6 November 13 - 19, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents pocketbooks, no matter the harm to local communities. As disappointed as we are, Texans will need to keep organizing if we want to defend ourselves.” The city of Mitchell Bend would have had one stoplight and a few regulations, aside from noise ordinances. “The only thing I can guarantee you is that we are planning on having noise regu- lations,” Lakey said before the vote on Tuesday. “But please find me a city in the state of Texas that does not have noise reg- ulations. The problem is that they know that the noise regulations we’re going to put in are going to be devastating for them.” The people of Hood County didn’t want to incorporate; it was their last option. They met with representatives of MARA Hold- ings, the tech giant that owns the crypto mine in question, and they waited for the promised noise mitigation attempts. MARA Holdings built a barrier and changed the hardware they use, but the constant whir- ring still creates great displeasure for the residents, who never expected their neigh- bors to be supercomputers. After the noise citations were dismissed, an effort to get incorporation on the ballot began via petition. They got enough signa- tures, and the measure was added. How- ever, a letter addressed directly to Hood County Judge Ron Massingill, requesting that he vacate the measure, was then sent, and he did. “[MARA Holdings has] absolutely no standing in the state of Texas,” said Lakey. “No business does when it comes to incor- poration… The judge had no reason to va- cate it... Even if he thinks it’s a terrible idea, he does not get a say. He only gets to sign it. It’s his duty to do it. It’s his plea- sure.” The community petitioned again, this time securing even more signatures, so it went back on the ballot. A week before the election, MARA Holdings requested a tem- porary restraining order to prevent the in- corporation election, but a federal judge denied their request, citing a lack of proof of “substantial threat of irreparable harm.” Lakey, Shadden and a handful of other supporters camped outside the polling place on a rotational schedule, urging county resi- dents to vote in favor of incorporation. How- ever, in the end, the multi-billion-dollar organizations behind the facilities ulti- mately prevailed in a long war. The massive power plants and industrial complexes in the community are a new wave of boom, but without a significant number of jobs and direct economic impact. Requiring little maintenance and supervi- sion, the facilities can produce anywhere from 30 to 100 jobs; however, some, such as massive battery energy storage systems, cre- ate no jobs and can occupy hundreds of acres. Still, Lakey and the conservative com- munity in which he lives are not opposed to capitalistic endeavors. “I am pro-business, and most everybody here is very pro-business, with a focus on protection,” said Lakey. “But there comes a point where your right to business does not exceed my right to a peaceful life.” Outside of general inconvenience, the noise produced also leaves nearby residents susceptible to health concerns, particularly cardiovascular diseases triggered by natural stress responses. Hood County has failed ozone emissions testing for the last three consecutive years. Lakey knows there are solutions. The cryptomining facility could be enclosed, rather than an open-air facility. They could change hardware systems again or downsize. “It’s not that they can’t [reduce their noise], it’s that they don’t want to do it,” he said. “That’s what it boils down to. They want to pollute our area as much as they can, as long as they can, and they want to take advantage of us and steal our health and our resources. That’s all they care about.” Hood County residents will have to re- turn to the drawing board and find new, cre- ative ways to combat industry. “If we win, then we will finally have the law on our side, because everywhere we’ve turned, the law has not been in our favor,” said Lakey. “I don’t blame anybody for that. That’s just how the laws are. When all these laws were written, I don’t think anyone ever thought that there would be an industry that could operate at 70 to 80 decibels, 24 hours a day. Now that they can, we need to make some alterations in the laws.” ▼ CITY HALL IT’S GETTING BRUTAL RESIDENTS RALLYING TO SAVE CITY HALL WORRIED THAT ‘THE FIX IS IN.’ BY EMMA RUBY H undreds of Dallas residents flooded a City Hall auditorium on Nov. 3 to beg council members to slow down the conversations about the future of the his- toric, brutalist building. The only issue? The three council mem- bers who attended the meeting are the ones already on the side of residents and preser- vationists who don’t want to see City Hall torn down or sold. Around the horseshoe, they appear to be outnumbered. The council has heard two briefings on the state of City Hall over the last two weeks. It’s a building that staffers say is plagued by hot and cold spells, water infiltration and plumbing issues, a lack of accessibility, rick- ety elevators, a deteriorating roof, code com- pliance failures and faulty fire suppression systems — all of which could cost some- where between $152 million and $345 mil- lion to fix. From early conversations, city officials have informed council members that they could pursue a bond program to renovate the downtown facility, or consider selling the building and the attractive land it sits on, and renting out office space down- town. As the weeks have gone on, a growing number of council members have ex- pressed interest in the latter option. The strongest holdouts appear to be council members Paul Ridley, Cara Mendelsohn and Bill Roth, the three representatives who attended Monday’s meeting. All three have requested that the conversation about City Hall be paused to allow for a third party to conduct a thorough evaluation of the building’s condition, and they have asked city staff to provide more concrete numbers for future discussions. “Many [council] members seem very in- terested in having city staff look into renting [a downtown space], but that’s something we still don’t have the facts on,” Ridley told the packed room. “One of the first issues that we need to address is what is the actual con- dition of City Hall?” Ridley added that the plaza in front of City Hall often serves as a meeting place for protesters, and that he worries moving to an “anonymous” downtown space will stifle the rights of Dallasites to assemble. Dozens of Dallas residents spoke in favor of preserving the building, which was de- signed by the renowned architect I.M. Pei. Many referenced the building’s history as a symbol of rebuilding in the wake of the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. “The vision was to create an iconic sym- bol for Dallas to bring it out of that tragedy,” said Peter Bahla, a local architect. “Many people may not understand it, but it has value.” Several speakers expressed distrust over the way the conversation about City Hall’s future has been handled so far. There has been considerable speculation that the Dallas Mavericks are eyeing down- town land in their search for a new arena space, although this interest has not been confirmed in conversations at the Horse- shoe. Residents seem convinced that a deal has been cut with the professional sports team behind the scenes, and that, eventually, Mavericks owner Miram Adleson plans to turn the downtown land into a place for gambling. Those at the microphone spat out the words “20-year arena” and “casino” as if they were dirty. Former Dallas City Council member Philip Kingston lambasted the horseshoe for going into executive session during Monday’s briefing of the council’s Finance and Economic Development Committees. He accused the city leaders of being “highly irresponsible” by conducting Shutterstock The crypto mine in Hood County produces a lot of noise at all hours of the day and night. Nathan Hunsinger A downtown auditorium was standing room only as residents pleaded for City Hall to remain standing. Will anyone heed their wishes? Unfair Park from p4 >> p8
