everybody gets what they want, or if it's worth pursuing now or not pursuing."

   The land that occupies the Monticello Community School District (MCSD) bus barn; the former district office, which now houses the Transition Center; the small ball fields and court; Dean Nelson Field; Austin Smith Inclusive Playground; and the Aquatic Center are all co-owned by the City of Monticello and the MCSD.

   On the north end of this property along Panther Valley, north of the football field, Farnum explained there are some tight stipulations are far as what that property can be used for.

   "We have some complications on the north piece because some of that was bought with grant money," he explained. "That has to stay forever city-owned for the purpose of open space unless we get prior approval to swap that land of equal use for open space (elsewhere in the city)."

   Farnum said eventually it'd be nice to be able to draw a line between the Austin Smith Playground and the football field. Everything to the north would be owned by the school district; everything south, by the city.

   "And ten trade ownership of the stadium (Dea Nelson Field) and the bus barn for facilities of roughly the same acreage or value," added Farnum. "How we determine that, I don’t' know."

   Farnum, Oswald, and Jaeger thoroughly discussed the Shannon property. There are two ballfields behind Shannon that P&R uses for tournaments.

   "We lease them from the school for $1,000 a year," noted Farnum. "We actually make a lot of money through our tournaments off these fields. They're in really good shape."

   There is also a restroom and concession stand, too.

   Oswald and Council members Scott Brighton and Josh Brenneman attested the congestion and lack of parking near Shannon during the tournaments.

   Farnum said the school district would take care of demolition of both Shannon and Carpenter. His Farnum's estimation, removing Shannon school could allow for four single-family residential lots, measuring 200-by-90-feet.

   "It'd be just under half an acre," he said.

   However, the depth of those residential lots would mean losing a portion of the back parking lot.

   At Carpenter, the issue is the topography and layout of the property. The school itself is sandwiched between two playgrounds on the north and south ends. There are also two small ball fields to the north, again, used by P&R.

   "Neither playground had bad equipment," commented Oswald, "but I don't know if we want to maintain two playgrounds at one site. I don't see any reason to keep both playgrounds."

   Even if either playground were relocated to another city site, such as Jacobs Park or the fairgrounds/city park, Oswald said it would be a difficult project.

   Council member Dave Goedken suggested turning the entirety of the Carpenter property into residential. He said the city has Jacobs Park to use, even adding a ball field there.

   Oswald said the ball fields at Carpenter are used for t-ball, much like the fields at Shannon, and the ball diamond near the bus barn.

   Council member Jake Ellwood asked if P&R could get by without any of the fields. Oswald said they could maybe get by without one…

   "Jacob and I have talked about this at great length," offered Farnum. "We don't want the playground at the south end. This is definitely a very developable piece of property. You could get a good quantity of homes on it."

   Farnum figured 12 homes with a cul-de-sac could fill the Carpenter property.

   "If we wanted anything on this property," he continued, "it would be the two ball fields at the north end, maybe that playground. Just like with any other ball fields area, we're going to run into parking issues. The ball fields are already there versus building new ones at Jacobs Park."

   "I've been in Monticello for 15 years," said Brenneman. "The thing I hear all the time, there are not enough ball fields. And then we're just going to give up two of them (at Carpenter)?"

   Brighton said one the school does own all of the property near the bus barns and football field, he fears they're going to eliminate the field along Pather Valley.

   "Over time," he said, "that will probably go away."

   Goedken said if the city/P&R takes on so much more property, he thinks it'd be a maintenance issue. However, Oswald said P&R already maintains all of the fields anyway, whether they sit on MCSD property or not. He said the fees paid by the travel teams help to cover the costs to maintain the fields all over town.

   The council directed Farnum and Oswald to continue conversations with the school district.