Demolition next for Arlington City Council chamber

The spirited City Council meeting Tuesday that was mostly about the proposed $1 billion stadium for the Texas Rangers was the last meeting in that chamber.

Demolition crews this summer will shred the 35-year-old public meeting room.

The chamber will be rebuilt in an adjacent space as a 6,500-square-foot, combination City Council Chamber/Community Center.

The disruption is part of the construction of the $30 million George W. Hawkes Central Library on the north side of City Hall, 101 W. Abram St. The 80,000-square-foot library will replace the now-demolished previous central library, which was on City Hall’s east side. Groundbreaking on the new library is set for Tuesday, city officials said in a statement.

The new council chamber will open in the spring of 2018, along with the library. Until then, all City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission evening meetings will be in the council briefing room on the third floor of City Hall, where the council now conducts its Tuesday afternoon work sessions.

The new chamber/community center, in addition to hosting city government meetings, will provide space for other public meetings and for some library programming staff. It also will better meet the accessibility and technology needs of the City Hall, which was built in 1980, according to the statement.

Tuesday night’s meeting was the last for Councilman Jimmy Bennett who did not run for re-election. UTA professor Victoria Farrar-Myers, who defeated Chris “Dobi” Dobson in the May 7 election, was sworn in as Bennett’s successor.

Bennett made his way slowly along the council table, through handshakes and hugs, to the chamber exit. Pausing in the lobby, he said, “It’s nice for people to take the time to be appreciative of your efforts.”

The closing event was a solemn retiring of the chamber flags by the Arlington Police and Fire Department honor guards. Then Mayor Jeff Williams, after waxing nostalgic about “historic decisions” made by councils over the years, gaveled out the meeting.

This story was originally published May 25, 2016 at 9:59 PM with the headline "Demolition next for Arlington City Council chamber."