Members of the Parks and Recreation Board struggled with the many facets of public parking at Zilker Park this week, finally postponing a vote until July 24. After a lengthy discussion, board members failed to adopt a resolution asking City Council to eliminate most parking at the environmentally sensitive Polo Fields and direct cars to […]
Parks
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Parks board wants SXSW artist pay included in negotiation for use of city facilities
In response to a call for higher compensation for South by Southwest showcase musicians, the Parks and Recreation Board on Monday voted unanimously to ask the city to negotiate for fair pay for artists performing at its parkland facilities, such as Auditorium Shores. The recommendation, which will be forwarded to City Council for possible action, […]
Posted inCity Council
Mayor expresses opposition to amphitheater, parking garages in Zilker Park Vision Plan
Mayor Kirk Watson on Tuesday expressed strong opinions about the Zilker Park Vision Plan, particularly areas of the plan that have already caused controversy. Watson wrote in his “Watson Wire” email that he was opposed to putting a proposed 5,000-seat amphitheater on the Great Lawn, which would replace the aging Hillside Theater. The mayor wrote, […]
Posted inParks
Study calls for formalizing partnership between parks department and foundation
Local parks advocates want the city and the Austin Parks Foundation nonprofit group to come to a formal agreement spelling out the roles and responsibilities between the two entities, with the hope of better addressing equity issues across the city’s massive span of parks facilities. That recommendation was one of the main findings of a […]
Posted inCity Hall
Ethics commission dismisses complaints over Zilker Park votes
The Zilker Metropolitan Park Vision Plan continues to generate controversy. This week, accusations about the motivations of two of the plan’s supporters came before the Ethics Review Commission. In April, Austinite Teri Adams filed two complaints with the Ethics Review Commission. One was against Hanna Cofer, a member of the Environmental Commission and chief operating […]
Posted inParks
Zilker Park Vision Plan wins over Parks and Recreation Board, but the battle is far from over
Following a marathon of public testimony this past Monday, the Zilker Metropolitan Park Vision Plan has secured the blessing of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Board, though its opponents say the fight is far from over. The vision plan, an ambitious program of park updates including parking garages, road closures and a 5,000-seat amphitheater, has garnered […]
Posted inParks
Balcones Canyonlands gets ready to welcome a new visitor center
The Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan (BCCP) Coordinating Committee heard an update from Travis County on May 12 about the plans for a new visitor center at the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve (BCP). Kimberlee Harvey, the committee’s secretary, delivered the update, which was initially created by Melinda Mallia, director of the county’s Natural Resources and Environmental Quality […]
Posted inParks
Why are parking garages a part of the Zilker Vision Plan?
City Council’s Mobility Committee learned more about the mobility aspects, in particular the proposed parking garages, of the Zilker Vision Plan at its meeting Thursday. The city released the draft of the vision plan in September. The document, which runs more than 200 pages, encompasses ecological restoration and uplift, park programming, education and outreach, and […]
Posted inParks
C3 announces ACL Fest economic impact, with $7.2M donated to parks improvements
In a clear sign of the resilience of outdoor music festivals after the Covid-19 pandemic, data released yesterday show the 2022 edition of Austin City Limits Music Festival produced $447.9 million in economic impact. That number represents a substantial jump from the $369 million impact from the festival’s return in 2021, and the $291 million […]
Posted inParks
The Confluence marks next phase for Waterloo Greenway parks system
Wednesday’s groundbreaking of the Confluence – the second phase of the ambitious Waterloo Greenway effort – marks the latest move in the city’s work to revitalize the area around Waller Creek and turn the frequently flooded waterway into a community asset and magnet for development. The new portion stretches from Fourth Street south to Lady […]
Posted inParks
Parks board recommends park safety task force
The Parks and Recreation Board is calling for City Council to establish a parks safety task force to evaluate park safety, consider whether to reinstate a parks police unit and recommend ways of supporting the growing number of homeless residents dwelling in city parks. The parks board unanimously recommended the task force at its April […]
Posted inParks
Parks board hears update on project to convert Nash Hernandez building into intergenerational community hub
The city’s Parks and Recreation Board reviewed progress in the ongoing effort to convert the Nash Hernandez building in East Austin into an intergenerational resource and activity center. At the board’s April 24 meeting, members of the Intergenerational Resource and Activity Center Advisory Group and facilitator Jacqueline Angel, a professor at the University of Texas […]