The zombie football stadium for Woodrow Wilson High School, an idea that has lurched along for a decade or more, has again risen from the dead in my East Dallas neighborhood.
Local Facebook pages have exploded with debate since the posting earlier this month of yet another plan backed by anonymous donors to build a 4,000-seat game field in Willis Winters Park, just across the street from Woodrow.
No formal proposal has gone to the city or to Dallas ISD. For now, the stadium boosters are gauging potential blowback to the facility, which would replace the parks by-reservation-only soccer field.
Cut off its head is the oppositions point of view.
Count me with those who say you can love Woodrow but not support the plan to plop down a stadium in a park already heavy with sports facilities.
Ross Williams, a Santa Fe Avenue resident and the public face of this project, wants us to keep an open mind. He also points to work his group is willing to do within the green space to sweeten the deal.
But his plan fails a simple eyeball test for many who live in the dense adjacent neighborhoods, navigate the areas narrow roads or play in the ever-improving Winters Park.
Residents and park advocates have fired back with concerns about the lights, noise, traffic and parking problems that a new stadium is likely to bring.
My question is this: Winters is a city park, not a DISD park. Its purpose is to serve the community, not cater to one high school. Why is Winters Park and by extension the Dallas Park and Recreation Department being asked to solve a DISD problem?
I appreciate that boosters of Woodrow and its adjacent J.L. Long Middle School want a stadium for their kids. The Wildcats hardly the only DISD school without their own game facility play their home games seven miles north at Franklin Field, adjacent to Hillcrest High School.
But when DISD puts a $3.7 billion bond proposal the largest in state history in front of voters in November, not a dime of it will be designated for a Woodrow stadium.
The desire for the Woodrow football and soccer teams to have their own stadium isnt rooted in any kind of districtwide equity issue but rather in this campus having deep-pocket donors looking to grant a wish. Just because Winters Park already hosts many Woodrow and Long practices and games in its existing facilities doesnt mean it should be further co-opted.
Last week, amid the passion, competing data points and misinformation flying around, Juliette Fowler Communities brought together more than a dozen stakeholders to try to clear the air.
Fowlers large retirement community sits across the street from the proposed stadium, and residents have peppered Fowler CEO Nicole Gann with questions and concerns about the proposed stadium.
Moderated by Gann and packed to the 100-person Zoom limit, the meeting was a much-needed dose of balanced and complete discussion. Williams made the case for the stadium; Tom Methvin, who lives on the parks perimeter, argued for the opposition. Each came armed with data-laden PowerPoint presentations and support from other speakers.
(Details of the stadium proposal and opposing points of view are available on the Randall/Willis Winters Improvement Project News page on Facebook.)
The Woodrow athletic director and booster club president beseeched neighbors to see that they would be making a small sacrifice to do whats right for the kids.
Representatives of the surrounding neighborhoods and green space advocacy groups were, at best, skeptical of Williams' arguments. Most problematic is his refusal to divulge who would bankroll the funding.
The handful of elected and appointed leaders on hand said they were still gathering information and noted yet again that no official proposal has come before them.
Calvert Collins-Bratton, president of the Dallas Park Board, left no question about her teams role: We are appointed as stewards of park land. We serve the best short- and long-term interests of our parks and to the public who uses them.
Gann told me Friday that Fowler residents are about to release a statement with their point of view. Based on an earlier survey, I expect the Fowler retirees will give the plan the same thumbs-down voiced by Mount Auburn and Junius Heights neighbors who spoke at the forum.
Among those in Tuesdays virtual audience was the namesake of the park, retired Dallas park director Willis Winters. He led the joint Dallas-DISD effort to overhaul this East Dallas space, formerly known as Randall Park, and worked out the details of the 2004 interlocal agreement between the city and school district.
Under that deal, DISD gets first choice on reserving dates for the boys' baseball field, the girls' softball field and the soccer field, which doubles as a football practice space. Once Woodrow and Long make their picks, all the facilities are available to the many community leagues and teams.
