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Dallas City Council Votes To Privatize Fair Park After Years Of Back And Forth

David Wilson
/
Flickr Creative Commons
Leonhardt Lagoon of Fair Park in Dallas.

The Dallas City Council has decided to privatize Fair Park.

The council on Wednesday voted unanimously to approve a 20-year management contract, turning the keys over to nonprofit Fair Park First.

Spectra Venue Management, a food and entertainment company, will be responsible for daily operations and will subcontract with Biederman Redevelopment Ventures for the development of a public neighborhood park within the 277-acre fairgrounds.

The Park and Recreation Board approved the contract in September.

Bobby Abtahi, president of the Park and Recreation Board, said on Twitter Wednesday afternoon: “Today was a historic day for the city of Dallas and South Dallas especially. Still a lot of work to be done but I think we’ve made a step in the right direction to revitalize” Fair Park.

For decades, people have talked about how to revitalize Fair Park, but getting everyone on board has been the sticking point. Preservationists, nonprofits, residents and city officials have gone back and forth on how to transform the park into a place that people can visit throughout the year, not just during the run of the State Fair of Texas. Officials want it to be a place that benefits surrounding neighborhoods in South Dallas. 

Fair Park is a National Historic Landmark, known for its Depression-era art and Art Deco architecture. Despite its charms, some have criticized the park as dirty, unsafe and inaccessible.

Four years ago, the Mayor’s Fair Park Task Force presented recommendations to City Council and the Park and Recreation Board on how to save the historic park. One of those recommendations was to empower a new organization to take over operations with the city providing funding as needed.

The contract will not exceed $34.6 million during the first 10 years of the arrangement.

Read more about the contract in the council agenda.

Stephanie Kuo contributed to this report.