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 […]
Parks and Recreation Board
The city’s Parks and Recreation Board members deal with the acquisition, development, improvement, and maintenance of Austin’s parks and playgrounds.
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 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 […]
Posted inParks
Zilker Park staging area in line to become a parking lot
For years, the back end of the swath of parkland used for the Austin City Limits Festival, the Trail of Lights and the Kite Festival has been repurposed as a sometimes staging area and sometimes parking lot. However, until now, it was never intended to become a full-fledged parking lot that could accommodate cars and […]
Posted inParks
YMCA and city working together for more parking at Lamar Beach
In late 2016, a revised version of the Lamar Beach Master Plan made its way through City Council. It was designed to benefit all the associated stakeholders of the parkland, West Austin Youth Association, Austin Pets Alive! and Austin High School, which all use the current park facilities. Although the list of changes is long, […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Parks board talks MACC design, and cost
Recently, the advisory board for the the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center wrote a letter to City Council asking to be allocated the full project cost – $40 million – instead of the $15 million that was recently recommended for the center from the 2018 bond proposal for city infrastructure. However, at the April […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Parks board pushes for $62M for pools
Austin pools are in serious need of repairs. Everyone knows that, but the question is how much money the citizens are actually willing to pay to fix them. Currently, $33 million of the proposed 2018 bond package totaling $851 million is specifically dedicated to giving the construction equivalent of emergency surgery to Austin’s aging pools. However, […]
Posted inParks
Artist Access Program development remains paused
Recently the city paused a program for artist venue space in response to complaints about how it would balance the residential groups’ cultural identities and the programming that would take place in the individual cultural centers. Since 2011, the city has sponsored an artist-in-residence program. Originally the Latino Arts Residency Program, the initiative was eventually […]
Posted inParks
Parks board vote calls for protection, improvement of Guerrero Park
Public opposition to the possible construction of a soccer stadium in East Austin has turned city leaders’ attention toward finding the funds to improve Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River Park. At Tuesday’s meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board, a resolution asking City Council to remove Guerrero Park from consideration as the site for a […]
Posted inParks
Nash Hernandez joint-use facility will remain indefinitely unopened
For seven years, East Austin’s Nash Hernandez Building has remained empty as the Austin Parks and Recreation Department and the Austin Police Department have worked to create a 9,600-square-foot joint-use facility for Austin’s park rangers and park patrol units. As of last week, it looks like the project is still years away from completion. Board […]
Posted inParks
Parks board urges concessions expansion
Taking a walk down one of the many beautiful trails of Butler Park, it’s easy to get lost in the beauty of the scenery and forget that Lady Bird Lake is also one of the city’s financial assets. Parks and Recreation Department financial contract compliance staff made a presentation to the board at its Dec. […]
Posted inParks
An amphitheater for Bolm Road District Park?
On Oct. 24, the Parks and Recreation Board voted unanimously to make a recommendation to City Council regarding a request for information for parkland improvement and the management of Bolm Road District Park as an outdoor events venue. The RFI was requested at the behest of Vice Chair Richard DePalma, who is interested in assessing […]