Montessori school seeks Carbonate Street childcare center; trustees request memorandum of understanding before lease

Representatives of Shining Mountains Montessori (Emily Petty, executive director; Kirsten Gamond, school director; and others) told the Board of Trustees on April 22 they want to expand from roughly 20 current students to an early childhood center on Carbonate Street that would include infant, toddler and children’s‑house rooms and serve as many as 75 students across locations in a full expansion scenario.

The presenters said they retained an expansion consultant to model a program budget that includes three options. The school is seeking a timeline that would allow a fall 2026 opening for the Carbonate Street space, contingent on an outstanding federal funding award that would pay for interior finish work. Staff and trustees noted the federal money remains pending clearance and that the environmental review associated with the federal funding remains incomplete.

Key elements of the proposal presented to trustees: - Option B (preferred): one infant room, two toddler rooms and one children’s‑house room; phased year‑1 and year‑2 buildout to meet current waitlists and family demand. - A proposed affordability model combining CCAP (Colorado Child Care Assistance Program), a sliding‑scale tuition structure and pursuit of foundation and grant support (Buell Foundation and other funders mentioned). The school asked the town for written support and town maintenance commitments limited to those already in place for the existing schoolhouse, with a proposed nominal lease ($100/month) and a $300/month utilities contribution in the draft proposal. - Program operations similar to the existing school’s schedule with limited closure weeks for staff professional development; presenters said the school could explore limited coverage during short closure periods but noted historically low family sign‑up for holiday offerings.

Trustee concerns and staff requests Trustees pressed several operational questions including whether the school would operate year‑round and the program’s planned holiday/work‑day schedule. Several trustees said families need year‑round child care and said six weeks (plus occasional staff workdays) of closure is a material gap for working parents; presenters said the school already provides more hours than public school schedules and that the proposed model would significantly reduce the local child‑care deficit even if it did not eliminate it entirely.

Trustees also expressed concern about adopting a long‑term lease or legally binding terms while the town and the school both face funding uncertainties. Multiple trustees and the town attorney suggested negotiating a nonbinding memorandum of understanding (MOU) or letter of intent rather than a finalized lease until federal funding and environmental clearances are resolved.

Trustee action and next steps The board directed staff to draft an MOU outlining the town’s and the nonprofit’s mutual expectations and to return with a proposed MOU and additional detail on maintenance responsibilities, utility costs and possible accommodations for limited holiday coverage. Staff said they will bring policy drafts, funding timelines, and examples from past budgets to the next meeting to inform the town’s decision about long‑term commitments.

Presenters emphasized they have teachers and families ready and would use the MOU to help secure additional foundation support; trustees said an MOU would also help the town demonstrate partnership to potential funders while preserving flexibility until federal environmental clearance is secured.