Dallas City Hall repairs are estimated to cost more than $300 million, but a new study may provide a more accurate picture of how much years of deferred maintenance will cost residents.
The nonprofit Dallas Economic Development Corporation is working with the same infrastructure consulting firm that reported on city hall repair costs nearly 10 years ago. An updated report is expected to be presented to the city council in late February.
Dallas EDC voted to oversee the building’s evaluation this week in partnership with AECOM. The total work budget will cost $280,000, Paul von Wupperfeld, Dallas EDC Communications Director, said in an email. Dallas EDC will also be reimbursed with an additional $20,000 for its project management fee.
The repair cost evaluation will come the same month that city staff are expected to present real estate opportunities for the future of city hall, which they say range from $152 million to $345 million in deferred maintenance.
But repair costs were nowhere near that figure less than 10 years ago.
AECOM gave a report in 2018 that evaluated city hall conditions from 2016. That report estimated repairs could cost the city nearly $19 million with repairs totaling just under $93 million. It did not include water-infiltration assessments, engineering reviews, code compliance requirements, or addressing unknown hazardous materials removal.
The city spent $1.9 million on the 2016 contract with AECOM for its facilities condition assessment costs, which included multiple city facilities including city hall.
Dallas City Hall is a cast-in-place concrete structure designed by renowned Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei, with a distinct modern style. Planning for the building started in the mid-1960s after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and officially opened in 1978.
Dallas architect Michael Malone said the building is an example of "exemplary public architecture."
Cast-in-place concrete structures are seemingly built twice, Malone said, with the formwork done in wood and reinforcing bars before pouring in the concrete and removing the forms.
"It creates a building that, whose structure and framing is very permanent," Malone said. "And so the city hall building itself is virtually indestructible."
What is less indestructible is interior work like electrical and plumbing.
Money can be set aside for maintenance, but Malone said it's easy for cities to question setting aside hundreds of thousands of dollars that is not immediately needed.
That tracks with what the Dallas City Council has prioritized in recent years.
Donzell Gipson, assistant city manager, previously told council members that the city has historically prioritized other initiatives over facility maintenance needs.
The 2012 bond program set aside $400 million for city facilities that would have included city hall, KERA previously reported. But flood control and drainage, economic development, and streets and roadway improvements took priority for the bond that year.
Gipson said the 2017 bond program set aside $7 million for city hall. The 2024 bond program initially requested $61 million for city hall, but $28 million was advanced and later reallocated to other priorities.
Now water leaks, obsolete electrical systems, plumbing failure, roof replacement, and lack of accessibility code compliance are among a steep repair list.
Council members are divided over the fate of Dallas City Hall. Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Moreno is among those who have spoken in favor of relocating city hall to a high-rise in downtown. But others, like But others, like Council Member Paul Ridley, want to see an updated repair assessment report before making any decisions.
Dallas EDC and AECOM have until January 19 to complete and deliver their report to city staff.
Outside of reviewing repair needs at city hall, the report will:
- Evaluate department office space requirements in major city staff facilities, including city hall
- Review alternative sites for non-traditional uses currently houses at city hall, like ceremonial space and an emergency operations center
- Compare costs of leasing, purchasing, or constructing replacement office space against city hall repairs
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