File Photo Maysa Arena would be among venues examined in the Minot Park District’s proposed study of indoor recreation facilities.

The Minot Park District is seeking an engineering consultant to conduct a study on the district’s indoor recreation facilities to guide future planning.

“That’s not something that’s going to trigger a building project any time soon,” Parks Director Ron Merritt said. “We just want to really study it and take our time to come up with the best options going forward.”

The park board on Tuesday decided to call for proposals from firms. Once a consultant is selected, facilities that will be looked at include Maysa Arena. The park board has ideas for a future fieldhouse and fourth ice rink on the property.

Merritt said the study will consider the options for indoor turf, which could be installed in an ice rink if a fourth rink is built or in a fieldhouse. Another topic is construction of a multi-use court in a fieldhouse.

In addition, the study will look at ways to enhance recreational use of the Minot Municipal Auditorium and the future of that building in the park district’s long-range plans, Merritt said.

The district also will be seeking input from recreational user groups about what they would like to see.

Meanwhile, the park district will be bidding a project this spring for access and parking for the proposed children’s museum on North Hill. Construction is expected to occur this summer and be completed in the fall.

The park district hopes to seek bids this spring on projects to construct an access road into the family outdoor recreation area, a parking lot, trailhead access and about two and half miles of initial trail in what will be an extensive trail system.

The park board has set aside $800,000 for a future leopard exhibit at the zoo and will be working with the zoo society to raise a matching amount to begin that project.

Merritt said the district has received quite a few applicants to fill the zoo director vacancy and will be organizing a hiring committee to review the applicants and select candidates for interviews. The goal is to have a new person on board by March or April. The application deadline for the position is the end of this week.