The Dallas Municipal Building on Harwood and Main streets is a historic heap o' mess -- one short short of a full-blown catastrophe, according to this story and friends who work out of the building. And it has the University of North Texas, which hopes to turn the former Dallas City Hall into the site of a law school by 2010, a little worried -- worried about who's gonna take care of the joint till its move-in date, worried about who's gonna pay for it. Which is why, on Tuesday, assistant city manager A.C. Gonzalez sent to members of the city council's Economic Development Committee a heads-up that UNT Systems has "requested a letter of understanding" from the city "in order to demonstrate [Dallas's] support for the project." Writes Gonzalez:
The letter of understanding states that the City and UNT have a shared vision of the Project and their respective roles and responsibilities. The letter of understanding also outlines the basic arrangements expected to be incorporated in the inter-local agreement including, but not limited to, a user agreement for ongoing maintenance and control of 106 S. Harwood. The City also agrees in principle, contingent upon approval of the law school by the 2009 State Legislature and final approval by City Council, of a formal inter-local agreement.The council is scheduled to vote on the letter of understanding during its January 14 meeting. --Robert Wilonsky
