Paul Dyer

Park Board Does Not Think They're Bungling Search for a New Director, Is Really Hurt Dwaine Caraway Would Say That

Last week, the city's Park and Recreation Board made City Council member Dwaine Caraway very unhappy when they announced their plans to go about searching for someone to replace outgoing department director Paul Dyer. The seven-member committee won't be hiring a national search firm, instead lookin ... More >>

Dwaine Caraway Thinks Dallas is Bungling its Search for a New Park Director

The city's Park and Recreation Board is looking for someone to replace Paul Dyer, who is retiring after two decades at the helm of the parks department. Last week, a seven-member search committee, comprised of park board president Max Wells and a half dozen other board members, decided to keep the s ... More >>

Dallas City Hall Battles Oncor Over How the City Can Spruce Up its Trails

The swaths of land that run underneath Oncor's electric transmission lines are in many ways ideal spots for jogging trails. They stretch for miles, are largely free of obstructions and are controlled by a single entity, eliminating the types of property issues that would make construction anywhere e ... More >>

As Council Splits $329,000 Windfall, Mayor Rawlings Tells You Why Dallas' Pools Suck

The Dallas City Council is meeting this morning to decide how it wants to divide a last-minute, $329,000 windfall in the form of additional franchise fees from Oncor. In the context of the a $2.57-billion budget, it's peanuts, but it offers council members a way to fund their own pet projects, many ... More >>

Park Department Selling White Rock Lake Down the River

The Highland Park White Rock Lake Carnival Cruise Ship story comes into tighter focus with each passing hour, and so far the real story looks a little worse with every new detail. Not to take the onus off the Parkies at all, but I've been getting strong indications that another major player in thi ... More >>

Now We Have to Build a Boat House on White Rock Lake? Is the Park Not Good Enough?

Twenty years ago, White Rock Lake was a dump. The park was run-down. The lake itself was half-filled with silt. The main activity out there at night was people having intercourse in cars and then going to the bathroom on the lawns of nearby houses. Good times. The strong souls who lived near the la ... More >>

Dwaine Caraway Knows What Killed Fair Park: 'The Ugliest Roof in America'

Why is Fair Park so deserted? It's a question that has baffled city officials forever, but so far no one has come up with a plan to draw people to the 277 acre fairgrounds in months that don't start with "O." It's a puzzle no longer, because council member Dwaine Caraway, in a lengthy tangent durin ... More >>

Charges of Malpractice Blossom at Discovery Gardens, and Records Get Composted

Winfrey Point Fallout Shows City Hall Still Doesn't Know How to Listen

Dallas City Hall. Enough to drive a sane person crazy on any given day. What is it they don't get -- other than everything? In today's Dallas Morning News, Paul Dyer, the very decent man who is director of the Park Department, gives an absolutely honest and totally infuriating explanation of the wa ... More >>

The Dallas Arboretum No Longer Wants the City to Turn Winfrey Point into a Parking Lot

Update 12:45 p.m.: City spokesman Frank Librio sends word that, on second thought, there is plenty of parking available for the Chihuly exhibit at the Arboretum and no need to mow Winfrey Point. Attendance numbers for the current exhibit at the Dallas Arboretum appear to be within the facility's ab ... More >>

Take a Virtual Tour Through the Arboretum's Wondrous Children's Adventure Garden

A technical glitch (on my end, I guess -- sabotage?) kept me from listening in on Dallas Arboretum president and CEO Mary Brinegar's presentation to the council's Quality of Life Committee this morning. Shame too, as her chat this morning was City Hall's first real chance to hear all about the $58-m ... More >>

Blaming City, Museum of Automotive History Pulls Out of Fair Park. City Says: Not Its Fault.

​One year ago, or close enough, Stephen Page gave us a tour of his Texas Museum of Automotive History in Grand Place at Fair Park -- its temporary home, we were told, but an appropriate one, given the space's estimable past as the site where the Ford Motor Co. had its exhibit during the Texas Cent ... More >>

Once More, With Feeling, Questions at City Hall About How to Make Better Use of Fair Park

​We've had this conversation before. And before that. And before that. Why oh why oh why is Fair Park -- "our jewel," in the words of Dwaine Caraway -- so underutilized, so unloved?Daniel Huerta, Fair Park's exec general manager, and Park and Rec head Paul Dyer, actually came to the Quality of Lif ... More >>

Mayor Mike Kicks Back Horse Park Proposal, Says to Slow Down On This "World-Class" Thing

​We began the new year by rehashing an ancient topic: the proposed Texas Horse Park that's been around since the mid-1990s and was part of the $246-million capital bond program for the Trinity River Corridor Project approved by voters in 1998. Reason it never happened: The folks charged with partn ... More >>

Margolin: Horse Park Proposal Not What Voters Agreed To. Allen: But It'll Be "World Class."