Nothing in the 2004 agreement gives DISD or Woodrow any special say in further development of the park. Winters recalled that when stadium supporters first contacted him about eight years ago, his reaction was the same as it is now: A project of this magnitude must have the support of the immediate surrounding area.
Winters is enormously concerned about the potential negative impact from the proposed plan. Mitigating those issues lights, noise and traffic will be essential for the project to ever be acceptable to the neighborhood. . If neighbors arent on board, you are in trouble.
He ticked off a number of other details that trouble him: The funding sounds squishy. The proponents' idea for off-site parking with shuttle service is no cure-all. Space for the now-existing adult soccer field may not be available in the stadium footprint once space is allocated for bleachers.
Woodrow alums and parents, especially those who dont live around the school, likely dont realize what a special place Winters Park has become.
A decade ago, it was defined by vandalism, graffiti and trash; its only real asset was the top-notch ball fields. But under the leadership of Friends of Randall Park (now Friends of Willis Winters Park), neighbors have transformed it into a place that residents and rec sports families and fans cherish.
The Friends group worked with the city to bring down penitentiary-style fencing and gates. They organized regular cleanup campaigns, added trash cans and better picnic tables. This month they are hard at work on a pollinator garden that park visitors and Juliette Fowler residents can enjoy.
With gyms closed during the pandemic, residents have organized socially distanced yoga, impromptu weight workouts and baseball bleacher runs at Winters.
This past Saturday, soccer tots swarmed the corner of the park that the stadium backers have their eyes on. Men of all ages hustled in a fierce-but-good-natured game of basketball.
Two teen-age girls sat on a blanket in the green space where the Woodrow band practices many mornings. A mother watched over her three little ones on the playground while a dad jogged alongside a boy wobbling along on his tiny bike.
Assuming that Williams and his donors continue to move forward, trying to persuade Dallas City Hall to drop a football stadium onto this park will be a long, long process..
My message to the stadium funders whoever you are is to quit trying to dump this mess into the lap of the Dallas Park Department and instead take your case to DISD.
Leave Willis Winters Park alone.
Go here to see the original:
Its time to cut off the head of zombie Woodrow stadium plan for East Dallas park - The Dallas Morning News
- 'Dawn of the Dead' at 45: A Zombie Love Affair That Never Died - The New York Times - April 12th, 2024
- Hyper-sexual 'zombie cicadas' infected with bizarre STD fungus will emerge in US - New York Post - April 12th, 2024
- Zombie malls and other retail centers getting extreme makeovers to keep up with the times - Chicago Tribune - April 12th, 2024
- 'Zombie' drug xylazine found in cannabis THC vapes in UK - BBC.com - April 12th, 2024
- Taxing health insurance: The Republican zombie that refuses to die - Roll Call - April 12th, 2024
- Fungus-infected Zombie Cicadas with hypersexuality to emerge in the US this year: Expert - Hindustan Times - April 12th, 2024
- Zombie Classic Dawn Of The Dead Coming Back to Theaters for 45th Anniversary - MetalSucks - April 12th, 2024
- E-News | 'Zombie cicadas' infected with sexually transmitted fungus expected to emerge this year in parts of US - WVU ENews - April 12th, 2024
- Deadly Zombie Sedative Penetrating The U.K.s Illicit Drugs Market - Forbes - April 12th, 2024
- Seattle Police warn that base ingredient in 'zombie drug' tranq is being sold as standalone pill - FOX 13 Seattle - April 12th, 2024
- Opinion | Today's Opinions: Haunted by zombie law and thrown into abortion time-travel - The Washington Post - The Washington Post - April 12th, 2024
