Many years in the making, rehabilitation of the Barton Springs bathhouse is scheduled for a groundbreaking ceremony at 10 a.m. today. While the majority of attendees will surely cheer for the improvements the city promises under the Barton Springs Pool Master Plan, which City Council approved in 2009, there will be a few swimmers protesting the changes planned for the women’s bathhouse.
Diana Prechter has been requesting information and trying – apparently unsuccessfully – to get the attention of city leaders about the damage she claims the renovation will do to the historic bathhouse. Prechter and a few other swimmers plan to show up at the groundbreaking this morning wearing bathrobes or swimsuits to protest planned changes.
According to the city’s statement to the press, “The goal of this project is to rehabilitate the existing Bathhouse to provide a high-quality facility for Barton Springs visitors for the next 75 years while maintaining the historic integrity and meeting program needs and current building code requirements. The project includes improvements to the plumbing, electrical, climate control system, roof, and structure plus new entrances and exits at the rotunda and the west side of the building. Improvements will be made to the parking lot adjacent to the Bathhouse to reduce impervious paving, to update accessible parking, and to provide accessible circulation on site.”
That same statement touts a variety of sustainable building features, including natural daylighting, energy-saving light fixtures and water-saving amenities. Limbacher & Godfrey Architects are leading the professional design team.
The city also reports that the Sheffield Education Center and Splash! exhibit will be redesigned with an emphasis on protecting the Barton Springs watershed and the aquifer, as well as preserving salamander habitat.
But the protesters will be focused on changes to the bathhouse. City documents provided by Prechter show the new bathhouse design will provide only eight cubicles for changing. The 1946 design had 60 such cubicles, because at that time most swimmers came to Zilker in street clothes and changed at the pool. That is no longer the case, with most arriving already attired for swimming.
Although city voters approved about $2.1 million in the 2012 bond election for this project and an additional $257,871 in the 2018 bond election, the cost of the project has now grown to nearly $21.7 million. Council approved funding in that amount in November.
In addition to the bond money, the project will receive nearly $12 million in historic preservation money from Hotel Occupancy Tax funds the city collects. Prechter argues that this use of the HOT historic money is not appropriate.
The Barton Springs Conservancy has contributed about $3.4 million, and Council approved a transfer of $465,000 in the 2023 General Fund budget. There was an additional $100,000 set aside for the project in the 2024 budget. Austin Water will provide an additional $75,000, and the Watershed Protection Department will provide about $291,000.
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Barton Springs: Barton Springs are four natural water springs that come from the Edwards Aquifer. The largest, Main Barton Spring is also known as Parthenia (or "the mother spring"), and it supplies water to Barton Springs Pool.
City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department: The city department responsible for the city's park system, rec centers, and associated infrastructure.
