Public input on Monticello Circle Park development

by David Boyle
News Director
Member of the Monticello City Council approved a 10 percent increase in sewer rates to fund sewer infrastructure improvements, and discussed the future of Circle Park at their February 25 meeting.
The sewer project will include upgrades and replacement of sewer lines, with an expected price tag of $1.5 million with a 2.5 percent interest rate.
To cover the debt of the project, rates for sewer services will be raised by 10 percent. City staff reports it translates to about $2.66 a month for a household that uses 5,000 gallons of water.
The new rate increase will go into effect at the start of the new fiscal year on July 1. Council also considered a 15 percent rate increase, which is what was bonded for, but council and staff agreed to start with 10 percent before considering an additional rate change.
Two residents spoke in favor of the rate increase at the public hearing, with one even suggesting the city go straight to the 15 percent to cover expenses of improving and maintaining infrastructure.
Members of the Monticello City Council also held a public forum to discuss the potential sale and development of Circle Park.
No decision was made at the meeting, but the council did hear from more than a dozen residents about the project and outlined answers to common questions related to the project.
Mayor Bayley Hedglin began the evening thanking citizens for turning out for the forum, noting the need for public input on issues.
The discussion began with a presentation by City Manager Kaeden Kulow.
Kulow said the city maintains 14.63 acres of green space, including Veterans Park, the city ball fields, Pioneer Park and Circle Park.
Those green spaces require particular care, including mowing and regular maintenance.
On top of that, Kulow said the city manages a 175-acre golf course, and maintains trails at Loyds Lake and the Mill Site. In total, the city manages 842 acres in some degree.
Kulow compared the seven areas managed by Monticello with other southeast Utah communities. Price manages eight public spaces, Moab and Blanding each manage five, and Green River has two.
“That is just something I want to take into consideration tonight. We do manage a lot of space compared to other cities.
“We like green space. We live in a wonderful, beautiful area. It’s just some facts that we found that we want to make sure everybody kind of understood what city administration is seeing.”
As part of the report, Kulow said that managing city parks costs about $61,000 a year.
Kulow also addressed a common question asked is if Circle Park were developed, would it require infrastructure overhauls? Kulow said it would not.
Assistant City Manager Megan Gallegos said additional information from a staff report notes that the park is mowed twice a week with additional resources spent on weed control and maintaince totaling about eight man-hours per week.
The city also said that sprinkler repairs and replacements are costly and notes that the park’s slanted, narrow layout makes it unsuitable for recreational sports. Limited parking constrains the ability to support larger community events.
“It has low utilization given the combination of outdated equipment, limited usable space, and the inability to host recreational sports or large events,” said Gaallegos. “This park is currently the least utilized out of all of our city parks.”
Gallegos also noted that other city-owned parks and recreation areas are within a mile and a half of Circle Park.
A staff report also found an average of 779,000 gallons of water used annually at the parks over the past six years.
Gallegos concluded her report with a recommendation, “Given the park’s limited functionality, outdated infrastructure, and high maintenance costs, I recommend considering the following:
Re-evaluating the park’s purpose and usage to determine if it should be repurposed for a different community need, focusing on maintaining other more frequently-used parks that provide better recreational opportunities for the community, and reducing the size of this park.”
Gallegos noted some potentially options would be to reduce the footprint of the park, replace outdated playground equipment and cut down on maintenance of the park with possible xeriscaping.
Members of the city council heard from several residents in town about the park.
Ten people spoke against development of the park, while four people spoke in favor of looking into development of the park.
Residents in favor of retaining the park shared that the park does see frequent usage. Those in favor of retaining Circle Park also spoke about concerns about drainage in the area
Others worried that the proposal may be a bandaid on a larger issue, suggesting the city incentivize private landowners to develop existing areas. Others raised concerns on the affordability and feasibility of the project.
Other community members expressed support for the development of the property.
Residents shared their own stories trying to find housing in Monticello and seeing the development of Circle Park as a vehicle to provide additional affordable housing and workforce housing to support growth in the local economy.
City council and staff also answered some questions raised about the potential development at Circle Park.
One question relates to the number of units that could be developed at the park. Under current zoning, eight to nine single-family homes could be built but more housing could be increased if different zoning were applied to the area.
The city also said that proposed plans include a drainage corridor to redirect water to the city drainage system.
The city also said that the developer aims for homes to be in the $275,000 range. The city would make money from the sale of the land which could be reinvested into other parks and recreation, with the developer profiting from the sale of the homes.
The city would also have the option of decreasing the price of the homes by selling the land at a lower price than private development. The city could also place deed restrictions on the property, including owner occupancy and restriction on resale prices. Those options would need to be weighed against the city financial goals.
Additionally, the city gave a brief explanation of the process to sell the property, which would include extensive public processes that would likely take around six months, including public hearings, property evaluation for market value, and open bidding.
Council also answered questions related to the park and potential project, with the city sharing the developer expressed interest in using local contractors.
One question asked about the potential of using the area for developing a recreation center with funding considered a significant challenge for that proposal. Other questions were considered as part of the conversation.
At the conclusion, Mayor Hedglin thanked community members for showing up at the meeting and emphasized that no decision has been made.
“This is a proposal.... We want to do what’s best for the city, and this is just an idea. So, we’ll see where it goes, but this is the start.... we have a lot to look over.”
Members of the city council also heard from RT Nielson, Director of the Utah Food Bank Southeastern Distribution Center.
Nielson said the over 120-year-old Utah Food Bank distributes in the state but opened its first operated food bank after Covid-19.
They built a distribution center in Blanding, as well as pantries in Montezuma Creek and Monument Valley.
Nielson said that in December 2024 alone, the three San Juan County food banks served 8,886 clients, totaling about 62 percent of the county population. 
Nielson also asked for help promoting the upcoming Feed Utah drive.
The center is looking to more than double the 2,000 pounds they collected during the drive last year, up to 5,000 pounds of donated product.
The Feed Utah drive in San Juan County will be on March 22.
Members of the city council also heard a brief report from Debra McKee, an Outreach Manager with the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity.
McKee gave a report on the Ready grant, which offers $6,000 to businesses who create a new position paying the average county wage, (which is $46,585 in most industries). She recommends that businesses contact her office to apply and to check eligibility requirements.