- Rob Zombie Teases 'House of 1000 Corpses' Book With Rare Photos, Original Script and More! - Bloody Disgusting - April 12th, 2024
- Zombie malls getting extreme makeovers to keep up with the times - Detroit News - April 12th, 2024
- 2000s Horror Fantasy Is One Of The Most Unique Takes On The Zombie Genre - Giant Freakin Robot - April 12th, 2024
- Mysterious 'Zombie Neurons' Unlock Secrets of Learning in The Brain - ScienceAlert - April 12th, 2024
- Zombie SKUs: What They Are, How They Work & Results - JumpFly PPC Advertising News - April 12th, 2024
- Arizona Reviving Its Zombie Abortion Ban Is Trump's Doing - The Cut - April 12th, 2024
- Hyper-sexual "zombie cicadas" that are infected with sexually transmitted fungus expected to emerge this year - CBS News - April 12th, 2024
- Should we be concerned about zombie cicadas? - WGN Radio - Chicago - April 12th, 2024
- You need to play this underrated zombie shooter before it leaves Xbox Game Pass - Digital Trends - April 12th, 2024
- End the 'zombie' Comstock Act - Star Tribune - April 12th, 2024
- OPINION - Flesh-eating zombie narcotics are on our streets Britain is badly losing its war on drugs - Yahoo News UK - April 12th, 2024
- What Is Xylazine - The Flesh-Eating 'Zombie' Drug Linked To 11 Deaths in The UK? - Times Now - April 12th, 2024
- Zombie Cicadas To Emerge In Virginia: What To Know - Patch - April 12th, 2024
- What Is "Zombie Drug" Gripping The UK? - NDTV - April 12th, 2024
- OJ Simpson's Final Film Will Resurrect His Naked Gun Character - As A Zombie? - Looper - April 12th, 2024
- Flesh-eating 'zombie drug' sweeping US is linked to 11 UK deaths - The Telegraph - April 12th, 2024
- Flesh-rotting 'Zombie drug' tranq raises alarm in UK - The Times of India - April 12th, 2024
- Zombie Cicadas To Emerge In GA: What To Know - Patch - April 12th, 2024
- What was the first-ever zombie movie? - Far Out Magazine - April 12th, 2024
- Even Will Smith Couldnt Save Zombie Survival Game Undawn, Which Flopped Spectacularly - IGN - March 24th, 2024
- Rob Zombie Recommends This Surprisingly Wholesome Comedy - Dread Central - March 24th, 2024
- Army Writing and the Zombie (Noun) Apocalypse - Modern War Institute - United States Military Academy West Point - March 24th, 2024
- Fatal Fury's Mai Shiranui Is In This Zombie Survival Game For Some Reason - Time Extension - March 24th, 2024
- Should you be worried about 'zombie deer'? | College of Public Health - George Mason University - March 24th, 2024
- 'Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island' Scares Its Way to Blu-ray for the First Time This Spring - Collider - March 24th, 2024
- Rob Zombie hates my guts: GWAR's Dave 'Oderus Urungus' Brockie was a genius, and here's an interview that proves it - Louder - March 24th, 2024
- In the fight against gun violence, Rep. Frost Introduces the Destroy Zombie Guns Act - The Apopka Voice - March 24th, 2024
- Elfriede Jelinek's 'The Children of the Dead' is a historical zombie novel - The Washington Post - The Washington Post - March 24th, 2024
- Germany's Zombie Government Is Fueling the Far Right - The Atlantic - March 24th, 2024
- Zombie Survival Game Undawn Has Crashed And Burned According To A Reuters Report - MMOs.com - March 24th, 2024
- Will Smiths Zombie Game Has Been Hit Harder Than Chris Rock at the Oscars Its Astronomical Budget Was ... - imdb - March 24th, 2024
- Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island / Return to Zombie Island Blu-ray (Warner Archive Collection) - Blu-ray.com - March 24th, 2024
- Registration almost here for Dothans annual Zombie 5K Chase - WDHN - March 24th, 2024
- Zombie magic and gambling club Magic Island will come alive again this summer - Houston Chronicle - March 24th, 2024
- Undawn | The $140m zombie survival game starring Will Smith that bombed while nobody was looking - Filmstories - March 24th, 2024
