Austin Wood
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The same group accused of misappropriating over $5 million while managing Fair Park is seeking about the same amount from the city of Dallas, according to a legal notice obtained by The Dallas Morning News.
The News recently got its hands on a cache of over 5,000 emails first obtained by Council member Adam Bazaldua through an open records request. Most of the published revelations from the emails have concerned tours of potential replacement sites for Dallas City Hall and AT&T’s expressed concerns about the city’s governance, but one email sheds light on the ongoing dispute over what exactly went wrong in Fair Park.
According to prior reporting, the city received a legal notice from the Oak View Group in December. The Oak View Group was contracted by the nonprofit organization Fair Park First to manage day-to-day operations at Fair Park, which had itself been put in charge of the 277 acres in South Dallas by city officials. Dallas officials terminated contracts with both groups in June of 2025 after a city-led audit revealed that OVG allegedly misused over $5 million in donor funds. Subsequent to the contract’s termination, Dallas Park and Recreation Director John Jenkins said the group was withholding financial records from the city.
The notice alleges that the city actually owes OVG over $5 million, including $1.34 million in management fees and over $2 million in owed incentives dating back to 2021. If the city and OVG can’t come to an agreement, there is a potential for litigation, the News reported.
Citing pending litigation, a spokesperson for the city declined to comment, while OVG representatives did not return a request for comment in time for publication. The Oak View Group still manages day-to-day operations at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center, which is currently undergoing a $3.7 million rebuild.
The park department has overseen operations at Fair Park since contracts with OVG and Fair Park First were cancelled in 2025. In January, council members voted to take control of a planned $40 million community park from the Park and Recreation Board with millions in grants set to expire without signs of any tangible progress. The grounds are expected to host millions of visitors during the World Cup fan festival this summer.
While development plans for the community park were approved by council members late last month, questions still remain for the rest of the fairgrounds. One of the largest collections of Art Deco architecture sits neglected after years of deferred maintenance, while it remains unclear what city officials’ plans are for the long-term management of Fair Park.
OVG’s agreement for the management of the convention center, initially signed by the city with another company the group subsequently acquired, expires in September.
