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Parks
No ACL Fest means delays to parks projects, millions lost for parks foundation
Improvement projects at parks throughout the city will be delayed for up to 18 months as a result of the official cancellation of the Austin City Limits Festival. Organizers of the two-weekend event, which was set to take place in…
Parks • By Chad Swiatecki • Jul 2, 2020
City gets parks board blessing to rename Metz Recreation Center
Austin is now one step closer to officially changing the name of the Metz Recreation Center at 2407 Canterbury St. to the Rodolfo “Rudy” Mendez Recreation Center. On June 24, the Parks and Recreation Board unanimously recommended that City Council…
Parks • By Jessi Devenyns • Jun 26, 2020
Parks board recommends not installing metered parking at parks
Parking in Austin is a precious commodity. It has also become more expensive for many residents who use the city’s parks for recreation. After hiking the prices for metered parking to $2 an hour last year, the city announced it will…
Parks • By Jessi Devenyns • Jun 25, 2020
More parks close, more parks to close
The Austin Parks and Recreation Department continued its recent pattern of issuing increasingly strict rules for city-controlled parks on Tuesday, with an announcement that all city parks and trails will close over Easter weekend in an effort to prevent the…
Parks • By Elizabeth Pagano • Apr 8, 2020
Parks board does deep dive on Austin City Limits Fest contract for Zilker Park
The city’s contract with Austin City Limits promoter C3 Presents was put under the microscope at Tuesday’s meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board, as part of an overall look at how the Parks and Recreation Department can generate more…
Parks • By Chad Swiatecki • Feb 27, 2020
Parks staff mark completion of first phase of Walnut Creek trail project
The city has brought to a close all major work on the portion of the Walnut Creek Hike and Bike Trail that runs through Balcones District Park, located to the west of MoPac Expressway. In a presentation to the Parks…
Parks • By Chad Swiatecki • Feb 4, 2020
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Oakwood Cemetery chapel report soon to be released
After years of anticipation, the Parks and Recreation Department has finalized its report on the East Austin Oakwood Cemetery chapel restoration project. The two-volume report will soon be delivered to the Texas Historical Commission for review. The city received the…
Parks • By Ryan Thornton • Jan 31, 2020
Parks board members call for better oversight of city's bond spending
Members of the Parks and Recreation Board lobbed criticism at the city’s Bond Oversight Commission over frustration that the group has canceled the majority of its meetings since late 2018 and failed to properly review the city’s use of bond…
Parks • By Chad Swiatecki • Jan 31, 2020
Austin to look for new Zilker Zephyr operator as current one steps down
The company that runs the Zilker Zephyr, the miniature train that runs through Zilker Park, will stop operating the ride. But the Austin Parks and Recreation Department says it’s looking for another company to run it. The family-run business Texas…
Parks • By Marisa Charpentier, KUT • Jan 30, 2020
Parks board expresses concern over metered parking in public parks
After postponing their decision in October about parking meters on city parkland, the Parks and Recreation Board broached the subject again at its Dec. 3 meeting. Following a long discussion about the equity and access issues that accompany metered parking,…
Parks • By Jessi Devenyns • Dec 9, 2019
Community members divided over renaming of Dove Springs Recreation Center
After the Parks and Recreation Board unanimously supported the name change of the Dove Springs Recreation Center at its Oct. 22 meeting, the discussion item reappeared on the agenda on Dec. 3. Yet despite dozens of community members signed up…
Parks • By Jessi Devenyns • Dec 5, 2019
Council to consider park priorities, long-range plan
City Council will consider adoption of the Austin Parks and Recreation Long-Range Plan on Thursday, though not all Council members are sure the plan’s top priorities jibe with the city’s vision for housing, walkability and equity. If adopted, the plan…
