The Monticello School Board held a special called meeting at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, March 28 to discuss the approval to demolish the City Park Elementary School.
After some discussion, the board approved for the district to move forward with the demolition.
The Superintendent of Monticello School District, Sandra Lanehart, stated later in communication with The Advance that she has submitted a waiver request to the Department of Transportation and Facilities to move the process forward.
According to Lanehart, the department will place the district’s request on their website for 30 days. If there are no entities interested in the building at the end of the 30 day period, the department will approve the waiver. If the waiver is approved, the district can then move forward with the demolition.
This special meeting was called after the board met on Tuesday, March 14, where the board discussed the reasons why City Park Elementary was being recommended for demolition.
The five year maintenance and repair costs to maintain the facilities is $300,716.57, or $60,143.31 per year. The building needs a new roof, and the cost of repairing the roof has been estimated to cost $1 million. The board agreed that the cost of repairing the building far exceeded the amount that it would cost to demolish the facility.
City Park Elementary was built in 1962. The building currently houses one full-time teacher, one part-time teacher, the Alternative Learning Environment classroom, and the district rents space to the Boys and Girls club and Head Start programs.
The district has stated that they currently have classroom space for the full-time and the part-time teachers. They would also like to see the ALE classrooms located in the district’s other facilities.
In an interview with Lanehart, she said that she wasn’t aware of any plans for the Boys and Girls Club, but she is sure they are looking for a new location.
Lanehart also added that the Arkansas Department of Transportation and Facilities informed her that the waiver request can only be submitted after the building has been formally closed. The closing date for the facility is June 30.
Lanehart further stated that there are currently no definite plans for the property after demolition is completed. She did state that they are looking at developing some parking spaces.
