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 have a contractor that is not complying with his contract,” said Sharon Blythe, a concerned […]
City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department
The city department responsible for the city’s park system, rec centers, and associated infrastructure.
Posted inParks
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 recent memo from the Parks and Recreation Department recommends adult resident admission at Barton Springs […]
Posted inParks
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 because the club, which had a five-year contract to operate the city-owned Waller Creek Boathouse […]
Posted inUncategorized
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 June to support the city’s Zero Waste Plan. The plan, passed in 2009, aims to […]
Posted inPlanning
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 partnership between the parks department, The Trail Foundation and the Austin Parks Foundation, there is […]
Posted inParks
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 results. “Without the contract extension, the City will be placed in a position that threatens […]
Posted inParks
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 go-ahead to negotiate a new contract to manage and operate the Waller Creek Boathouse on […]
Posted inTransportation
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 vehicles, including e-bikes, e-scooters and Segways, within public recreation areas. That includes parks, trails, greenbelts […]
Posted inParks
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 reaction. At its June 20 meeting, the commission recommended that the Stratford Drive Landfill Redevelopment […]
Posted inParks
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 new arts center on Butler Shores. The open house, 5:30 p.m. next Thursday at Dougherty […]
Posted inParks
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 a memorandum to City Council detailing efforts to stanch the wasted water at Givens and […]
Posted inParks
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 combined meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board and the Environmental Commission on Tuesday, members […]