An amphitheater for Bolm Road District Park?

On Oct. 24, the Parks and Recreation Board voted unanimously to make a recommendation to City Council regarding a request for information for parkland improvement and the management of Bolm Road District Park as an outdoor events venue. The RFI was requested at the behest of Vice Chair Richard DePalma, who is interested in assessing whether the currently undeveloped park could be converted into an amphitheater similar to the Red Rocks Amphitheatre just west of Denver, Colorado.

At the moment, the park is a quarry. DePalma said that he requested this information from the city manager as he was confident that Austinites would benefit from a city amphitheater but that an RFI was necessary to determine the feasibility of this project through both public funding and potential private/public partnerships.

According to him, the key to any proposal for improvement would be to ensure that the property always remains a part of the city of Austin’s parkland. The tentatively proposed amphitheater would have between 6,800 and 20,000 seats since this park will be designed to serve a wide range of activities and residents.

DePalma likened it to the initiative that Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo is drafting to convert available city-owned parcels into a professional soccer stadium. Board Member Michael Casias said, “This is a district park, so this pertains to a lot more people than those that are adjacent.”

Once this recommendation goes to Council, Acting Parks and Recreation Department Director Kimberly McNeeley told the Austin Monitor that, should an RFI be approved, Parks and Recreation will move forward with assessing the scope and timeline of this project.

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