Dallas residents will have to wait until June 3 before hearing an updated repair plan and cost estimate for City Hall. However, an initial strategy for Dallas City Hall repairs estimates that it could take up to 10 years to complete using a phased approach and tackling critical systems first.
The city is also exploring options to relocate city hall — and possibly sell off the property.
This plan is proposed by a consultant team that says they are independent of the Facilities Condition Assessment presented earlier this year. That report, conducted by the Dallas Economic Development Corporation and AECOM, estimates that repair costs alone could be at least $329.4 million and require temporary staff relocation.
Program management consultants from Athenian Group, architects from Gresham Smith, and construction engineering company IMEG make up the independent consultant team. They have undertaken a combined total of six city hall projects and more than 180 projects with the city of Dallas.
In a presentation scheduled for the City Council on Wednesday, the group says they do not plan to re-validate or re-estimate AECOM’s base estimate. Their plan is also not going to create a new facility condition assessment, but be a supplement to AECOM’s FCA.
The FCA estimated it could take three-to-five-years to complete renovations, but that would require the building to be empty meaning staff relocation costs. The individual report proposes those renovations can be done while parts of the building are still operational, but it would take longer and could incur additional costs overtime.
Phase 1 by the individual consultants proposes prioritizing areas with the greatest risk impact and highest risk of failure. The building’s generators are an example of an item that has a high risk of failure and would have the greatest impact on city services. Meanwhile, the roof has a high risk of failure but is estimated to have a lower impact on essential services.
Historical preservation is not included in either the AECOM FCA or the latest proposed phased repair program.
The group is expected to present the first phase of their strategy during Wednesday’s City Council briefing, which will outline the group’s methodology and framework.
The second phase will be presented June 3 and will outline a repair plan and estimated costs.
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