Grand opening held for Charles Beatty Municipal Services Building
- Charity Fitch
- Aug 29, 2023
- 3 min read
A large crowd braved the heat for the grand opening, which included a dedication and ribbon cutting, of the Charles Beatty Municipal Services Building on July 27.
Construction began on the city hall annex in late 2021. The almost 50,000-square-foot annex, built to open space in city hall across the street, will house the Building and Community Services, Engineering and Public Works, the Planning Department and the Utilities Department. The building also features a police substation and public restrooms on the ground floor. A courtyard and retail building are located next to the annex, with a parking lot behind both structures. The retail building will house the Waxahachie Chamber of Commerce, with other retail opportunities available in the future.
Pastor Bruce Zimmerman gave a prayer of dedication.
“We thank you, Lord, for the skills and the abilities and the talents that you have blessed (city staff) with to bring us to this day,” Zimmerman prayed. “We pray that every office in this building would reflect the values of Mr. Beatty – values of dignity, character, integrity, honesty, compassion, kindness, love and great joy.”
The Charles Beatty Municipal Services Building will serve as the center point for development services, city manager Michael Scott said.
“All of our development community can come here in this building, and they can talk to the planning department, the building department, the engineering department, utilities, public works … They can get all their questions answered – a one-stop shop,” Scott said.
With the annex located across the street from city hall, it keeps city staff in the heart of downtown, Scott shared.
“A building like this would only be appropriate to name after someone like Chuck Beatty,” Scott said.
Charles “Chuck” Beatty, a Waxahachie native, served 26 years on city council, five of which were as mayor. Beatty attended North Texas State University, where he played football. He later played for the Pittsburg Steelers in the NFL, alongside “Mean” Joe Green, who was present at the grand opening. After earning a Super Bowl ring, Beatty served in various executive positions with the Boy Scouts of America.
“One thing about Chuck is that he had a vision for Waxahachie,” Scott said. “He had a vision much bigger than himself. I think it’s very similar to the vision that Martin Luther King had nationally Chuck had here locally – ‘One Waxahachie. One community.’ We still have work to do in that effort, but this building is one more step to hopefully bridging that divide.”
“We didn’t get together and compare notes, but we have the same stuff on our list, which goes to tell you that Chuck is quite a man,” Mayor David Hill said. “He’s a man of integrity, commitment and honor. He’s a consensus builder. He’s a man of few words, and I get to call him my friend.”
Kevin Strength, Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, shared how a good community has strong education systems, healthcare support systems, nonprofits, financial institutions, and more, but people are what make a community great.
“People stepping up to new challenges every day, working and collaborating together on a daily basis to keep our community great. … I see many people here today who love and support our community out here, and today, we’re here to honor one of our own,” Strength said.
As Beatty took the podium, he received a standing ovation and countless cheers from the audience.
“Just to see my name on that building, you just don’t know how much that means to me,” Beatty said. “I’m really humbled, and I can’t thank the city enough.”
Beatty thanked his friends, family and teachers who influenced him and supported him along the way. He shared how he promised his mentor, George Brown (also a former council member and mayor), that Beatty would come back and try to make a difference in his hometown.
“Long after I’m gone, this building will still be here serving the citizens of Waxahachie,” Beatty said. “I’m so glad I could get these flowers while I’m still living.”
Scott said city staff will begin moving into the finished annex right away, “wasting no time.”
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