Consultants present 14-property plan; trustees hear calls to preserve Prescott, Peace Farm and community spaces
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Summary
Consultants presented draft recommendations for 14 MCPS properties, citing about $10 million in projected deferred maintenance over a decade and options ranging from lease optimization to sales or demolition. Neighbors urged keeping the Peace Farm (Duncan Drive) and Prescott fields for community use. Trustees took public comment and asked staff to refine options.
Consultants from WGM Group and LPW Architecture presented a draft properties plan that evaluates 14 Missoula County Public Schools parcels and underused buildings and offers site-specific recommendations. Kate Dinsmart summarized the project purpose: provide an objective, district-wide analysis and a decision-making framework to determine whether MCPS should maintain, lease, trade or sell particular properties.
The consultants highlighted three evaluation pillars: property suitability for instructional use, the physical condition of buildings and deferred maintenance, and financial viability. A simplified financial scenario presented in the consultants’ slides projected roughly $10 million in maintenance needs across the portfolio over the next 10 years if current patterns continued.
Recommendations by site included: consider long-term lease or sale of the Administration Building (broker opinion $2–3M; suggested list ~$3.063M); maintain ownership and maximize leases for Cold Springs and Mount Jumbo; preserve Dickinson for adult-education/lifelong learning; explore sale/trade or lease for Linda Vista and Bridal Road with attention to neighborhood expectations; and three Prescott options: maximize financial value via sale/lease, issue a request-for-proposals to align sale/lease terms with district values, or demolish the building to eliminate recurring maintenance costs while preserving options for future use.
Community speakers urged caution on sales that would remove public access. John Ottinger (Peace Farm Old Boys Soccer Group) and neighbors emphasized that Duncan Drive playing fields and the Peace Farm are heavily used, volunteer-maintained neighborhood assets and noted a 40-year lease with the city that runs through 2054. Neighbors urged the district either retain these parcels or work with partner agencies (City of Missoula, Garden City Harvest, county, university) to preserve recreational and community uses.
Board discussion focused on implementation details: whether proceeds from sales should be held in a separate fund dedicated to properties and deferred maintenance (consultants recommended a restricted account so proceeds would not be absorbed into general operations), and how lease rates should be set (market rate vs. below-market community partnerships). Trustees asked staff for more precise cost estimates, clarifications on ownership/trade pathways with local governments, and options to protect community benefits when disposing of property.
The board did not take formal action to sell or trade any property. The facilities committee and planning consultants will refine recommendations and release a draft plan for public comment in late February, with plan approval anticipated in April.
