Search Efforts Continue

Drones assist in search for missing Dallas-area woman Christina Morris

For the first time, a drone aided in the efforts to find missing woman Christina Morris, who disappeared from the Shops at Legacy in Plano on August 30. After failing to find the 23-year-old on foot, horseback and ATV, Texas Equusearch obtained emergency permission from the FAA to search for her by drone.

The first unmanned flight took off September 11. The authorization allows Equusearch to operate a drone until sunset September 15.

Drone pilot Gene Robinson says he collected hundreds of images that will now be scanned and analyzed for clues. "There's a lot of data to go over," he says, adding that the drone camera can view items as small as 6 inches.

Drone pilot Gene Robinson calls the speedy authorization by the FAA "precedent setting."

Robinson calls the speedy authorization by the FAA "precedent setting." Texas Equusearch has been embroiled in a legal battle with the FAA since February about the use of unmanned aircraft in search-and-rescue missions. "It bestows a great deal of trust on us to make sure we do it correctly," he says.

Texas Equusearch director Tim Miller didn't want to disclose exactly where the drone is being used for strategic reasons. "We don't want to do anything to jeopardize the investigation," Miller says.

Meanwhile, Plano police continue to work on new leads in the case. Spokesperson David Tilley says they have received a number of tips recently, and he hopes that trend will continue.

"We are still encouraging everybody to come forward if they have any information," he says. "No matter how insignificant they think it is, we want to hear about it."

Equusearch has set up a command center at Legacy Church in Plano for friends and family of Christina to gather. Christina's mother, Jonni McElroy, and her stepmother, Anna Morris, are fixtures at the building.

"It's easier to be here than it is to be home sometimes," Morris says. "It's uplifting that people are coming out and they aren't giving up either."

Anyone wishing to help the search for Christina is urged to pick up fliers at Legacy Church (4501 Legacy Dr.) or participate in the daily searches that begin at 7:30 am.

Christina Morris, 23, went missing August 30.

Courtesy photo

Christina Morris, 23, went missing August 30.

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City Hall News

Dallas community rallies in support of keeping iconic City Hall

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Dallas community leaders are rising against an initiative to abandon the current Dallas City Hall building. There's a public meeting on the topic taking place on November 3 at 6 pm at City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

City of Dallas leaders are considering a proposal to abandon Dallas City Hall, the building designed by renowned architect I.M. Pei and completed in 1978. Most famously, it appears in the film Robocop.

The building's sharply angled design has drawn both admirers and haters alike. Some who've worked in the building applaud its open design, while others say it is not up to modern standards. Regardless of its functionality, its fans view it as a masterpiece of modern architecture — significant enough that it was recently recognized by the Dallas Landmark Commission, who voted to initiate historic designation.

Mayor Eric Johnson and other Dallas leaders say the building is in disrepair and that it will cost millions to fix. Exactly how much is not known, but a range has been cited as between $150 million to $356 million, versus an estimated $1 billion to build a new city hall.

They're trying to make it happen fast. A Special Meeting of the Economic Development Committee & Committee on Finance was called for November 3 to discuss "the state of City Hall," to deliberate the purchase, exchange, lease, or value of real property located at 1500 Marilla St. They made the meeting "closed session," meaning behind closed doors and out of the public eye, claiming that "deliberation in an opening meeting would have a detrimental effect on the position of the governmental body in negotiations with a third person."

In a post called "Why It’s Vital City Hall Remains Standing," Candy's Dirt interviewed a passel of Dallas architects who defended its preservation. In addition, community leaders such as Betty Culbreath have come out against the action.

"City Manager Tolbert should make a clear statement of condition of the Dallas City Hall building supported by certified estimate of needed repair in total," Culbreath says. "The Manager should at that point make a recommendation to the Dallas City Council of best use for building — repair or rebuild — at that point Council should make decision.The Fox in the henhouse is the Sports teams wanting a new arena. We all know the Mavericks new owners want a place that will accommodate an eventual Casino if and when Texas lawmakers approve gambling, so for the City to put all its eggs in the basket with the Vegas group is foolish when they already purchased the land in Irving and has it approved."

Petition
A petition to "Save Dallas City Hall: Protect Our Iconic Landmark" has been launched, stating that "demolishing this architectural icon would be an irreversible loss for our city, erasing a landmark recognized worldwide for its form, engineering, and vision."

The petition calls on the Dallas City Council to:

Halt any rush to demolish this irreplaceable civic landmark and actively engage the public in discussions about its future.
Commission a comprehensive, transparent study by qualified professionals to objectively evaluate renovation, modernization, and repair options. Rigorously compare costs and community benefits versus relocation before making any irrevocable decisions. Keep community stakeholders fully informed at all points in the process

In a post, Dallas' former director of the Park and Recreation Department Willis Winters references the theory that city leaders are paving the way for the owners of the Dallas Mavericks to build a new stadium on the site, replacing American Airlines Center in Victory Park.

"Where is the impetus for demolition coming from—decades of budget neglect, or the sudden dramatic need for a site for a new arena for a basketball team owned by a Las Vegas gambling family?" Winters asks. "There is plenty of space for an arena within the footprint of the master plan for the new KBH Convention Center, yet the development buzzards are circling Dallas City Hall as if it is road kill."

Winters also notes the complication with the plaza in front of City Hall, which is a city park and thus requires special treatment.

"This building cannot be replaced at an equivalent cost of less than $900 million," Winters says. "The overinflated staff guesstimate of $345 million for renovation is a bargain compared to the price of purchasing a new site and constructing a new building of equal stature to that of our current City Hall. There is also the complicating issue of City Hall Plaza, which is designated as park land, and which CANNOT be sold to the buzzards without a public referendum."

"Dallas aspires to be a 'world class city,' yet the destruction of this magnificent building will bring world-wide disclaim," Winters says. "I implore our city leaders to do the right thing—don’t cave in to development pressures and certainly not to a basketball team that no longer has relevance, but to instruct the City Manager to undertake a detailed study by a competent consultants to analyze the condition of Dallas City Hall and to produce a comprehensive estimate of the true cost of renovations to bring it into the 21st century. Only with this information in hand can the City Council make the right decision."

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