Mayor Steve Adler and Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt have extended stay-at-home orders until May 8 and have expanded those orders to mandate that residents wear fabric face coverings during essential work and activities. According to a press release sent out by the city about the new orders, “Everyone over the age of ten must wear […]
City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department
The city department responsible for the city’s park system, rec centers, and associated infrastructure.
Posted inParks
More parks close, more parks to close
The Austin Parks and Recreation Department continued its recent pattern of issuing increasingly strict rules for city-controlled parks on Tuesday, with an announcement that all city parks and trails will close over Easter weekend in an effort to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The new closures go into effect at sunset on Thursday, April 9, […]
Posted inResources
Parks remain accessible, but playscapes cause community concern
Austin’s public parks are institutions of expansive green space and outdoor recreation that would appear to be prime locations to abide by social distancing policies while offering the chance to get out and about. However, depending on the destination, enjoying these public facilities can breach city-enacted safety measures. This week, the city limited gatherings to […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Drip, drip, drip
Givens has broken… It turns out that Givens Pool is failing faster than predicted, and a February memo from the Parks and Recreation Department advises its immediate closure. The department identified Givens as one of seven pools in critical condition in the 2014 Aquatics Assessment. Since then, $260,000 has been spent toward its continued operation, […]
Posted inParks
Parks board does deep dive on Austin City Limits Fest contract for Zilker Park
The city’s contract with Austin City Limits promoter C3 Presents was put under the microscope at Tuesday’s meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board, as part of an overall look at how the Parks and Recreation Department can generate more revenue to fund its programming and maintenance costs. No action was taken at the conclusion […]
Posted inCity Hall
Working group to examine changes in how to rename Austin’s parks facilities
The Parks and Recreation Board has started the process to ask City Council to amend an ordinance that dictates the process for renaming parks facilities. At its meeting last week the board voted 6-2 to form a three-member working group to research and recommend changes to the ordinance, which was last amended in early 2016. […]
Posted inParks
Parks staff mark completion of first phase of Walnut Creek trail project
The city has brought to a close all major work on the portion of the Walnut Creek Hike and Bike Trail that runs through Balcones District Park, located to the west of MoPac Expressway. In a presentation to the Parks and Recreation Board last week, staff from the Parks and Recreation and Public Works departments […]
Posted inParks
Oakwood Cemetery chapel report soon to be released
After years of anticipation, the Parks and Recreation Department has finalized its report on the East Austin Oakwood Cemetery chapel restoration project. The two-volume report will soon be delivered to the Texas Historical Commission for review. The city received the first volume of the report from Hicks and Company, the archaeological firm that conducted the […]
Posted inParks
Austin to look for new Zilker Zephyr operator as current one steps down
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 […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Two Apples, one day
Update on Oakwood… A Dec. 13 memo from Austin Parks and Recreation Department Director Kimberly McNeeley gives an update to the Oakwood Cemetery archaeological findings, with “next steps for the reinterment, memorialization and educational outreach related to burials that were discovered beneath the Oakwood Cemetery Chapel during its rehabilitation.” In 2016, construction at the chapel […]
Posted inParks
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 […]
Posted inParks
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 […]