{"id":510810,"date":"2026-03-08T08:28:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T08:28:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/510810\/"},"modified":"2026-03-08T08:28:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T08:28:13","slug":"dallas-dropped-the-ball-on-the-wings-practice-facility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/510810\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas dropped the ball on the Wings\u2019 practice facility"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Dallas Wings can\u2019t seem to get a win, at least when it comes to the team\u2019s training facility and arena. Not only is its practice facility in west Oak Cliff, approved over the summer and fast-tracked to open ahead of the team\u2019s spring season, now running behind schedule<\/a>, it is also somehow over budget.<\/a> <\/p>\n

Dallas had already committed $55 million for the team\u2019s practice facility, a price tag we were uncomfortable with<\/a> from the beginning. At the time, city staff said that was the amount needed to build a training facility with the amenities and infrastructure required for a WNBA team. The city argued there were few viable alternative locations for the practice facility after delays with the convention center, and they were running out of time. Enter the $55 million facility at Joey Georgusis Park.<\/p>\n

But now the project needs an additional $27 million to cross the finish line. How did costs increase so much in just a few months? And how did a project that was expedited to meet the team\u2019s deadline end up falling behind and over budget? <\/p>\n

City staff attribute the holdup to missed deadlines by the project management firm McKissack and McKissack and new requirements from the WNBA that weren\u2019t part of the original scope. McKissack and McKissack didn\u2019t respond to multiple messages seeking comment for this editorial. Whatever the company\u2019s missteps, the city is ultimately responsible for conducting due diligence and making sure the project stays on track, and it couldn\u2019t deliver what it promised. <\/p>\n

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Now the city wants the Wings to take over. The city would cap its total contributions at $57 million, which includes $653,000 in delay reimbursements. The Wings would then cover the remaining costs, at least $27 million, needed to finish the practice facility and agree not to sue Dallas for the delays. <\/p>\n

Some City Council members have suggested that Dallas should consider the American Airlines Center<\/a> for the Wings\u2019 practice facility and arena. But even though the Dallas Mavericks and the Dallas Stars, who currently play at the AAC, are looking to leave, their lease agreements run through 2031. That doesn\u2019t do much for the Wings who need a practice facility now. <\/p>\n

Maybe all of this could have been avoided if the city had more seriously considered existing facilities that could have accommodated the Wings. That\u2019s not to say the team doesn\u2019t deserve a training space that will meet their needs, but repurposing an existing space instead of starting from the ground up might have saved both time and money.<\/p>\n

This debacle is frustrating for the Wings, and it also isn\u2019t a good look for the city. If Dallas can\u2019t figure out how to deliver a practice facility that it promised to one of its professional sports teams, how can it hope to attract more businesses and major investments? Anyone watching this unfold would have good reason to question the city\u2019s ability to deliver. <\/p>\n

We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you have problems with the form, you can submit via email at letters@dallasnews.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Dallas Wings can\u2019t seem to get a win, at least when it comes to the team\u2019s training…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":510811,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[63760,2834,3352,99,434],"class_list":["post-510810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-dallas-city-council","tag-dallas-wings","tag-editorials","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=510810"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510810\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/510811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=510810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=510810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=510810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}