![\"White](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Austin-Wood-White-Rock-Boathouse-Front.png\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe facilities at White Rock Lake are the center of a long-standing dispute and ongoing legal issues.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe facilities at White Rock Lake are the center of a long-standing dispute and ongoing legal issues.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Austin Wood<\/p>\n
The city of Dallas is taking aim at the operator of White Rock Lake Park<\/a>\u2019s most contested property.<\/p>\n Dallas Park and Recreation Director John Jenkins sent a memo to council members Thursday stating that the city has sent a breach-of-contract notice to White Rock Boathouse, Inc. The organization manages White Rock Boathouse<\/a>, the Filter Building and another, smaller facility, the T&P Boathouse. <\/p>\n In a copy obtained by the Observer, Jenkins cited WRBI\u2019s code of conduct as the reason for the notice. The letter was originally sent to the operator on July 8, and represents the latest in a long-running dispute over the management of the property.<\/p>\n \u201cThe code of conduct could not be approved in its current form because the membership and access provisions are inconsistent with the purpose of the development agreement,\u201d the memo from Jenkins reads, \u201cwhich requires the premises to be maintained for the use and enjoyment of all segments of the Dallas community and to be available for the benefit of the citizens of Dallas.\u201d<\/p>\n Sign up for the This Week\u2019s Top Stories newsletter to get the latest stories delivered to your inbox<\/p>\n THANK YOU!<\/p>\n You’re all set.<\/p>\n CLOSE\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Specifically, the memo cites a section of the organization\u2019s code of conduct that prohibits rowers affiliated with other clubs from using the facility.<\/p>\n White Rock Boathouse has been the center of a longstanding dispute over management of the facilities<\/a> at White Rock Lake. Critics claim that the operator has effectively operated public property as a private club without transparency, while the operator has publicly colored the attacks as a \u201ctakeover\u201d<\/a> attempt by disgruntled rowers affiliated with a competing team, Dallas United Crew. The latter operates out of a temporary structure on the other side of the lake.<\/p>\n White Rock Rowing and WRBI, operating collectively, signed two contracts with the city in 2006. One grants the organization operating rights at the boathouse and the Filter Building, which now serves as an event venue (WRBI collects 90% of revenue from building rentals). That contract can be automatically renewed, while the other \u2014 which requires approval from the park director \u2014 allows WRBI to use T&P Boathouse to store launch boats. A supplemental agreement was approved in 2022, adding performance metrics for community engagement and scholarship funding.<\/p>\n Issues with the renewal of the contracts have led WRBI to file a lawsuit against the city. The case is proceeding in a Dallas County district court, according to court records.<\/p>\n In a text, Sue Ellen Chambers, White Rock Boathouse, Inc. president, said the lawsuit and the notice are connected.<\/p>\n \u201cOur code of conduct is consistent with the standard codes of conduct found at many rowing clubs across the country,\u201d Chambers said. \u201cOur attorneys are preparing a formal response to the Park\u2019s notice of default and we are confident that the court will find the City\u2019s position baseless, as it\u2019s done so far in the pending lawsuit.\u201d<\/p>\n Concerns over accessibility and oversight have led to the creation of an advocacy group, White Rock Accountability, earlier this year. The group\u2019s website includes photos of reported emails appearing to show a resident<\/a> being denied access to the boathouse on account of their affiliation with \u201cother rowing clubs in the Dallas area\u201d in accordance with the organization\u2019s code of conduct.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re asking the city to examine this and to enforce the contract and look at access,\u201d Paula Miltenberger, one of the group\u2019s organizers and an immediate past president of Dallas United Crew, said.<\/p>\n In an interview, Chambers reiterated that the ongoing issues are largely tied to real estate.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s to get the asset, it\u2019s to get the boathouse,\u201d Chambers said. \u201cI mean, it\u2019s just it\u2019s that simple.\u201d<\/p>\n