Management of the Kiest Tennis Center in Oak Cliff could switch from its current local nonprofit to McKinney-based company Impact Activities. But outspoken support for Dallas Tennis Association prompted City Council to direct staff to go back to the drawing board on who will manage the center.
The current contract with Dallas Tennis Association, or DTA, is set to expire at the end of the year.
Supporters organized a rally at 8:30 a.m. ahead of Wednesday's City Council meeting. Dressed in white shirts that said "Rally for Kiest", dozens of speakers — both children and adults — were at City Hall to voice support for Kiest 10 hours later.
Oak Cliff resident and attorney John Wilson IV was among the people rallying for Kiest. He said he started playing tennis at Kiest when he was six years old. His experience with Kiest and its community-based partnership led him to play Division 1 college tennis.
He said the community-based model made a country club sport accessible to Oak Cliff residents. Wilson was among residents who worried a for-profit model could increase prices and push out community members.
"Kiest Tennis Center is not a country club," Wilson said. "It is a community institution that has put people before profits for generations."
Other speakers, like Inez Beltran, shared stories on how the DTA shaped their lives.
Beltran said she has been a player in the DTA program, Dallas Tennis and Education Academy, at Kiest for 10 years. When her father was seriously injured stopping a robbery, Beltran said the coaches were there for her and her family.
"The coaches were there for me when I needed them the most," Beltran said. "That experience showed me Kiest is more than just a tennis center; it is a family."
Impact Activities already oversees three Dallas tennis center: the Samuel Grand Tennis Center, Fretz Tennis Center, and L. B. Houston Tennis Center. The company has operated in Dallas since 2018.
Arshia Mahdvar, Impact Activities national manager, said public facilities have regulated prices based on city ordinance and Impact Activities would not set the prices.
"Every month, every quarter, we are reporting our prices to the city, to the parks board, and everything's always under review and audited," Mahdvar said.
Ryan O'Connor, Dallas Park and Recreation deputy director, told council members that staff have received positive feedback on Impact Activities' service at current city centers.
"Feedback is always very positive," O'Connor said. "I'm not personally familiar with really any complaints with the service. It's a valued addition to our tennis centers."
But Oak Cliff residents were worried that there were no guarantees in the contracts that current programs would be protected.
A Change.org petition with more than 2,100 signatures credited the nonprofit with providing free tennis clinics and community events for youth under 18 years of age.
Approving contract renewals with Impact Activities for the three centers and adding a contract for Kiest was on Wednesday's agenda. City Council passed the resolution, but excluded Kiest.
Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Maxie Johnson made the motion to separate Kiest and to direct staff to restart the process for the center.
"I just wanna thank out community for coming out," Johnson said. "I believe that there's an opportunity to strengthen the partnership with DTA and the city of Dallas, and strengthen our partnership with our community concerning this process."
O'Connor confirmed to council members that it would not be an operational challenge to have two separate vendors for the city's tennis centers.
Because the contract with DTA does not expire until the end of the year — with potential to extend the contract for an additional six months — O'Connor said staff should have enough time to go through the process again.
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