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Most Popular Stories
- How Trump’s federal funding freeze is beginning to affect Austin
- APD won’t enforce SB 14 as Paxton and Trump further attack gender-affirming health care
- After shutting off mental health care for Austin musicians, SIMS Foundation restarts services
- Council approves call for better coordination, planning among downtown projects
- Austin ISD announces hiring freeze as budget deficit grows to $110 million
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- Council Member Mike Siegel will speak out against cuts to federal services
- City manager hosts community meetings on next year’s budget
- DAA offers a look at future of Sixth Street entertainment district
- RRCD names Klepadlo as executive director
- Zero Waste Advisory Commission adds own ‘no’ rec on merge with RMC
Parks
Encampment cleanup efforts could cost $1.2 million for dedicated team
Austin may establish a dedicated, in-house team to conduct regular cleanups at encampments across the city’s park system. That’s the recommendation laid out in a memo from three department directors in response to a City Council resolution last year calling…
Parks • By Amy Smith • Feb 5, 2025
Palm Park improvements are among the next steps for Waterloo Greenway project
A recent city memo and presentation to the Downtown Commission last week offer some up-close looks at the progress and next steps for the Waterloo Greenway project that is making major improvements along Waller Creek’s route through downtown. The memo…
Development • By Chad Swiatecki • Jan 23, 2025
Former PARD Director McNeeley resigns from top post at The Trail Conservancy
In a surprising turn of events, Kimberly McNeeley has resigned from her position as CEO of The Trail Conservancy after less than six months on the job. McNeeley had previously served as director of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department…
Parks • By Amy Smith • Dec 5, 2024
Audit finds golf course employees violated city rules
Employees in the Austin Parks and Recreation Department’s golf division misused city resources in providing golf lessons to people for pay while on city time, according to an investigation conducted by the Office of the City Auditor. One employee also…
Parks • By Jo Clifton • Dec 3, 2024
Council will consider new parks funding and management strategies
On Thursday, City Council is slated to approve a resolution from Mayor Pro Tem Leslie Pool that directs the city manager to explore new parks funding strategies; to consider a regional approach to parks funding, acquisition and maintenance; and to…
Parks • By Mina Shekarchi • Nov 21, 2024
Parks and Recreation Board recommends audit of contracts governing city sports fields
The Austin Parks and Recreation Board unanimously voted to recommend that City Council conduct a comprehensive audit of all contracts related to dozens of city-owned baseball and soccer fields. The Austin Parks and Recreation Department frequently contracts with outside organizations…
Parks • By Madeline de Figueiredo • Oct 31, 2024
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City shares update on parks-nonprofit relationships
During a special called meeting of City Council’s Audit and Finance Committee on Oct. 9, three speakers stated their concerns about the relationship between the Parks Department and its nonprofit partners, specifically regarding special events and the Trail of Lights.…
Parks • By Mina Shekarchi • Oct 29, 2024
City-owned land will be repurposed to add 5 new parks in Austin
Five new parks are joining Austin’s parks system, adding much needed green spaces to areas considered to be “park deficient.” Austin’s Watershed Protection Department has over the years acquired land for things like protecting the environment and managing floodwater. These…
Parks • By Luz Moreno-Lozano, KUT • Oct 11, 2024
Audit finds unpaid fees, lax rental practices at six PARD rec centers
The Office of the City Auditor has found widespread issues within the Austin Parks and Recreation Department related to inconsistent fee charges and collections for facility rentals at some community recreation centers. An audit report released Tuesday revealed that from…
Parks • By Chad Swiatecki • Oct 9, 2024
After leak repairs, Barton Springs reopens weeks earlier than expected
In a piece of good news – especially as recent sweltering temperatures have confirmed that summer doesn’t end till late September – Barton Springs is set to reopen today, on a Thursday, no less. During weekly pool maintenance Aug. 29,…
Parks • By Lina Fisher • Sep 19, 2024
Barton Springs closed for weeks due to major leaks
Austinites looking forward to an end-of-summer celebratory Barton Springs dip this Labor Day weekend were disappointed, thanks to a safety hazard caused by two major leaks that has led to a weekslong indefinite closure of the pool. The pool has…
Parks • By Lina Fisher • Sep 5, 2024
Hays Commons development’s parkland proposal wins support from Parks Board
The Parks and Recreation Board has given a proposed development its unanimous support based on the amount of parkland the builder has promised to provide on a nearly 500-acre site straddling Travis and Hays counties. The development, Hays Commons, is…
