Assistant City Manager Christophe Bauer introduced a schematic-design visioning session for the municipal complex that includes City Hall, a public-safety facility and an animal shelter adjacent to the planned park. "We're making significant progress on the schematic design," Bauer said, asking council to provide feedback to guide the next phase.

Consultants from Hayford Walker, Swinerton and Westwood presented slides, excerpts from the downtown master plan and images of building vignettes and landscape treatments. James Beers of Hayford Walker said the exercise aimed to convert adjectives into imagery and create a shared design lexicon. He directed council members to use green dots for images they liked and red dots for those they did not, and to be prepared to explain their choices.

Council members and the consultants discussed site orientation and programmatic layout: in the presented plan, City Hall sits toward the north-left, the animal shelter east of a turn circle and public safety toward the rear of the campus. Consultants and staff repeatedly noted a design standard that the complex should be "a 50-year building," emphasizing durability and operational efficiency for public-safety and animal-services workflows.

Key themes that emerged include: preserving a sense of small‑town character even as the city modernizes; connecting the campus visually and functionally to Rowlett's lakeside identity (references to Sapphire Bay and lake activities appeared in several comments); use of natural, locally appropriate materials (councilors preferred stone or indigenous materials over traditional red brick); and creating activated, multi-use outdoor spaces and landscaping that encourage day‑to‑dusk activity.

Panelists and councilors discussed interior and civic spaces in parallel with exterior materials. Councilors favored council-chamber configurations and public lobbies that balance "gravitas" (a sense of formality for civic functions) with openness, light and flexibility so spaces can host different types of civic activity. On materials, several councilors said monolithic, heavily brick façades felt "stark" and preferred textured, layered treatments that combine glass, wood and stone, with shaded overhangs and landscaping to improve comfort in Texas heat.

Consultants recorded words and images from the session to inform the schematic design and said they will integrate council direction, cost considerations and operational needs as the design proceeds. No formal action or vote was taken at the meeting; the session was advisory and intended to shape future schematic-design submittals.

Ending: Consultants thanked council for detailed input. Staff said the designers will use the session's words and pinned-image feedback to refine the schematic design and return to the council in subsequent steps.