The company that runs the Zilker Zephyr, the miniature train that runs through Zilker Park, will stop operating the ride. But the Austin Parks and Recreation Department says it’s looking for another company to run it. The family-run business Texas Special Inc. has operated the Zilker Zephyr for the last 22 years. The train has […]
Parks
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Parks board expresses concern over metered parking in public parks
After postponing their decision in October about parking meters on city parkland, the Parks and Recreation Board broached the subject again at its Dec. 3 meeting. Following a long discussion about the equity and access issues that accompany metered parking, the board voted to form a working group to investigate a solution to the parking […]
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Community members divided over renaming of Dove Springs Recreation Center
After the Parks and Recreation Board unanimously supported the name change of the Dove Springs Recreation Center at its Oct. 22 meeting, the discussion item reappeared on the agenda on Dec. 3. Yet despite dozens of community members signed up to speak in an overflowing room, city staff withdrew the item. Parks and Recreation Director […]
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Council to consider park priorities, long-range plan
City Council will consider adoption of the Austin Parks and Recreation Long-Range Plan on Thursday, though not all Council members are sure the plan’s top priorities jibe with the city’s vision for housing, walkability and equity. If adopted, the plan will become part of the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan and initiate a set of strategies […]
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New recycling receptacles coming soon to Austin parks
Years of advocacy to implement recycling in Austin’s 300 parks is beginning to pay off. Starting this fall, 800 new recycling bins will be installed alongside 800 new trash cans in Austin’s parks over the next four years, said Meredith Gauthier, the new recycling program manager for the Parks and Recreation Department, in a presentation […]
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Save Historic Muny District has a board of directors
The Save Historic Muny District, which represents those who wish to preserve the first integrated golf course in the South, now has a board of directors. The board includes Mary Arnold and Ken Tiemann, both longtime advocates for the Lions Municipal Golf Course, as well as Volma Overton III, the grandson of the legendary NAACP […]
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Parks board tries to negotiate impasse over use of Republic Square
Managers of the weekly farmers market that has taken place at Republic Square since 2003 have expressed frustration that the Downtown Austin Alliance’s use of the space for special events has started to negatively impact some of the more than 60 vendors. At last week’s meeting of the city’s Parks and Recreation Board, a representative […]
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Parks department’s 10-year plan lays out need for more spaces, programming
Parks and Recreation staff are nearing the end of the public input process on the next 10-year plan for the city’s expansive system of parks facilities and programming needs. In recent weeks PARD’s acting assistant director, Kim McKnight, has taken the draft of the department’s long-range plan to board and commission meetings around the city, […]
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Waller Creek parks system now called Waterloo Greenway
The $250 million system of parks planned for areas surrounding Waller Creek in downtown Austin will be known as the Waterloo Greenway going forward, following a naming ceremony held Wednesday at the headquarters of the conservancy in charge of developing the park system. The name comes after roughly a year of planning to brand the […]
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Music Commission pushes to make park sites viable for music, arts events
Members of the Music Commission are pushing for an up-close look at city parks facilities that could be used to host music performances and other arts and cultural events in coming years. The effort is partly tied to the $12 million voters approved to provide more creative spaces throughout the city last year, with the […]
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Council to reconsider changes to Zilker Botanical Garden agreement
Zilker Botanical Garden Conservancy and the Austin Parks and Recreation Department released a memo Friday detailing a plan for the future management of Zilker Botanical Garden. The additional detail comes in response to a request last month from Council Member Kathie Tovo for more time and information before taking steps toward a new operational structure. “Not […]
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To save a sculpture, parks department gives Chicano artist an ultimatum
For decades, Big Rock – or Chicano Rock, as it is now called – has stood on the southeast corner of Waterloo Park. Created by artist David Santos and members of LUCHA (League of United Chicano Artists) in 1989, the hand-carved limestone sculpture is an ongoing project that has now come to the attention of […]