Dallas United Crew. (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)

The saga of Dallas United Crew’s attempt to build a boat house at White Rock Lake is long and dramatic (read the details in our cover story from August). The debate has long included whether the deal better benefits Park Cities youth, or Dallas ISD students. But on Thursday, Park Board appointee Robb Stewart made the case for Richardson ISD students as the Administration and Finance Committee considered DUC’s proposal on Thursday morning.

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“I’d like to focus not just on DISD, but on students of Dallas,” Stewart told Tammy Adams, president of DUC, who immediately agreed to the request.

“We want all students who want to row to be able to join,” she said, later adding that the club’s members come from 54 schools.

The committee then unanimously approved DUC’s request to build a temporary structure on the banks of White Rock Lake to protect the teams’ boats, which have been frequently vandalized over the years as they sit exposed on trailers. The nonprofit athletic group had received wide community support for an option on the water, but Councilman Mark Clayton asked them to instead select an on-land option that will keep them on the north side of the lake.

Under the terms of the contract, which runs for five years with two five-year renewal options, DUC will pay the city $6,200 a year in rent, money that will fund improvements at the lake. They will also provide $25,000 a year in scholarship funds for youth rowers. They must also host four on-campus recruiting events, which originally specified at DISD schools, but Stewart expanded to include RISD schools, pointing out that 60 percent of our district’s students live in Dallas.

The proposal still needs city council approval.