City Council delivered decidedly mixed reviews of the Parks and Recreation Department’s recently unveiled Aquatic Master Plan, with some Council members decrying what they fear is a plan to shut down neighborhood pools and others bemoaning the unequal distribution of facilities throughout the city. Acting Parks and Recreation Department Director Kimberly McNeeley kicked off the […]
City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department
The city department responsible for the city’s park system, rec centers, and associated infrastructure.
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Proposed bond includes big money for parks
The Austin parks system is looking to win big from a major bond that voters will likely be asked to approve in 2018. A citizen task force is currently in the process of drafting a general obligation bond to fund affordable housing projects, stormwater infrastructure, libraries and a variety of other upgrades to municipal facilities. […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: We have questions
Not a priority… When it comes to more transit priority lanes, Austin Transportation Director Robert Spillar is not running any red lights. At the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Traffic Jam last week, Spillar talked about the tricky nature of dedicating right of way to buses and trains. “There’s four ways I know how to do […]
Posted inParks
Austin pools face major problems
Austin pools are in big trouble. In a presentation to the Parks and Recreation Board Tuesday night, Acting Department Director Kimberly McNeeley described a system of aging pools that are on life-support due to a lack of investment in maintenance and upgrades. Commercial pools have a typical lifespan of 25 to 30 years, said McNeeley, […]
Posted inParks
Plan ranks pools to pinpoint where city needs to dive in with repairs
The city of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department will present the latest version of its Aquatics Master Plan to the public in two meetings this week. The city boasts 51 public pool facilities, including everything from splash pads to Barton Springs Pool. The majority of these facilities are neighborhood pools, which offer free admission and […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Council to weigh move to limit events in major urban parks
Special events in the city’s three core parks will eventually be scaled back in coming years if City Council approves Thursday the first slate of measures aimed at preserving local parkland. The ordinance up for consideration would alter current rules for hours of park use, parking policies and sound limits. But the component with the […]
Posted inAustin
City looks to clean up graffiti program
A program that was originally intended to help at-risk youth gain job skills has evolved into a city-funded graffiti clean-up service that is doing the work that should be left to private property owners. “It’s a great program and we want to keep it,” said Interim Assistant City Manager Sara Hensley about the Austin Youth […]
Posted inParks
For many Austinites, city parks remain out of reach
From the hike and bike trail on Lady Bird Lake to Mount Bonnell, Austin is proud of its parks. But a new study ranking city parks around the country suggests that pride might not be fully justified. Austin ranked just 46 out of the 100 largest U.S. cities. Why? Jenny Hernandez can tell you. For […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Entertainment, arts returning to former ‘Chitlin’ Circuit’ hot spot in East Austin
An East Austin recreation center that was once a hot spot on the so-called “Chitlin’ Circuit” for African-American entertainers is expected to return to its roots as a hub of live entertainment and creative arts. Last month Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department began a partnership that offers music, production and live show engineering opportunities to area […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Not our jam
Bit of turbulence during that pilot program… An attempt by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department to make “data driven decisions” went slightly off the rails at Tuesday’s City Council work session, where Council members learned that a “parks pass” pilot program may be having unintended consequences. The pass, which is a voluntary program implemented […]
Posted inCity Council
Council ponders how to pay for golf
Most of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department programs operate on money from the city’s General Fund, but at some point in the past City Council designated golf as an enterprise fund. City staff reported to Council at last week’s budget work session that the Golf Enterprise Fund would have “a significant negative ending fund balance” […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Honoring Mary Gay Maxwell
Remembering Mary Gay… A year after her death, the Environmental Commission remembered its former chair, and longtime Austin conservationist, Mary Gay Maxwell. The commission unanimously passed a resolution to rename the Slaughter Creek Management Unit on Wednesday night. The land’s new name will be the Mary Gay Maxwell Management Unit. The unit is composed of […]