Ain't Gonna Work on Samuell Farm No More? Per City Docs, Four Options for the 320 Acres.

The Pavillion at Samuell Farm, which the city is considering tearing down -- unless a gust of wind beats it to the punch

​Last Friday, we broke the news that the Texas Attorney General's Office is threatening to take control of the W.W. Samuell Trust if the city of Dallas doesn't turn over by September 11 documents that were due July 15. What the AG wants: an accounting of "current operations of all Samuell Park Properties [and] a future plan for the Samuell Park Property known as Samuell Farm." What the AG got: a PowerPoint presentation delivered on August 21.

On Tuesday afternoon, first assistant city attorney Chris Bowers sent Unfair Park that 26-page outline, after I'd asked Park and Recreation Board secretary Dawna Ray to see documents for a Samuell Trust briefing scheduled to be delivered during tomorrow's Park Board meeting at City Hall. Bowers sent us what Park and Rec director Paul Dyer sent the Attorney General's Office, but notes via e-mail that "the City is revising the presentation and will present the revised presentation this Thursday to the Park Board."

The PowerPoint's after the jump, and it's notable for various reasons, among them: It inventories and details (kind of) all the amenities available at Samuell park properties in the city, and provides a glimpse at how the city plans to proceed with the long-fought-over Samuell Farm. Dallas has been working with Sunnyvale to maintain the 320 acres, but as far as the city's concerned at this point, it has four options moving forward: Tear down all the existing structures on the property and operate it as an "open non-gated park," fix everything on site and contract with an outside operator, convince other cities to provide the equipment and upkeep out at the Farm, or just sell the property outright and "deposit proceeds into the Samuell Foundation held by the bank." Samuell Report to OAD 8-21-09