Dallas Park and Recreation is exploring ways to make historic Fair Park profitable after seven years of, what city leaders call, "lost time."
The city officially took over the park's operations in mid-September after ending its contract with the nonprofit Fair Park First and its for-profit partner group Oak View Group earlier this year.
Now the city has its work cut out for it, with a lengthy list of deferred maintenance and missed event opportunities that could have taken place at the park.
During Thursday's Park and Recreation Board meeting, Ryan O'Connor, deputy director of Dallas Park and Recreation, emphasized collaboration with partner groups, community events, and utilizing Fair Park's large, 277-acre campus as potential ways to increase funding.
Part of that revitalization plan includes reviewing and modifying existing contracts and securing new tenants for vacant buildings.
O'Connor also said they want the Dallas Economic Development Corporation to initiate an economic development study in partnership with local chambers of commerce and surrounding business associations near Fair Park.
"We want to make sure everyone is working together so that Fair Park can be what we all want it to be," O'Connor said.
Park and Recreation Director John Jenkins said he considered the revitalization of Fair Park as "very high level" because they're making up for lost time. He contributed problems from the last seven years — since the Fair Park First and OVG contract was created — to governance, execution, and failure to maintain the park grounds.
Jenkins said Fair Park will not succeed without including its surrounding community in South Dallas.
"If we don't reconnect with the surrounding community, we will fail," he said.
Fair Park fallout
Fair Park First and its partnership with then-management group Spectra Venue Management were established in 2018 to improve the management and operations of Fair Park, which lost money when run solely by the city of Dallas, KERA previously reported.
Fair Park First was created to fundraise for the park and preserve its history. Spectra was brought in to manage the finances and daily operations of the park.
However, none of the people who created the partnership were calling the shots seven years later.
Spectra was later acquired by Oak View Group. Fair Park First had new leadership since it was established, and city officials who approved the original contract no longer hold office.
An independent audit released last year revealed Fair Park First had misallocated $5.7 million out of the total $17 million in restricted donor funds managed by Oak View Group between Oct. 1, 2020 and April 30, 2024. The funds — meant for specific purposes — were still spent on Fair Park, but were used for park operations and unqualified projects outside of their intended purpose.
Details of the audit resulted in finger-pointing between the two groups because the contract gave no specifics on who was at fault if something went wrong.
Although the contract has ended, Fair Park First still exists.
Fair Park First is scheduled to appear before the Park and Recreation Board in November to move forward with a memorandum of understanding with the city concerning the community park.
Veletta Forsythe-Lill, Fair Park First immediate pastor chair, told KERA that the non-profit has raised $33 million of the $39 million needed for the project and plans to break ground after the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
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