City staff told the council that Gunter ISD is liquidating properties that are not under development and that the city wants to acquire a parcel behind the elementary school to provide overflow parking and support park and downtown access.

Speaker 1 said the city has spoken with a person identified in the transcript as 'Mister Martindale' and has requested that because the city is another governmental entity, it be treated differently than private bidders when the district accepts sealed offers. Speaker 1 described the parcel as roughly 1 acre, later clarified in the discussion as 0.98 acres, located immediately west of the elementary school off Elm Street behind the playgrounds.

Speaker 1 said the city envisions converting the parcel into a parking lot to allow the park to develop more space and avoid using athletic field area for parking. The speaker noted local developers and a downtown business owner had also expressed interest in the tract but said the speaker thinks the city acquiring it would be preferable to preserve park plans.

The transcript records that the city has not yet received a published notice from the school district about the sale; Speaker 1 said they had been told the district will accept sealed offers. The speaker said the acquisition would have economic-development implications and referenced the EDC (economic development corporation) as a potential funding partner for park- or business-related improvements.

Separately, Speaker 1 said Tiger Elementary’s preschool is slated to lease space at John Carter's Park to expand childcare capacity and to provide care for teachers’ children, but the transcript presents this as an update rather than a finalized, council-approved transaction.

No motion, formal offer, sealed-bid receipt, or vote appears in the provided segments; the discussion recorded in the transcript is staff briefing and planning-level direction only.