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Tag Archives: City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department

PARD unburies contract infringement with cemetery contractor

Recently, city auditors found major flaws in how the city manages its contracts, and based on the testimony by a citizen at the Oct. 23 Parks and Recreation Board meeting, the city’s cemetery contract may fall into that category. “We…

Fee increase at Barton Springs among host of aquatics centers plans

A far-reaching analysis of changes in operations at the city’s pools and aquatics centers includes a jump in admission prices for Barton Springs, one of the city’s most popular tourist and recreation spots. The new fee schedule included in a…

Rowers on the dock

City doesn't want Austin Rowing Club's special deal to be too sweet

City Council voted in June to grant the Austin Rowing Club the unusual privilege of negotiating a contract renewal with the city without going through the typical bidding process. ARC and Council members argued that the special deal was warranted…

Task force talks trash – and cash for recycling at all Austin parks and facilities

This story was mistakenly re-published in October, 2019. It was originally published in 2018. The Parks and Recreation Recycling Task Force is recommending several different ways to pay for consistent recycling around Austin. City Council approved the task force in…

Seaholm Waterfront study produces a plan that PARD recommends

Seven years ago, the Seaholm Intake building along the shores of Lady Bird Lake was turned over to the Austin Parks and Recreation Department, and it has since stood waiting for change. Now, after months of study, community input, and a…

Reporter's Notebook: Grave concerns

We only know how to bury ledes… A very strongly worded memo from the Parks and Recreation Department’s Acting Director Kimberly McNeeley warns that failure to extend a contract for interment and burial services in city cemeteries could have serious…

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Rowing center contract bounced back to committee

After reviewing the reworked terms of the Austin Rowing Club’s new contract extension, the Parks and Recreation Board suggested that they go back to the drawing board. City Council voted unanimously in June to give the Austin Rowing Club the…

Bird Dockless scooters

E-bikes, e-scooters not welcome in Austin parks

Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department would like to remind parkgoers to observe the speed limit. In a June memo to Mayor Steve Adler and City Council, department Director Kimberly McNeeley pointed out that city code prohibits the use of motorized…

Environmental Commission paves another path for Zilker parking

After members of the Environmental Commission postponed a vote on a proposed Zilker Park landscaping project to gain a deeper understanding of the environmental suitability, two weeks later the tone of their response was not much different from their initial…

Dougherty arts center

City seeks input to tee up Dougherty redevelopment at Butler Shores

Voters will decide in November if the city will receive bond funds to build a replacement for the Dougherty Arts Center, but a public forum next week is intended to give city leaders input on their plan to build a…

boy swimming

PARD patching up two pools as summer sun bears down

As the summer heat tightens its grip on Austin, the city is scrambling to get two public pools sidelined last year by severe leaks back into serviceable shape. On Monday, the Parks and Recreation Department’s acting director, Kimberly McNeeley, sent…

barton springs pool

Salamanders key as city considers improvements at Barton Springs

A variety of improvements totaling millions of dollars for the area around Barton Springs will move slowly forward in 2019 and 2020, with the protection of the endangered Barton Springs salamander as the primary consideration of city staff. At a…

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