The City of Dallas approved a $170,988 grant Wednesday to help fund renovations and construction costs for the headquarters of Black-owned and operated newspaper The Dallas Examiner.
The entire project is expected to cost $184,000, with the grant relieving most of that cost. CEO and publisher Mollie Finch Belt is also contributing $13,450 in owners’ equity. Other funding comes from the South Dallas-Fair Park Opportunity Fund, which provides loans and grants for economic development in the Fair Park area.
Councilmember Adam Bazaldua called the renovations an "exciting" project for the area.
"I'm looking forward to seeing the improvements for not only the building itself but what that will bring to the community of South Dallas," Bazaldua said at Wednesday's City Council meeting.
The Examiner was founded in 1986 by Fred Finch “to be a primary source of news for the African American community," according to its website.
Soon after the publication began printing, Finch and his wife were killed in their home during a robbery. The business was taken over by Belt, their daughter, in 1999.
The newspaper has released and printed an issue every week since its inception.
The building was built in 1950 in South Dallas-Fair Park, and had been used as a law office until about seven years ago when The Examiner moved in.
Because of its age, Belt said they will be using the money to make repairs, including a new roof. But she's most excited about the expansion of the building and the addition of an editorial room, she said.
“Our resources have gone to operational costs mostly,” Belt said. “We have maintained our staff. But the downside of that is that we did not use resources for things like infrastructure.”
She hopes that with the extra space, they'll be able to hire new reporters to cover more news in Dallas.
The building is currently worth $120,000 but the property value is expected to increase 20% with these renovations, according to the Joyce Williams, director of the city's Small Business Center.
During a committee hearing on the measure earlier this month, city staff said they see it as a chance to increase economic opportunity in an area that Dallas City Council members have long said has been neglected.
As someone who grew up in the South Dallas area, Belt said she hopes the restorations are a sign of broader revitalization in the neighborhood.
"I grew up in South Dallas, and there's been a lot of deterioration," Belt said. "It's going to change the appearance of the building on the street, and the area."
