Fort Worth graduates won’t pay to park at Dickies Arena with Rainwater Foundation grant
The families of Fort Worth students graduating from high school this month and in early June will not have to pay for parking at Dickies Arena after the Rainwater Charitable Foundation said it will cover the cost.
The school district announced Friday that the Rainwater Foundation will pay the $20 ticket for parking.
The cost of parking at the city-owned Dickies Arena, managed by Trail Drive Management, is $20.
Residents complained on social media about the $20 fee, arguing the publicly owned building should offer free parking for public school events.
While the city of Fort Worth does own the building, its contract with Trail Drive Management gives the company exclusive authority to manage the parking lots and the rates, a spokesperson for the city’s public events department wrote in an email.
Trail Drive Management is a non-profit set up to manage and operate Dickies Arena. Its board is chaired by prominent Fort Worth businessman and co-owner of Sundance Square Ed Bass.
Kent Scribner, the outgoing superintendent of the Fort Worth school district who was expected to recommend the board authorize the district to pay for parking, said the commitment to pay for parking shows that Rainwater Foundation cares about students.
“This will allow our families to celebrate with no worries about the extra expense of parking,” Scribner said in the news release.
Rainwater Foundation is a private family foundation based in Fort Worth. It provides grants by invitation only.
“Hopefully this grant helps remove a financial barrier that some members of our community might have faced in celebrating the perseverance and achievements of our graduating seniors,” Rainwater Foundation president Jeremy Smith said in the release.
Graduations for 14 Fort Worth schools are scheduled at Dickies Arena between May 31 and June 4.
This story was originally published May 6, 2022 at 6:11 PM.