City, County to join forces for new building

A funding plan for a new community center / senior center/ golf clubhouse in Monticello was approved at the April 14 meeting of the San Juan County Commission.
The project combines two separate projects into a single building that is designed to meet a number of needs.
Officials hope that construction can begin by the end of the summer on the 7,000 square foot building. The project engineer estimates that the building will cost approximately $2 million, plus site work.
Funding for the project, totaling approximately $2.9 million, will be pursued from the Utah Community Impact Board.
It will include a $1.3 million grant, a $1 million loan at 1.5 percent annual interest, and $600,000 in cash from the two entities (split 50/50).
San Juan County will assume 60 percent of the loan, with the city assuming the remainder. Operations and maintenance will be split 50/50 between the entities.
Details of the deal will be finalized in an inter-local agreement between the county and the city.
In 2013, the City of Monticello had secured funding for a community center at the golf course. However, the project floundered when bids for the 5,000 square foot building came in $400,000 higher than the engineer estimates.
The bids came in at $1.5 million, compared to the $1.1 million estimate by the project engineer.
At about the same time, San Juan County was pursuing funding for a new 2,000 square foot senior center, to be built just north of the county courthouse. That building would have required $2.3 million in funding.
“Combining the projects and splitting the ongoing operations and maintenance costs between the entities will save us a lot,” said County Administrator Kelly Pehrson.
“Both the city and the county will get what they needed in their stand-alone buildings.”
The new facility will be ADA accessible and will seat 250 people for meetings, including for senior citizen events and the weekly meetings of the San Juan County Commission.
The space will be available to rent for meetings and retreats, including events tied to the Hideout Golf Club, which is owned by the City of Monticello.
Funding for the project is set to be secured at the June 1 meeting of the CIB.