While City Council members have decidedly mixed opinions about a proposed $124 million bond aimed at upgrading Austin’s aquatics system, everybody acknowledges that the city’s pools are in desperate need of repair. The problem, of course, is that right now the Parks and Recreation Department doesn’t have the money needed to make even small but […]
City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department
The city department responsible for the city’s park system, rec centers, and associated infrastructure.
Posted inParks
Dispute continues over program to expand artists’ access to cultural centers
There appears to be little progress in a dispute between a group of Austin arts organizations who claim they’ve been mistreated and marginalized by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department in its work to expand operating hours and access at four arts and culture centers. That means that groups that currently rehearse and perform at […]
Posted inCity Hall
Parks department mired in drama over cultural center access program
The Mexican American Cultural Center Advisory Board voted Wednesday night to ask for the indefinite suspension of a new program that would keep the city’s various cultural arts centers open in the late-night hours. The move came after three performance groups raised their concerns about the Artists Access Program and its associated contract that would […]
Posted inUncategorized
Human Rights Commission finds the naming of Austin public spaces inequitable
In Austin, streets have their names changed from time to time. City parks, however, rarely seem to undergo name changes, but the Human Rights Commission wants to change that. On Nov. 27, the Human Rights Commission considered amending its previous recommendation to City Council’s Gender Equity Resolution to require a more gender-neutral approach to the […]
Posted inParks
Aquatics task force says in all scenarios, Austin pools need more money
After several months of scrutiny by both the public and the City Council-appointed Aquatic Master Plan Task Force, the 150-page Aquatic Master Plan is getting the final touches to be presented to Council in December. The redesign of Austin’s aquatics system is a monumental undertaking that in every proposed permutation seems to require a lot […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Free the trees
What it all boils down to… Will Congress Avenue be getting a new pocket park? Members of the Historic Landmark Commission hope not. The pocket park in question would be established in the right of way at 823 Congress Ave., on the street. In addition to landscaping and installation of a wall and public seating, […]
Posted inParks
Austin parks reconsidering leash law enforcement
It’s no secret that although many parks around Austin require dogs to remain on leash, there always seem to be free-range dogs chasing Frisbees and splashing around in the greenbelt. Amanda Ross, the natural resources division manager for the Parks and Recreation Department, told the Parks and Recreation Board on Oct. 24, “This is one […]
Posted inParks
Austin Energy to turn over Holly Power Plant site by December
The bitter reminder of decades of pollution that the Holly Street Power Plant presents to the residents of the Holly neighborhood will soon disappear. As of the Parks and Recreation Board meeting on Sept. 26, the plant is in its final phase of decommissioning before the land will be transferred from Austin Energy into the […]
Posted inParks
Whose job it is to provide recycling in Austin parks?
Austin’s Universal Recycling Ordinance mandates that by Oct. 1, all commercial properties in Austin will be required to provide recycling. However, open spaces, including public parks, are not included in the current ordinance, which leaves the Parks and Recreation Department wondering how it will provide recycling to the 20,000 acres that it manages. For Fiscal […]
Posted inRadio
Austin Monitor Radio: The Aquatic Master Plan
This week, Interim Director of the Parks and Recreation Department Kimberly McNeeley sits down with Austin Monitor freelance reporter Jack Craver. Tune in below for a conversation about the Aquatic Master Plan, which is done after years of work and causing instant worry about the state of our pools. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/339777553″ params=”color=0066cc&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” […]
Posted inCity Council
Memo identifies preliminary locations for temporary homeless shelters
As part of a recent push to help Austin’s homeless, the city has been looking into using city-owned buildings to help ease overcrowding in downtown shelters. Last week, the Parks and Recreation Department provided a list of recreation centers that could work as temporary shelters, though that use could interfere with existing programming. The Aug. […]
Posted inParks
Unhappy with pools plan, Council members push for a new task force
Unsatisfied with an Aquatic Master Plan that they say endangers many of Austin’s most beloved pools, some City Council members are pushing for a new pools task force to explore ways the city could raise more money to preserve its existing aquatics system. Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo told colleagues on Tuesday that she plans […]