6 November 6 - 12, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Keeping Kids Out of Floodplains I nvestigations published after the July 4 flood show that camp directors and regulatory officials knew that a number of cabins at Camp Mystic sat within a high- risk floodplain. According to the Texas Tri- bune, the Federal Emergency Management Agency included the camp in its 2011 “Spe- cial Flood Hazard Area” map that warns of areas likely to be affected by a 100-year flood. (A 100-year flooding event is one that has a 1% chance of occurring each year.) Camp Mystic appealed the map, and in 2013, FEMA removed 15 buildings from the floodplain area. The amended buildings are part of the camp’s Cypress Lake campus, which was not badly damaged by the flood- ing. The cabins of those who died were lo- cated in a floodway of the Guadalupe River, an area considered even more hazardous than a 100-year floodplain. Some groups have used that fact, coupled with the amended FEMA map, as evidence that Camp Mystic knowingly endangered campers and state agencies allowed it to do so. The new laws require youth camps to move overnight accommodations out of floodplains, something that Sirkel said the Princeton camp got “really lucky” with. While the camp sits adjacent to a large floodplain, a survey of the property that was conducted three years ago found that no part of the Lake Lavon camp is at risk of flooding. There are also regulations for building within a controlled floodplain, which is defined as being next to a “lake, pond or other still body of water that is not connected to a stream, river or other water- course” or is dammed. The extent of those regulations, though, is still being completed. One change is that camp operators will be required to install ladders that grant roof access onto cabins, which some camp operators told state offi- cials seemed potentially even riskier than leaving campers within a cabin during a flood. “I believe there’s a greater safety risk for this, for these new rules, than there would be without them,” Rhonda Roberts, the ex- ecutive director of the Heart of Texas Camp in Brownwood, said during the hearing. “Our roofs are the last place that we want campers, and it’s not really a safe thing.” The floodplain regulations have already resulted in closures at camps run by the Girl Scouts of the Texas-Oklahoma Plains. The organization runs three summer camps: Ste- vens Ranch in Nemo, Camp Timberlake in Azle, and Camp Kiwanis in Amarillo. While Timberlake is only open for day camps, Ste- vens Ranch and Kiwanis host overnight stays at various campsites. According to offi- cials, at least two of the sites at Camp Ki- wanis will have to close because they are located in a FEMA-designated floodplain. Much of Camp Timberlake sits within a controlled floodplain, a Girl Scouts spokes- person said, but it’s unclear if any changes will be made to the camp because it operates only during the day. “We are awaiting additional direction from the state. There are not yet sufficient state resources to answer clarifying ques- tions about implementation and require- ments,” Girl Scouts said in a statement. Some camps have questioned the effec- tiveness of legislating based on FEMA flood- plain designations. FEMA’s flood-map program was developed in the 1970s to sup- port the National Flood Insurance Program, but some experts have criticized the pro- gram as outdated because it does not con- sider heavy rainfall data as a predictor of flooding, despite rising global temperatures contributing to increased rainfall. The maps also do not take into account hyper-specific geographic features, such as cabins being built on a bluff overlooking a water feature. Daran Miller, the executive director of Glen Lake Camps in Glen Rose, told state regulators that his camp has not flooded in its 86-year history despite being located in a floodplain. That should count for something, he urged. “I’m sure when they enacted this bill, they never thought they would impact a camp like ours to the point of closure,” Miller said. “We believe it’s important to evaluate each camp based on its site-specific characteristics. Not all floodplains are the same.” In Case of Emergency O ne of the most contested require- ments in the new laws is that camps install two broadband internet con- nections to increase the likelihood of weather alerts reaching a campus. At least one of those services must be connected via a fiber-optic network, something that re- mains rare in the state’s rural areas. According to the Texas Consumer Asso- ciation, 9 million Texans still lack access to broadband internet services. In areas where the necessary infrastructure is not in place, installing it can cost thousands of dollars per mile. Sirkel said his camp will likely face$ 80,000 bi obtain the necessary equipment to comply with the broadband law, by the law’s Sept. 1, 2027, deadline. While Sirkel said he’d normally use this time of year to prepare for summer 2026, that feels challenging to do right now. State health officials have said they will consider the feedback given by camp leaders before completing the new youth camp regulations, and a final protocol will be issued by Jan. 1, 2026. That will leave camp operators with only three months to get their camps and up- graded emergency plans up to code by the April 1 deadline. If they don’t comply with the new rules, they won’t be allowed to open. “Right now, we’re doing the best we can. There are some things that we pretty much know what all that’s going to entail, so I’m talking with vendors and looking at the [price] differences, getting budgetary num- bers together so we know what we’re look- ing at,” Sirkel said. “But I can’t really pull the trigger, so to speak, until we [get the state’s final] interpretation. We’re at their mercy on that.” ▼ SPORTS AAC, SWEET AAC THE MAVERICKS AND STARS DROP THE GLOVES, SUE EACHOTHER. BY KELLY DEARMORE F or decades, the Dallas Stars and the Dallas Mavericks have faced off against other teams while sharing the American Airlines Center. Now, the teams are facing off against one another over the arena. On Oct. 28, the Mavericks, seeking in- junctive relief, sued the Stars for wrongful interference with arena operations and fi- nances while claiming full ownership and control over the arena the teams have shared since 2001. The more than 250-page filing includes accusations that the Stars have blocked bonuses for arena staff and pre- vented necessary upgrades and repairs to the arena, among other complaints. Just 12 hours after the Mavericks’ suit, according to the Dallas Morning News, the Stars filed a countersuit “seeking to ‘restore normal operations at the [American Airlines Center] and prevent the Mavericks’ at- tempted hostile takeover,’ according to a statement from Stars’ counsel Joshua M. Sandler.” In a region where off-field scandal is of- ten more entertaining than the on-field product (see: just about any recent Dallas Cowboys season), this face-off between Dal- las’ NBA and NHL teams has already heated up more than a Stars vs. Avalanche playoff series. The aforementioned bullet points from the suits are merely where the drama begins. Indeed, the Mavericks and Stars are at odds over the future of the AAC, which also means their respective futures. The Maver- icks allege the Stars broke an agreement in- volving a combined $300 million from the city and the Mavericks to renovate the AAC, contingent on the Stars signing a new lease through 2061. However, the Stars claim they only agreed to a five-year extension of their AAC term, with both teams sharing renovation costs. Now, the Mavericks assert the Stars are “holding the American Airlines Center hostage.” As we’re only at the start of what is likely to be a lengthy legal soap opera, here are the things from this week’s lawsuit that most caught our attention. The Timing of It All F or those who follow news coming out of Dallas City Hall, this story likely means something a bit different than it may to the casual sports fan worried Unfair Park from p4 Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Aerial view of the Guadelupe River after the flash flooding in Central Texas. Adobe Stock American Airlines Center, home of the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars - for now. >> p8
