All commercial properties in Austin will be required by October of next year to have on-site recycling containers, but the same is not true of all properties owned by the government that put the requirement in place. The Parks and Recreation Department, the city agency one might expect to embrace green living most fervently, has […]
City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department
The city department responsible for the city’s park system, rec centers, and associated infrastructure.
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Hoping new music festivals will come to Austin? Look east, where the cows are
Steps past a motorized gate and calf-deep in dung-spotted grass, Rick Cofer looks upon the acres of land that make up John Treviño Jr. Park. The entire park, Cofer says, is 330 acres. Yards in front of him, a herd of cows seek shade on a Texas summer afternoon. “One day (this) might be the […]
Posted inParks
Parks and Rec budget bogged down by golf
The Parks and Recreation Board is concerned that expenses from Austin’s city golf courses will overshadow the other needs in its already tight budget. At their meeting on June 29, board members looked over a budget forecast that predicts an increase of $11.9 million for the next fiscal year. But they pointed out that the […]
Posted inParks
With another lifeguard shortage, some city pools to open late
At a city-run job fair back in March, 15-year-old Jake Santema awaited an interview with staff as part of the process to become a summer lifeguard. “I’m a little nervous of the feeling of having someone’s life on my hands,” said Santema. “It sounds nerve-wracking a little bit.” It’s this level of responsibility and 40-plus […]
Posted inParks
Parks board weighs in on Shoal Creek PUD
After more than three hours of presentations and testimony, the Parks and Recreation Board decided to send the message that the amount and quality of open space planned for The Grove at Shoal Creek Planned Unit Development is not to their satisfaction. There was a lot of confusion during the meeting, starting with the fact […]
Posted inAustin
Expo Center revitalization could be city’s next bond election
The Travis County Expo Center – situated on the city of Austin’s largest park – is in need of a $620 million facelift, and City Council members hinted Wednesday that the renovation could be funded by a bond election. News came in the form of Hunden Strategic Partners’ draft report on a market study of the […]
Posted inParks
New study envisions major changes around Barton Springs Pool
Austin’s rapid population growth and development, along with Zilker Park’s aging facilities, are threatening Barton Springs, the pool and its bathhouse. In a presentation to the Parks and Recreation Board on Tuesday, city staff and members of the Barton Spring Conservancy laid out several recommendations to preserve and improve the area around Barton Springs Pool […]
Posted inParks
As splash season nears, city begins to write future of Austin pools
As the temperature in Austin climbs, kids and adults flock to the city’s several dozen pools. But while the industry puts a pool’s lifespan at 30 years, many of Austin’s pools are 50 years or older. So in 2012, the city decided it would create an Aquatic Master Plan, a document that would imagine the […]
Posted inEnvironment
Staff seeking OK to fix Eliza Spring
Members of the city’s Watershed Protection and Parks and Recreation departments have been planning improvements for Eliza Spring in Zilker Park since at least 2012. The spring, which is home to the largest concentration of the endangered Barton Springs salamander as well as to Austin blind salamanders, is recognizable to visitors because of the historic […]
Posted inParks
Parking meters? In Zilker Park?
Austinites who frequent Zilker Park are used to kites, lights and fences going up. But this week, a wholly unfamiliar sight within the park grounds caught some residents off guard. Last week, the Parks and Recreation Department sent out notice that, beginning March 5, it would “implement a new method for collecting Zilker Park entry […]
Posted inDevelopment
Parkland dedication fees head to Council, again
The Open Space, Environment and Sustainability Committee voted on Wednesday to push forward on a long-overdue proposal to amend the city’s Parkland Dedication Ordinance after a one-month delay. During that time, Parks and Recreation Department staff added an additional amendment to what was presented at the Dec. 21 17 City Council meeting. The sixth amendment […]
Posted inAustin, City Hall
Zero waste commission endorses sale of city land
In a move that may ultimately help the city create a hub for manufacturing companies that use locally recycled materials, the Zero Waste Advisory Commission has endorsed the sale of a piece of property owned by Austin Resource Recovery. Nine commissioners supported the measure at last Wednesday’s meeting, with Commissioner Jose Valera abstaining and Vice […]