Mineola School District will spend $46,000 to get a handle on district growth and facilities.

The school board voted Monday to contract with Population Survey and Analysis for $32,000 to conduct a demographic study – to be split with the city.

Superintendent Cody Mize said with all the growth occurring in and around Mineola, and with more people moving to the area as the pandemic subsides, district officials need a good view of how growth might impact the school.

The information is scheduled to be presented to the public in November and will aid the district as it looks at facilities.

In concert with that, a $14,000 study by Thompson Architectural Group will give the school board and the community information on what the next steps might be in terms of facility improvements, Mize said.

Wes McClure, who is managing the district’s band hall improvement project and standing in for architect Perry Thompson, said the study will examine all the facilities as well as open spaces.

During the open forum, Jason Redding addressed the board about upgrades to the baseball and softball fields as part of its efforts to improve facilities.

He listed the number of days the two fields could not be used during the past two seasons due to inclement weather, and recommended switching to turf fields.

He noted the high school teams have rented other schools’ turf facilities when their own fields were unplayable. Renting out the improved fields could also offset some of the cost of installing turf, in addition to lower maintenance.