QuikTrip announced Thursday it would donate $10 million to help fund the new police academy planned for the campus of the University of North Texas at Dallas, the largest single donation the Tulsa-based convenience store chain says it has ever made.
The donation includes naming rights to the academy’s basic training building, according to a QuikTrip spokesperson, though the company and city officials are still working through the specifics. The gift will help close a more than $80 million funding gap for the training academy in southern Dallas that city leaders hope to cover through private donations.
“We recognize the important role that law enforcement plays in keeping our employees and customers safe, and we are honored to help make sure they have the best training and resources available to them,” QuikTrip President Kevin Thornton said in a news release.
The donation arrives as city leaders have yet to settle on a financing plan for the academy and a separate public safety complex proposed at Dallas Executive Airport. Both projects face multimillion-dollar funding gaps, and some officials have suggested another bond election may be needed to move them forward.
For the academy at UNT Dallas, city leaders hope to close the gap through private donations and, potentially, a bond package in November. Groundbreaking is scheduled for September. Bond funding also could be used for the public safety complex, which city documents estimate will require another $148 million.
The prospect of another bond election could intensify debate over the city’s spending priorities as officials weigh other costly long-term projects, including the future of the I.M. Pei-designed City Hall and whether Dallas should relocate the seat of city government.
In the news release, QuikTrip said the eight-figure gift is part of a broader effort to support law enforcement agencies in the 22 states where it operates. The company has 24 stores in Dallas and more than 150 across the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
QuikTrip has donated to the city before. Earlier this year, the company gave more than half a million dollars to help the police department purchase four Ford F-550 “blocker” trucks, heavy-duty vehicles used to shield first responders and close off traffic at highway crash scenes.
In the news release, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert and police Chief Daniel Comeaux celebrated the $10 million donation, thanking QuikTrip for its contribution to public safety in the city.
City Council member Cara Mendelsohn, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, also applauded the donation.
“They asked, ‘How can we help?’ and once again followed through with meaningful support for law enforcement and the safety of the people of Dallas,” Mendelsohn said in a message.