- After 4 years, a cult classic zombie horror manga from Ga-Rei's creator is finally getting an official English release - Gamesradar - March 24th, 2024
- Will Smith's Zombie Game Has Been Hit Harder Than Chris Rock at the Oscars - Its Astronomical Budget Was ... - FandomWire - March 24th, 2024
- "The game literally no one knew existed": The Will Smith Zombie Survival Game is Reportedly a Big Flop and Fans Are ... - FandomWire - March 24th, 2024
- Zombie-palooza --- Get to the biggest undead music event in the latest Dead Island 2 expansion: SoLA - Gaming Trend - March 24th, 2024
- Bournemouth University medical students treat 'zombie attack' in mass training simulation - The Tab - March 24th, 2024
- Zombie car factories on the rise in China as buyers opt for EVs - Financial Times - March 16th, 2024
- Hey, Remember When Rob Zombie Was Going To Direct THE CROW 3? - FANGORIA - March 16th, 2024
- New Walking Dead Twist Shows How The Zombie Outbreak Will Finally End - Screen Rant - March 16th, 2024
- Candid conversations from death row with The Zombie Hunter - Arizona's Family - March 16th, 2024
- Zombie! The Musical - REVIEW - City Hub Sydney - March 16th, 2024
- A Gorgeous Harp and Guitar String Duet of 'Zombie' by The Cranberries in Honor of Alexei Navalny - Laughing Squid - March 16th, 2024
- Y2K Review: A 1999 Youth Nostalgia Comedy That Turns Into an Attack-of-the-Computers Zombie Movie. But Only the First One Is Fun - Variety - March 16th, 2024
- AMC Announces Every Zombie in The Walking Dead Getting Its Own Spin-Off - Hard Drive - March 16th, 2024
- The Growing Threat of Zombie Code - CXOToday.com - March 16th, 2024
- The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever Gets Theatrical Return For Anniversary - Giant Freakin Robot - March 16th, 2024
- You won't expect which fighting game character pops up in this random mobile zombie game trailer for a bizarre ... - EventHubs - March 16th, 2024
- Coby White, Butler and the 'Zombie Heat,' Fontecchio Are All Here to Stay - Canis Hoopus - March 16th, 2024
- 'Land of the Dead' 19 Years Later: Romero's Return Was Smarter Than the Average Zombie Movie - Bloody Disgusting - March 16th, 2024
- Z Nation Season 6: SYFY Tease Return of Zombie Series 6 Years After Its Death - ComingSoon.net - March 16th, 2024
- Zombie! The Musical (Hayes Theatre Co) - Limelight - March 16th, 2024
- Get This Definitive Edition Zombie Game For Free Right Now On Steam - Screen Rant - February 19th, 2024
- The Best Ghost and Zombie Movie Romances - Vulture - February 19th, 2024
- The couple trying to keep killer 'zombie viruses' at bay - and protect us from another pandemic - The Telegraph - February 19th, 2024
- Meet the Serbian Businessman/DJ Who Runs the Zombie AI Southwest Journal - Racket - February 19th, 2024
- Dead Island 2 Spreading Its Zombie Virus to Steam in April - GameSpace.com - February 19th, 2024
- Lincoln hosts Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie - Omaha - KETV Omaha - February 19th, 2024
- 'The Walking Dead - The Ones Who Live' Review AMC's Zombie Epic Shambles On - Collider - February 19th, 2024
- Legislative recap: zombie bills, teacher pay, lithium tax, pipelines and more - Black Hills Pioneer - February 19th, 2024
- Japan's stock markets are on a tear. Will 'zombie firms threaten the bull run? - CNBC - February 11th, 2024
- Thebe Phetogos haunted response to zombie figuration in art - The Washington Post - February 11th, 2024
- Cosmic dust from 'zombie' galaxies could form planets and life - The Telegraph - February 11th, 2024
- I walked with a zombie: 16 monster love interests that set hearts aflutter - The A.V. Club - February 11th, 2024
- Free Steam zombie shooter you've never heard of is getting rave reviews, somehow - GAMINGbible - February 11th, 2024
- South Korea's 'zombie football' finally leaves them in a hole too deep to climb out of - ESPN - February 11th, 2024
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero