For years, the back end of the swath of parkland used for the Austin City Limits Festival, the Trail of Lights and the Kite Festival has been repurposed as a sometimes staging area and sometimes parking lot. However, until now, it was never intended to become a full-fledged parking lot that could accommodate cars and […]
Parks
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Section of Shoal Creek Hike and Bike Trail suffers massive storm damage
Jessica Zarowitz was in for a surprise while walking her dog, Lady Bird, along the Shoal Creek Hike and Bike Trail on Monday: The trail that had been there for years suddenly wasn’t. Trees had fallen over it, and the pavement had buckled and slid into the creek in places. “Maybe this is the universe […]
Posted inParks
YMCA and city working together for more parking at Lamar Beach
In late 2016, a revised version of the Lamar Beach Master Plan made its way through City Council. It was designed to benefit all the associated stakeholders of the parkland, West Austin Youth Association, Austin Pets Alive! and Austin High School, which all use the current park facilities. Although the list of changes is long, […]
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It’s lit: Project brings long-awaited improvements to Shoal Creek Trail
It took nearly 37 years, but the Shoal Creek Trail Gap Project is finally complete. On Tuesday, the Public Works Department lifted the barricades on the short section of the trail that traces the creek on its bend from West Fifth Street to West Avenue. It allows hikers and bikers to easily traverse the section […]
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Will PARD ever get enough money to implement recycling in the parks?
In every Austin home, there is the option to trash your waste or recycle it (many even have a composting option available). So why aren’t Austinites given the same opportunity at the city of Austin’s parks and recreational facilities? At the April 11 meeting of the Zero Waste Advisory Commission, Liana Kallivoka, the assistant director […]
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Artist Access Program development remains paused
Recently the city paused a program for artist venue space in response to complaints about how it would balance the residential groups’ cultural identities and the programming that would take place in the individual cultural centers. Since 2011, the city has sponsored an artist-in-residence program. Originally the Latino Arts Residency Program, the initiative was eventually […]
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Commissions weigh use of parkland for stadium
In the face of a lawsuit brought against it by the Ohio attorney general and the city of Columbus to prevent it from relocating to Austin, Precourt Sports Ventures, the owner of the Columbus Crew SC Major League Soccer team, continues to search for the perfect piece of land on which to build a privately […]
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Parks board vote calls for protection, improvement of Guerrero Park
Public opposition to the possible construction of a soccer stadium in East Austin has turned city leaders’ attention toward finding the funds to improve Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River Park. At Tuesday’s meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board, a resolution asking City Council to remove Guerrero Park from consideration as the site for a […]
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FEMA grants Austin funding to help fix Guerrero Park
Eight months ago, Austin’s Watershed Protection Department optimistically declared that the washed-out bridge over what’s known as Country Club Creek West in Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River Park would be completed by 2020. Unfortunately, now the plan has been shifted back to 2021. In an update to the Environmental Commission on Feb. 21, Janna Renfro, an […]
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Council approves pools plan but funding questions remain
On Thursday, City Council overwhelmingly approved the Aquatic Master Plan, a 640-page document crafted by the Parks and Recreation Department that provides guidance for repairing and expanding the city’s aging system of pools. The plan says that the capital costs necessary to improve the system range from $152 million to $193 million, “depending on how […]
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Parkland Events Task Force recommendations need more work
Almost exactly a year ago, the Parks and Recreation Department was tasked with implementing the final recommendations that were adopted by City Council from the 17-member Parkland Events Task Force. Established in 2015, the task force was given the assignment to find a balance between the everyday use of the park system and special events […]
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Nash Hernandez joint-use facility will remain indefinitely unopened
For seven years, East Austin’s Nash Hernandez Building has remained empty as the Austin Parks and Recreation Department and the Austin Police Department have worked to create a 9,600-square-foot joint-use facility for Austin’s park rangers and park patrol units. As of last week, it looks like the project is still years away from completion. Board […]