Officials with Houston Public Works and the Houston Police Department reported to City Council during a July 23 meeting that their department buildings in Downtown Houston are outdated and recommended repairs. Upgrading the two buildings would total $576 million, officials said.

What’s happening?

Both buildings, which were built in 1966, have weak generators and outdated electrical systems, HPW Director Randy Macchi said. The HPW building, located at 611 Walker St., has an 18% remaining service life, and the HPD building, located at 1200 Travis St., is at 15% if no improvements are made, Macchi said.

The HPW building currently houses 14 different city departments.

Macchi said the HPW building would need $323 million to be repaired. The building faces a 59-year-old electrical system, old elevators that leave employees stuck, rusty water pipes and an old plumbing system that leaves fountain and faucet water undrinkable.

“It was a couple of weeks ago, the city attorney came to visit me on the 25th floor,” Macchi said. “As he was going to leave, there was a malfunction in the elevator that nearly caused serious injury to him.”Macchi said the HPW building sustained flooding damage caused by a broken water line July 11, resulting in numerous HPW employees having to work from home.

“This is sadly a regular occurrence within the building,” he said. “It flooded a good section of the 24th floor. It went down the fire stairwell to [floors] 23 and 22. It inundated the conference room, the hallways, some offices, and it got into the bathrooms. The ceiling tiles even collapsed.”

HPD Executive Chief Thomas Hardin said the HPD building faces similar conditions with outdated fire alarm systems, air conditioning that often shuts down, plumbing issues and faulty elevators.

The HPD building would need nearly $253 million to be repaired, Hardin said.

“Our challenge is to provide [an] appropriate workspace for our people to be ongoing,” Hardin said. “It takes us on average about $15 million a year just to keep the building up and running.”

What they’re saying

Mayor John Whitmire said this issue has been a problem for years. He also said he has heard the concern of having the HPD building in a high-rise, which he said could be a public safety concern as multiple detectives under one roof could be exposed to “radical terrorist threats and actions.”

“Why should Houstonians be concerned?” Whitmire said. “Because it impacts quality of life and city services. It’s been like this for years. This is a continued process of addressing years of neglect.”

HPW and HPD are currently looking at different options, from repairing the buildings to selling the buildings and finding new ones to rent. Macchi said if they decide to repair the buildings, they would have to be vacated for six to 12 months.

“There are several vacant spaces all across the city, including in downtown,” Macchi said. “Depending on how we determine to pay for it, it might solve a lot of problems. Instead of HPD spending perhaps $12 [million] to $15 million a year on break-fix, maybe all of a sudden now they only spend $2 [million] or $3 million a year on rent.”

No vote was made during the meeting.