MANSFIELD (1080 KRLD)- The City of Mansfield and the Mansfield ISD agree to a property exchange.
"We will give the usage of our city hall to the ISD for their administrative spaces as they continue to grow," says Mayor Michael Evans, "and we've got additional acreage out back where they can expand for the future."
In exchange, the Mansfield ISD is giving the city its administrative buildings, student services building and Geyer Field, as well as the shopping complex on Broad St.
In a joint news release, the city and the school district say the property exchange was born in a joint session with a focus on working together on a shared vision for the city.
Mayor Evans says the city will be good stewards of the properties it's inheriting from the school district.
"We will preserve those historic buildings," Evans says. "Actually, we want to enhance them and we're looking to build on that property some facilities that will allow us to memorialize some of our older buildings in town."
The plan, however, has garnered mixed reaction on social media, with some lamenting over the impending loss of Geyer Field.
"Geyer Field has been there my entire life," wrote one commenter on the city's Facebook post. "I don’t understand why they want to tear up old history of Mansfield."
Mayor Evans says the fact of the matter is that Geyer Field has outlived its usefulness.
"It's a softball field that is not used much, and it's got an old gated fence backstop that's kind of bent up and crooked," says Evans.
In its place will be a community gathering space with park-like amenities to be known as Geyer Commons.
"We're going to actually be recreating historic homes and placing them in that spot," Evans says. "We're going to have a promenade there that's going to allow for makerspace-type buildings. We're going to have a splash pad there (and a) seated walkway there."
The city and the school district say the property exchange will prevent them from spending unnecessary funds.
"It allows us to continue to direct more money into our classrooms by repurposing City Hall instead of building a new administration building," says Mansfield ISD Superintendent Dr. Kimberley Cantu, "and helps the city develop plans that will revitalize the area and directly benefit our community."
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