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Just days after new Major League Rugby commissioner George Killebrew revealed that Dallas would be fielding a team in the 2021 season, the project has hit a snag. A $15 million proposal from a Donnie Nelson-led investment group to rebuild the century-old facilities at Reverchon Park has been rejected by Dallas City Council.
It’s an extraordinary decision given the circumstances. The current baseball field at the park is in a state of disrepair with the city seemingly unwilling to fund a restoration. Nelson & Co. had offered to build a new 3,500 seat stadium that would have served as a home base for teams in multiple sports including baseball, soccer, lacrosse, and rugby. The plan also included an ‘all-abilities’ complex in the park for special needs backed by former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw. Construction would have come at no cost to the city.
A similar bid had been approved in June 2018 but that investment group ultimately failed to produce the finances. The new deal was received extremely favorably by the city’s Park and Recreation Board, passing by a near-unanimous vote with Board president Bobby Abtahi describing the proposal as a “home run” prior to City Council’s decision. The Council, evidently, did not agree with the final vote 7-7 with Far North Dallas councilor Cara Mendelsohn absent.
In speaking to the Dallas Morning News, Abtahi fired a scathing broadside at the City Council for the failure to approve the proposal, with North Dallas councilor among those bitterly disappointed with the decision. Among those who voted against the project, West Dallas councilor Omar Narvaez told NBC that the proposal lacked community input and no environmental impact report was received. City Manager TC Broadnax and Texas Master Gardener Amanda Schulz were among those who rebuked those claims.
Unless the Council revisits and overturns the decision, which seems unlikely, a new plan for Nelson’s MLR entry will have to be drawn up. It’s a frustrating episode for those involved and for the Dallas sporting community with outside observers left scratching their heads.
