There's a new development in the ongoing battle over glare from the Museum Tower. The board of the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System has voted to stop looking for a solution to the glare cast by the tower.
The pension fund owns the $200 million residential high rise in the Dallas Arts District.
And for years, it’s been negotiating with the Nasher Sculpture Center to find a solution to the glare problem, which Nasher officials say is damaging its artwork and gardens.
On Thursday, pension board members voted to stop working with a consultant studying ways Museum Tower could be modified to address the glare. And the board directed Museum Tower’s sales team to tell potential buyers no modifications to the building are planned.
The Dallas Morning News reports that Scott Griggs and Philip Kingston, two City Council members on the board, were not there for Thursday’s vote.
The Nasher Sculpture Center referred calls for reaction to its board president David Haemisegger, who could not be reached.
Statement from the Dallas mayor
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings issued this statement:
"We knew this was a challenge and I believe we had made progress. I'm disappointed the conversations have been put on hold. I'll be advocating for continued dialogue to reach a solution."
Statement from Lee Kleinman
Dallas City Council member Lee Kleinman, a member of the police-fire pension board, issued a statement:
"As you know, a DPFP Committee has been working with all stakeholders (Nasher Officials, MT Residents and DPFP Board) for over a year to find a resolution to the reflectivity issue. The DPFP Board has a fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of the members of the pension system and to provide long term benefits for the Police and Fire Fighters that have served the City of Dallas.
"At yesterday's Board meeting a motion was made to discontinue efforts to seek a resolution. Despite my advocacy to continue, other Board Members believe it is prudent to provide certainty. Except for my vote, the Board stood unanimous. While this outcome is personally disappointing, I must applaud the efforts and sincere dialogue of all stakeholders in this process."
Statement from the Dallas Police And Fire Pension System
The board of the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System voted Thursday to end further study on possible alterations to its Museum Tower property and decided to make no changes to the building. The board made the decision in the best interest of DPFP members. The board's first priority is to protect the pension system that secures the financial futures of the city's police officers and fire fighters.
DPFP has spent more than two years in a good-faith effort to find a solution acceptable to all parties, but ultimately determined that all options under consideration were too costly to implement or would devalue the system's investment. The DPFP Board believes all parties made a sustained good-faith effort to identify a mutually acceptable solution, and thanks the Nasher for its efforts.