​The council's Economic Development Committee kicked off its morning meeting by taking up the Texas Horse Park, which came up $14 million short in private funds but remains high on the city's to-do list. Hence, as we've noted in recent days, Park and Rec and the city manager's hope that the counci ... More >>

A Few Things You Should Know If You Decide You Want to Run the Texas Horse Park

​A little later than promised, here's the 44-page Texas Horse Park briefing the city council's Economic Development Committee will review tomorrow morning. We'll follow along as Paul Dyer, head of Park and Rec, attempts to convince the council to spend $12 million in '06 bond funds to build out Ph ... More >>

City Hasn't Forgotten About Trinity Horse Park. It Just Needs Someone to Develop, Operate It.

One of Brown Reynolds Watford's renderings for the Texas Horse Park. More scaled-back renderings forthcoming.​Technically I could have filed this under "Today's History Lesson," since most of you who even recall the Texas Horse Park likely considered it a thing of the past. After all it's been aro ... More >>

From Stack of City Memos: Drought Forecast, Aquatic Plans and Tax Breaks For Downtown Biz

The city's looking to give a company $300,000 to move into Renaissance Tower.​On the other side you'll find the stack of memos City Hall sent Saturday morning, and, as usual, it's a mixed grab bag of goodies covering some familiar topics. As in: Assistant City Manager Forest Turner kicks things of ... More >>

Mayor Mike's Thoughts on the Budget and the Need For a "High-Quality Aquatic Experience"

I said it the other day: The fact we can now trim down and embed City Hall videos will come in mighty handy on days when Dwaine Caraway goes off on self-proclaimed "tirades," in this case yesterday's 35-minute harangue involving the decision to shutter five city pools, two in his distric ... More >>

Dwaine Caraway Isn't About to Let the City Close Pools, Especially Two In His District

​Mary Suhm was right about one thing: When I asked her Thursday where she saw the council pushing back on her proposed FY2011-12 budget, she said, well, probably pools -- specifically, her suggestion that the city shutter five of its 17 pools in the coming fiscal year. Those pools: Bonnie View, Ex ... More >>

Kunkle Also Wants to See Someone (City, DPD, DA's Office) Investigate Happy Trails Contract

Photo by Patrick MichelsPark and Rec director Paul Dyer, second from left, watches as Jake Schroepfer makes his Happy Trails presentation last Thursday at City Hall.​I've left messages and sent emails all over Dallas City Hall -- to City Manager Mary Suhm, Assistant City Manager Forest Turner (who ... More >>

Cabs, Keys and Taking a Bite Out of Dog Parks: Highlights From Council's Morning Session

Shortly before recess, the council and mayor sang Dave Neumann "Happy Birthday." Adorable.​Council's already in recess -- till 1:30, said the mayor, citing a brief afternoon agenda. But the morning began with a bit of a bite -- bark too.First up, a man repping the striking cabbies said the strike' ... More >>

At City Hall, Dr. Kenneth Cooper Declares the Health of Dallas Children a "Disaster"

Kenneth Cooper at Dallas City Hall this morning​For a good hour or so this morning, there was a parade of people to the briefing-room podium at Dallas City Hall to discuss the Mayor's Youth Fitness Initiative, funded with $1 million worth of seed money from Oncor. Among those on hand: Mike Rawling ... More >>

As Animal Rights Group Condemns Zoos for Elephant Treatment, a Nice Word About Dallas

Kevin Todora​It wasn't so long ago that Lily Tomlin, Bea Arthur, Ruth Buzzi and Emmylou Harris were among those demanding that the city of Dallas move Jenny the Elephant to the elephant sanctuary in Tennessee. But the city resisted, insisting that its then-forthcoming Giants of the Savanna habitat ... More >>

City Council to Get a Peek at Initiatives Intended to Make Katy and White Rock Trails Safer

​After the death of Lauren Huddleston in October, when a cyclist crashed into the jogger along the Katy Trail, and a car-and-cyclist collision two weeks later, council member Angela Hunt wrote that she'd met with city staff and Friends of the Katy Trial to "address trail safety for all users." A p ... More >>

An Observer Photographer Discovers a "Wasteland" of Trash Along White Rock Creek

Photos by Dylan Hollingsworth​Observer contributor Dylan Hollingsworth was out at White Rock Creek yesterday shooting his nieces Autumn Hollingsworth and Chassidy Levassuer when he came across this -- "a wasteland of debris," as he put it when we spoke this afternoon. This is the spot: Goforth Roa ... More >>

"We Are a Business." Council's Getting its Park and Recreation Budget Briefing Right Now.

​City council's back after its lunch break, and if you've got a few minutes I'd recommend tuning in to the Park and Rec budget briefing. Mike Rawlings, the former homeless czar who's now the Park Board president, is leading the presentation, and moments ago he singled out Fair Park. As in: The cit ... More >>

The Friend of Samuell Farm Takes Issue With Park and Rec Head's Comments

One of several pieces of equipment Hugh Brooks says his Friends of the Farm purchaed for Samuell Farm using privately donated funds​Welcome to Day Three of our continuing coverage of Park and Rec's proposal to sell, among others, Samuell Farm and Samuell New Hope Park, which will be taken up by th ... More >>

Says the Man Who Wants to Save Samuell Farm: "You Can't Make Parks by Getting Rid of Parks."

