7 July 16 - 22, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents ▼ VANDALISM DALLAS, AMIRITE? WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE CITY’S NEW DIGITAL KIOSKS BREAK? BY EMMA RUBY T his is why we can’t have nice things. About a month ago, the city of Dal- las announced that the long-dis- cussed sidewalk kiosk program had finally gone live. Kiosk vendor IKE Smart City will introduce up to 150 large digital touch- screens to Dallas’ sidewalks over the coming years, thanks to a contract approved by the city council last summer. The screens can be used as Wi-Fi hotspots or to dial 911; they can offer tran- sit advice or weather updates, and they can recommend retail and dining spots in the area that a pedestrian may be interested in. They are also expected to generate desper- ately needed revenue for the city by turn- ing sidewalk space into an advertising opportunity at $20,000 per kiosk per year, The Dallas Morning News reports. We should point out that in some cities, kiosk revenue has fallen far below what was promised. So what could go wrong with installing 8-foot-tall iPads across town, you ask? Screen, meet rock. Dallasite Harold Decena took to Face- book recently after he noticed that the new kiosk located at the corner of Turtle Creek Boulevard and Cedar Springs Road had been smashed, likely by a giant piece of gravel. The rock was still located at the scene of the crime when Decena whipped out his phone to snap a photo, so we feel confident naming it as the weapon used. Why would a person do this? Who knows, but you’d think that the developers would have considered using projec- tile-proof glass on an outdoor installation. Because the situation feels a bit inevitable, doesn’t it? Here’s the good news. According to a city of Dallas spokesperson, IKE Smart City, the company that manages the ki- osks, is responsible for kiosk maintenance and replacement at no cost to the city. To date, the city has not received any 311 re- quests regarding needed kiosk mainte- nance, although repair requests can be made that way. Evidently, though, the kiosk technicians will likely know there’s an issue before you can even call. “IKE Smart City remotely monitors all kiosks 24/7 via software to determine if a ki- osk is malfunctioning within minutes of an issue. Vandalism or other exterior damage is reported by our on-site technicians who visit each location, five days per week and one day on the weekend,” a statement from the city said. Repairs are expected to be completed within five days of a problem being identified, but in more severe cases that require system replacements or significant work, it may be two weeks before the systems are back up and running. It’ll be easy to identify the broken ki- osks, too, as longer-term repair timelines mean the units get covered up for protection. (“That’s what we in the municipal kiosk repair biz call a Dallas fix,” Observer re- porter Austin Wood said after we discovered that the Turtle Creek kiosk had, in fact, been shrouded in a gray canvas.) There were a lot of people who were pretty unhappy with the whole kiosk idea when it was approved by city council last summer. They worried that the sleek screens would impede walkability by taking up side- walk space. Privacy concerns were frequently discussed around the horseshoe. And the whole idea of selling ads to pedestrians just trying to enjoy a walk around town feels a bit on the nose for Dallas, don’t you think? The Dallas Morning News’ editorial board has a long-recorded, somewhat hilarious ha- tred for these things, where they’ve griped about each of the aforementioned issues, plus the latest development: the sports betting app DraftKings is evidently a kiosk advertiser. Get your gambling on, Dallas! But the thing that everyone seems to be avoiding saying is this: People break shit. People spray paint shit. And Dallas signed off on installing 150 new targets across town. At least taxpayers won’t be on the hook for paying for the necessary replacements again and again and again. If the city’s timeline is on point, the Turtle Creek kiosk should be back online by mid- July. We’ll see how long it stays that way. ▼ CITY HALL OFF THE CHOPPING BLOCK BELOVED SENIOR CENTER SAVED AS DALLAS WEIGHS BUDGET DILEMMA BY EMMA RUBY L ast month, as Dallas officials juggled disappointing downtown news, ques- tions about City Hall’s future, conven- tion center drama, the start of a brutal budgeting season and a World Cup match or two, we began to question whether the city’s residents were truly being heard. At City Hall, public speakers routinely waited hours to address the council, only to have their speaking time slashed down to 60 seconds. On more than one occasion, we over- heard members of the public speculating that the horseshoe had already made up its mind about the outcome of a particular vote, even before the public had a chance to weigh in. It was a downright depressing month for City Hall. But at least one group managed to show that public engagement can work in the people’s favor if officials are willing to listen. A cohort of seniors rallied together to pro- test the proposed closure of the Marcus An- nex Senior Center in northwest Dallas, and as of now, it appears they succeeded. The center was one of four proposed facil- ity closures made public in May, when the Dallas park board was briefed on its “worst case scenario” ahead of developing the next fiscal year’s budget. The department has been told to plan for a 15% budget reduction in fis- cal year 2027. After years of slimming down efficiencies and staffing, Dllas Park and Rec- reation Director John Jenkins warned that service cuts would be unavoidable. Which is how Marcus Annex found itself on the chopping block. The center is small but offers workout classes, field trip opportunities, educational courses, and meals for Dallas’ senior commu- nity. Through the years, it has developed a cult following. Becky Baird, a Dallasite who began visiting the center after being diagnosed with osteoporosis, said she attends activities multi- ple times a week and has recruited friends into joining the tight-knit community. They, in turn, have recruited an even wider net. On June 4, she was one of several women who attended the Park Board meeting to urge the body to find a way to save the center. “If you close Marcus Annex, you do not just close a building. You lose dedicated city staff like Mr. Goode, and you dismantle a thriving community of seniors. You strip away the exercise classes that protect my bones, the lunches we enjoy for daily nutri- tion and the field trips that keep us from be- ing trapped at home,” Baird said. “Marcus Annex is a vital healthcare center, Emma Ruby Emma Ruby Vandalized digital kiosks in Dallas. Who could’ve seen that coming? This beloved senior center will keep its doors open after community pushback >> p8
