Dallas has spent two decades trying to make a city-run roller rink work — one it never intended to operate in the first place. As the city again searches for an operator to take over Southern Skates in Oak Cliff, it’s time to consider unwinding support for the rink.
Southern Skates opened in 1999 and was built by Black Panther Fahim Minkah as a gathering place for neighborhood kids. After Minkah defaulted on a loan, the city took over the rink and has since struggled to sell or lease the facility.
City records show the facility has long been a money-drainer. In a 2010 presentation, officials said the rink had operated at a loss since the city took it over in 2004, including a roughly $100,000 deficit in fiscal year 2008-09. It’s unlikely the math has improved. The $5 admission fee and modest skate rentals don’t generate much revenue.
Attendance also hasn’t recovered since the pandemic. The rink averaged about 20,000 visitors annually in 2018 and 2019. The rink saw 17,061 visitors in 2024 and 11,406 last year, according to numbers provided by Dallas Park and Recreation. Some of that decline can be blamed on closures for maintenance and repairs over the last few years. Just last week, our newsroom colleagues reported the rink’s heat was finally restored after being shut off since the fall following a reported gas leak.
Opinion
If the city didn’t notice the heat wasn’t on until weeks later, that’s a sign the rink has become an afterthought. Running a roller rink is not an essential government function for a city with limited resources and far larger responsibilities.
While it might not make sense for Dallas to run the rink, that doesn’t mean the city should give up on the idea of a community gathering place in Oak Cliff. Roller skating isn’t as popular as it once was, but the rink does attract families during open skate sessions on the weekends, and it’s a popular spot for children’s birthday parties.
Running a roller rink is a big undertaking. It requires staff to run the concession stand, rent skates and a DJ to man the music under the shimmery disco ball. Budget cuts last year eliminated some positions at the rink and have forced it to rely on part-time staff.
Ideally, a community partner will step in and take over day-to-day operations, but given Dallas’ previous failed attempts to offload the facility, the city should be prepared to consider other uses for the space if no operators jump at the opportunity to live out their roller disco dreams.
The city should think about what type of programming it could provide for the community in its place. Maybe a park that doesn’t require as much staffing or a youth center that offers different kinds of activities would be a better fit.
It would be sad to see the rink go, but the city can’t keep spinning its wheels.
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