Dallas Park and Recreation has $76.9 million in outside grants awarded across 12 projects, most of it for trails, according to a briefing set for the City Council's Parks, Trails, and the Environment Committee on Monday.
The presentation, prepared by Senior Deputy Director Ryan O'Connor and Assistant Director Robin Steinshnider, breaks the portfolio into three groups:
- Trails, $49 million for six projects: three on Five Mile Creek, the Trinity Forest Spine, the Cotton Belt-Marni Kaner trail and Timberglen.
- Fair Park, $21.4 million for four projects: two Community Park awards, a fitness loop and the Fair Park Loop Trail.
- Parks, $6.5 million for two projects: improvements at Judge Charles Rose Park and Crawford Memorial Park.
The largest pending request listed is $1.5 million from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's urban outdoor recreation program for Fair Oaks Park, with a funding decision expected in January 2027.
The slides also list applications in development of up to $15 million for green space in the Southwest Medical District, $400,000 from the Bureau of Land Management for invasive plant work at Harry Moss Park and $100,000 for an Eco Teens program.
Staff say they are weighing other sources, including the National Endowment for the Arts' Our Town program, the Moody and Meadows foundations, AARP's Community Challenge and the USA Swimming Foundation's learn-to-swim grants. Projects are scored on need, readiness, available matching money and whether the amenity is nearing the end of its service life.
Most park grants go to the Park Board twice, first for permission to apply and again to accept the money; federal grants handled by the city's Office of Business and Management Services go to the council instead.
Goats, fire and a tree count
A second briefing, from Deputy Director Sean Johnson and Superintendent Brett Johnson, walks through the tools crews use against invasive plants such as privet: volunteers, machines, grazing, herbicides and prescribed fire. One slide covers "Operation Goat" on the Northaven Trail this month and lists the lessons staff drew from it: communication, expectations and follow-up treatment.
The department has also inventoried about 23,500 trees in 40 parks, including 6,440 around White Rock Lake, 2,082 at Fair Park and 1,906 at Kiest Park, the slides say. The inventory counts 343 ash trees around White Rock Lake and puts the most valuable tree other than a cottonwood, a live oak about 55 inches across and 63 feet tall, at $28,940.
