The legal battle over access to rowing facilities at White Rock Lake has intensified again.
In a city memo last week, Dallas officials formally accused the nonprofit operating the facilities of violating its contract with the city, allegations the organization denies while promising to press ahead with its lawsuit.
A long-ago photo of a man fishing from the old White Rock Lake boathouse on the T&P Hill.. (Louis DeLuca/Staff photp)
The dispute centers on White Rock Boathouse, Inc., the nonprofit operator of rowing facilities at White Rock Lake, including the larger city-owned boathouse, the historic Boomerang facility and the Filter Building.
The dispute over management of the rowing facilities has simmered for years.
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But the conflict escalated last fall when White Rock Boathouse sued the city after disagreements over contract renewals and increased scrutiny from park officials.
In a July 23 memo to the Park and Recreation Board, Parks Director John Jenkins said the city told White Rock Boathouse it was in breach of its contract after determining the nonprofit’s code of conduct violated its agreement with Dallas.
The city said the code of conduct had never been submitted for the department’s approval, and that its provision allowing the organization to deny access to coaches and volunteers affiliated with other rowing programs conflicts with the agreement. The contract requires that the publicly owned facility remain accessible to the broader community, according to the memo.
The city gave White Rock Boathouse 30 days to remove the policy from its website and submit a revised version for review.
White Rock Boathouse disputed the city’s findings, saying it has not violated its contract or improperly restricted public access to the city-owned facility.
In a statement, the nonprofit said its code of conduct is consistent with industry standards and that city officials “have been well aware of” the policy for years.
The organization also disputed the city’s assertion that the code of conduct was never properly approved, arguing it has remained in compliance.
The city’s latest action comes after months of pressure from the White Rock Lake Accountability Coalition, a group of residents, rowers and former members of the rowing community that has urged Dallas officials to take a more active role in overseeing the publicly owned boathouse.
Tamber Johnson, a coalition member who has followed the issue for more than a decade, said the city’s notice addresses what she described as the discriminatory nature of the organization’s code of conduct but leaves broader questions unanswered.
She said the coalition continues to raise concerns about the nonprofit’s governance, public outreach and access to the facility.
“I think this is the tip of the iceberg, and the city and Parks should continue to hold the board accountable to the terms of their contract,” Johnson said.
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White Rock Boathouse said it intends to formally respond to the July 8 notice of breach and challenge the city’s allegations as part of its pending lawsuit against Dallas.
The lawsuit centers on a dispute over the agreements governing White Rock Boathouse’s operation of the boathouse, Filter Building and Boomerang facilities on city-owned property. The nonprofit is seeking a court declaration that those agreements remain valid through 2036.
A Dallas County district judge recently denied the city’s plea for dismissal, allowing White Rock Boathouse’s lawsuit against Dallas to proceed.
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