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Fort Worth nears March 25 opening of new council chambers and city hall spaces, officials say
Summary
Project managers reported the new council chambers, work session room and associated plaza are on track for a March 25 first council meeting and ribbon-cutting; elevators, AV commissioning and garage work were described as near completion.
Project staff told the Fort Worth City Council work session on Feb. 18 that the new city hall complex is nearing operational readiness, with a dress rehearsal planned for March 24 and the first council meeting and formal ribbon cutting scheduled for March 25.
Tanya Farley, the city027s project lead for the New City Hall program, said the new council chambers seat 250 and the work session room 150. "We started our AV install and commissioning," Farley said, adding that staff will do acoustic testing and mock meetings in March to confirm broadcast and remote-participation systems.
Farley provided progress updates: 13 of 15 tenant floors have been moved, rooftop lighting and a new media wall are installed, low-rise and high-rise elevators have been commissioned and legacy elevators are under modification, and the parking garage expansion will be fully available in time for the first council meeting once gates and garage elevators are completed. She said parts delays (including Steelcase furniture affected by a factory disruption) have slowed furnishing on some floors but not the March chamber schedule.
Security measures described include an expanded marshal presence, a centralized command center for cameras and access control, destination-dispatch elevators and a weapons-detection system planned for the new council chamber. Farley said the team met a goal to include diverse local contractors: on the City Hall contract the city set a 30% participation goal and staff report 39% achieved to date.
On operations, the city027s food-service contractor (Fudo) currently serves in the lobby and will relocate to the terrace-level cafeteria after chambers opening; staff discussed possibilities for employee discounts and subsidy options during Q&A. Farley said the overall project remains on budget when measured at about $288 per square foot and that final closeout and landscaping work will continue into June.
The presentation included photos of the chamber interior, work session room, plaza and ongoing site work. Staff urged councilmembers to participate in mock meetings in March and said formal invitations for the March 25 event would follow.
