Red Bud Isle has reopened after being closed for months because of toxins that attached to blue-green algae, city officials say. The Austin Parks and Recreation Department said at noon Friday it reopened the area on Lady Bird Lake, which had been the nexus of an algae bloom that was reportedly responsible for the deaths […]
City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department
The city department responsible for the city’s park system, rec centers, and associated infrastructure.
Posted inParks
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 […]
Posted inParks
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 […]
Posted inParks
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 […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: The end of Austin?
And another thing… In arguing against the proposed expansion of the Austin Convention Center at last week’s Music Commission meeting, local developer Brian Rodgers drew some confused and sideways glances from commission members. Rodgers, a Tourism Commission member who helped fund the November ballot measure that could derail the expansion, used a seemingly random if […]
Posted inPublic Health
Parks board to reconsider request to OK parkland for Dove Springs health center
The city’s Parks and Recreation Board will hold a special meeting Tuesday to reconsider a request to use city parkland in Southeast Austin for the site of a new community health center. The special session is a follow-up to last month’s meeting where concerns over giving up 2.6 acres of Dove Springs District Park, and questions […]
Posted inParks
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, […]
Posted inPlanning
Parks board vote could delay ‘fast-tracked’ health center for Dove Springs
A community health center proposed for the Dove Springs area in Southeast Austin could be delayed by several months after the city’s Parks and Recreation Board voted last week to delay approving the use of parkland to build the long-needed facility. The 9-2 vote to delay the recommendation to City Council to move ahead with […]
Posted inParks
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 […]
Posted inParks
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 […]
Posted inParks
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 […]
Posted inParks
Golf study recommends changes at Hancock, Muny
A study from the National Golf Foundation recommends that the city consider revamping the aging Hancock Golf Course at 41st and Red River streets and transforming it into a modern golf learning center. This is just one of several recommendations in a lengthy report commissioned by the Austin Parks and Recreation Department to address the […]