​This isn't our first item about Park and Rec's proposal to sell Samuell Farm and Samuell New Hope Park, and it won't be the last. I'm waiting to hear from the Texas Attorney General's Office how it feels about Thursday's agenda item, given that it was but 14 months ago the state told the city tha ... More >>

Less Than Two Years After Redo Began on White Rock Lake Spillway, an Official Dedication

​As you no doubt recall, the rains of March '06 wreaked havoc upon the White Rock Lake Spillway -- retaining walls collapsed, and huge hunks of land were swallowed by the storms. Which is why, in August '08, the city council agreed to spend $16,748,070 to not only repair the damage, but upgrade th ... More >>

Settle This Argument: Who's the Most Overpaid City of Dallas Employee?

Justin Terveen​Merten just got around to looking at Texas Tribune's list of city of Dallas employees' salaries. He called me, shocked -- SHOCKED -- at some of those numbers. He also wanted to know who the who is Harold Nogle, the fourth-highest paid city employee at $208,000 -- which puts him betw ... More >>

It's All Happening at the Zoo: Giants of Savanna Breaks out the Hard Hat

Spike Johnson​So, yes, maybe you've heard by now: Things have been busy behind the scenes at the Dallas Zoo. Construction has been underway on that much-ballyhooed 11-acre attraction, $32-million Giants of the Savanna habitat, which Park and Rec director Paul Dyer talked to us about way back in Au ... More >>

Schutze has seen the future and it is community gardens-and a bunch of angry neighbors frightened of them

Still No Plans for Samuell Farm. But We Do Have the First-Ever Samuell Parks Report.

Oak Cliff's Founders Park, among the Samuell properties​We attended this morning's Dallas Park and Recreation Board meeting at Dallas City Hall hoping to learn more about one item of interest we noticed on the agenda: "Museum of Nature and Science Charter School," which, we assumed, would have fle ... More >>

Just When You Think You've Heard Every Last Bit of WTF Concerning the Trinity River ...

Patrick Michels Bonus: Since the city's Calatrava construction cam is still stuck in September, we decided to update it with some fresh pics available right here.​Oh, you caught me here at my desk doing a little quick calculation, totting some things up, always a dangerous exercise for a hi ... More >>

Dallas Has A Dirty Secret: It Acts As If Supports the Community Gardens Movement, But That's Not the Real Truth.

Ain't Gonna Work on Samuell Farm No More? Per City Docs, Four Options for the 320 Acres.

The Pavillion at Samuell Farm, which the city is considering tearing down -- unless a gust of wind beats it to the punch​Last Friday, we broke the news that the Texas Attorney General's Office is threatening to take control of the W.W. Samuell Trust if the city of Dallas doesn't turn over by Septe ... More >>

Says Mayor Leppert, Dallas is Now "One of the Premier Places for Football and Soccer"

Megan Feldman​At an afternoon press conference at the Cotton Bowl, where city officials gathered to officially announce next month's double-header soccer game at the 77-year-old stadium, Mayor Tom Leppert emphatically dismissed a reporter's suggestion that it may be tough for the recently rehabbed ... More >>

Park and Rec Director Paul Dyer: "There's Not a Sheet in This Budget That Makes Me Smile."

Park and Recreation Department Director Paul Dyer​If you've got the time this morning, you should check out the live feed of the city council's budget workshop, where, at the moment, the topic of discussion is the Park and Recreation cuts. Earlier, council member Ann Margolin told City Manager Mar ... More >>

Does the Texas Attorney General Trust the City's Treatment of W.W. Samuell Trust Fund?

Courtesy Friends of the FarmAn aerial view of the Samuell Farm, donated to the city nearly 70 years agoOn Wednesday, the Dallas city council will meet behind closed doors to discuss a host of subjects -- among them, pending lawsuits involving the city and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' floodway r ... More >>

Dyer Straits: Or, When a City Council Member Doesn't Trust the City

Unpack the Trunks, As Jenny the Elephant to Stay in Dallas After All

Paul Dyer Explains the Reasons for Keeping Jenny at the Dallas Zoo

Because You Knew There Had to Be a Jenny Item Today, Didn't You?

Farm Teams

Dallas officials weigh competing proposals for troubled Samuell Farm

Deepest depths

City council members find ingenious ways to screw poor kids out of their swimming pools

Barnyard stench

City auditor believes something stinks at Samuell Farm Parkand it's not just the cow manure

Crying fowl

Wildlife activists claim that the managers at Samuell Farm Park are abusing the land, its animals, and anyone else who gets in their way

Sunday in the park with gays

Fans of the Dallas Symphony Easter concert in Lee Park fear it will be moved

Treed off

The city's tree ordinance has more holes than the ozone layer