New Deal ISD board approves Hellas turf for elementary playground

The New Deal ISD school board voted March 25, 2026, to accept a contract from Hellas to install artificial turf on the district’s elementary playground, the minutes of a special meeting show. Trustee Tim Seeley made the motion and Trustee Alex Saenz seconded it; the motion carried 6-0 with Trustee Bobby Durham absent.

According to the meeting record, the motion was recorded as: "Motion to accept contract from Hellas to install turf on elementary playground," made by Tim Seeley and seconded by Alex Saenz. The minutes note the vote detail by name: Ben Aubrey—Yea; Bobby Durham—Absent; Hollis Franco—Yea; Brenda Martinez—Yea; Eddie Ramirez—Yea; Alex Saenz—Yea; Tim Seeley—Yea. The document does not list a contract dollar amount, vendor timeline, or installation start date; those details were "not specified" in the minutes.

Board members conducted roll call and moved through the standard agenda items before taking the turf contract vote. The record shows no public commenters or substantive questions recorded during the public forum portion. Following the turf vote, Trustee Tim Seeley moved to adjourn; Trustee Alex Saenz seconded, and the board adjourned by the same 6-0 tally with one absence.

The approval authorizes the district to proceed with the contract as recorded in the minutes; the board or district staff would need to provide further contract specifics, including price, warranty, and timetable, which were not included in the meeting record.