Dallas City Hall debate shifts as consultants detail aging systems, repair challenges

A divided Dallas City Council struck a more congenial tone Wednesday as engineering and real estate consultants laid out a new roadmap for renovating City Hall. 

Council members, often on opposing sides, dug into the makings of potential 10-year repair programs based on reports done by engineering firm AECOM and other consultants.  

Cost estimates are expected June 3, and though some members remained skeptical, most signaled they believed the process was moving in the right direction.

“I understand the approach and where we’re headed, so it gives comfort to wherever we land,” council member Paula Blackmon said. 

The latest briefing marks the clearest look yet at the challenges of repairing the aging I.M. Pei-designed building. 

The debate over repairing or abandoning the building played out visually in the council chambers during the public comment portion of the meeting. Preservation advocates wore blue “Save Dallas City Hall” shirts and redevelopment supporters sported green “Say Yes to Downtown” shirts. 

Bruce Orr, an ambassador for the campaign led by former Mayor Mike Rawlings, said the council faces “a difficult and potentially unpopular decision.”

He said money spent revamping the building could instead fund parks and other amenities, especially if relocation proved cheaper as Dallas confronts budget pressures. 

“I ask only that you address our money problems responsibly,” Orr said. 

Kevin Pheiffer, a resident who backs restoring the building, said giving up city-owned property in favor of leased space elsewhere would amount to “generational theft.”
 
“Do the hard work, and do some TLC on this building that’s required,” Pheiffer said. 

Several speakers questioned whether giving up City Hall could actually turbocharge change downtown. 

Some referred to a plan crafted by University of Texas at Arlington and prominent architects that gives the city a new basketball arena and keeps City Hall. Others criticized city leaders for failing to prioritize repairs for years.

Don Powell, one of the consultants helping assemble the repair plan, said problems, including the roof, water intrusion in the garage and parts of the exterior, would be easy fixes.

But replacing core infrastructure such as HVAC, electrical and plumbing systems would be far more difficult.

City Hall contains 18 electrical substations with discontinued switchgear and specialized cable systems that could take years to replace, Powell said. 
“So there is a huge gotcha in the grand scheme of things,” he said.

The building also lacks automatic sprinkler systems above the first floor. And major portions of the HVAC system, including chillers and pipes, are near the end of their useful life, while some controls date to the 1950s and 1960s.

“I give the HVAC system an eight out of 10 in complexity,” Powell said.

Several on the council asked whether asbestos abatement and system replacements could happen without broadly relocating workers. Others questioned whether some systems should be repaired or fully replaced. 

Council member Maxie Johnson, wearing a T-shirt with City Hall on it, said he worried the renovation strategy appeared to “support more patchwork” and did not adequately address if the building was safe for employees.

He also disagreed with council member Adam Bazaldua’s assertion that the city was only now having an honest conversation about City Hall.

Council member Kathy Stewart of Lake Highlands urged colleagues to move past the finger-pointing and focus on finding a solution.

“I trust that we will find that answer together, but the competition between who was right and who was wrong,” she said. “I find that to be a waste of time and energy.”