Fair Park management group seeking city bailout to help repay $6M owed to vendors
DALLAS - The for-profit operator of the non-profit that manages Dallas' Fair Park was in the hot seat for the second day in a row.
The operator, the Oak View Group, said it would turn Fair Park into a year-round destination. Now, it owes vendors $6 million and is in need of an $8 million city bailout.
Many of the vendors who are owed money are small businesses who desperately need to receive their payments from Oak View Group.
K9 Security Detection Services is owed $15,000, forcing the owner into a difficult situation.
Her business is one of hundreds owed a total of $6 million from OVG.
On Thursday, the president of OVG told the Dallas Park and Recreation Board that if it received a bailout from the city it could make good on its payments within a year.
Arun Agarwal, the president of the Dallas Fair Parks and Recreation Board, urged OVG to try to act faster for small businesses.
"We will try to expedite those businesses. We just have to manage cash to make sure we stay solvent to do that. We will do that," replied Greg O'Dell, the president of Venue Management, Oak View Group.
Agarwal had a contentious back-and-forth with O'Dell about why $5.7 million in donations was allegedly misallocated.
"It wasn't our role in many respects," argued O'Dell.
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"Then what is your role? Just to take our assets and monetize them and not bring any revenue your promised us?" responded Agarwal.
"No, our role was to serve as an operator," O'Dell replied.
Agarwal also pressed the president about how much money Oak View Group has paid themselves over the course of the contract.
O'Dell could not answer that question, but said he would have to gather that information.
Agarwal also has unanswered questions about $1.1 million in travel expenses.
He has requested the city perform a forensic audit.
It will be up to the city attorney to make that call.