At Southern Skates, workers relied on red overhead lights – the warmest color available – to fight the chill.
The city-owned roller skating rink in Oak Cliff had gone months without heat, until Wednesday. It comes as Dallas moves to shift its day-to-day management to a private operator.
Employee Anthony Small said the building has been without heat since at least the fall, after gas service was shut off. On a recent Sunday afternoon, he bounced between collecting $5 admissions and running the DJ booth as families skated beneath a silver disco ball.
“We don’t have heat,” Small said. “If it’s too cold in here, we can’t expect the customers.”
Political Points
Dallas Park and Recreation, which manages the rink, said last week that plumbing repairs tied to the gas shutoff were completed and Atmos Energy had been called to reconnect service.
City officials said they didn’t realize the rink had lost service until December, when staffers there found the heat had been disconnected, adding that mild fall temperatures delayed the discovery.
The prolonged outage surfaced as the city prepares to outsource daily operations of Southern Skates, after budget cuts late last year eliminated eight positions and left the 26-year-old facility staffed entirely by part-time workers.
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The City Council’s Government Efficiency Committee on Jan. 12 postponed a scheduled discussion of the privatization plan until February.
Crystal Ross, senior deputy director for Dallas Park and Recreation, said Southern Skates has faced recurring facility challenges, including closures last year tied to foundation issues. The rink’s Facebook page said Southern Skates closed in late May for “minor upgrades, maintenance and repairs” before reopening in July.
“We’re looking for a way to really improve the customer experience while getting out of an area that’s not really our core service,” Ross said of the push to bring in a private operator. “We’re good at parks and recreation, but the niche of skating, that really does require someone who’s more specialized.”
Seeking new operator
Dallas Park and Recreation plans by spring to solicit bids from those with experience running roller rinks or entertainment facilities.
Under the plan, the city would retain ownership of the rink at 2939 E. Ledbetter Drive, while the selected operator would handle daily operations and maintenance.
Parks Director John Jenkins told council members in a Jan. 7 memo that officials hope to select an operator by June 30, with the transition completed by Oct. 1.
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City records show Dallas now budgets $192,883 to operate Southern Skates, relying on part-time staff to keep it open during limited hours, including Thursday night adult skate sessions, the rink’s busiest time.
During budget deliberations last summer, at least one council member questioned whether the city should operate the rink at all.
In an Aug. 28 memo, council member Bill Roth wrote that running a roller rink “is not a core government function and should be managed privately,” saying the shift could reduce city costs and spur innovation. Roth ultimately did not pursue eliminating funding for the rink amid public backlash.
Community ties
Small, the rink worker, said he worries a new operator could lose the community ties that keep skaters coming back.
“It depends on who they are,” he said. “We want to increase the numbers. That’s our biggest concern.”
Small said he was glad the heat was restored. He said the biggest challenge going forward isn’t maintenance, it’s visibility.
“A lot of people don’t even know the place exists,” he said.
Ross said the city attempted to offload management of Southern Skates in 2017, but could not find a suitable operator. Because the rink was built with federal housing funds, the city cannot simply sell or repurpose it without a public process and approval from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Ced’niya Shaw, 10 (right), ties the roller skates of Arnasia Bradley, 12, as they skate around Southern Skates Roller Rink in Oak Cliff, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Dallas.
Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer
Southern Skates opened in 1999, built by former track star and Black Panther Fahim Minkah, using more than $1.5 million in funding, including $1 million in federal housing dollars and a $400,000 bank loan. After Minkah’s nonprofit defaulted on the loan, the city foreclosed and took over operations in 2004. Multiple efforts to sell or lease the facility failed over the following years.
Ross said the city is not planning to sell or eliminate the rink.
Small described Southern Skates as a safe space for kids, with Dallas police providing security during events. The rink hosts parties, private rentals and occasional TV productions, and he believes it has untapped potential.
“Most of our customers are adults who skated here as kids,” he said.
Why it matters
For Kenneth Jones, 36, the rink is a refuge. He started skating six years ago after his mother was diagnosed with cancer.
“When I get on the floor, I don’t think about the drama, the problems, the stress,” Jones said in an interview last week at the rink. “I just let it go and be free.”
His mother’s health has improved, he said, and he hopes the city invests more in the facility.
Lequintis Green, 17, volunteers at the rink after overcoming his fear of skating and hopes to apply for a job when he turns 18, though it remains unclear which company would consider him if management changes.
Kaneshia Leffall, who has helped provide concessions at the rink for several months, said she was at first surprised it was not busier. Her 8-year-old son, Aiden, spends most of the day skating.
“All day, I don’t see my baby,” Leffall said, adding, “I just forgot all about how fun it is up here.”