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Parks
Parkland dedication fee proposal raises questions
As the city’s Parks and Recreation Department gears up to propose an increase to its parkland dedication fee, local groups and City Council Member Sheri Gallo are questioning whether it’s the right fee for the department to be boosting. The…
Parks • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Aug 5, 2015
Naming protocol on the way for city parks
The road to naming city parks and recreation facilities has been strewn with indecision and tough choices. And so, the Parks and Recreation Board on Tuesday said it would begin drafting its own protocol for the naming and renaming of…
Parks • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Aug 3, 2015
Parks Department sat on Metz Pool repair bid for nearly 6 months
Although the city’s Parks and Recreation Department ordered the repair of an East Austin neighborhood pool in late April, it appears that the department had bids for the work for some time. This, even as department officials initially told residents…
Parks • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jul 22, 2015
Communication breaks down between city and community over Sunken Garden tree removal
When the city of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department decided to remove three trees from Sunken Garden, home to one of the three cardinal springs that feed Barton Springs, it did so before seeking community input — and now the feedback…
Parks • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jul 20, 2015
Should Austin's small parks be held to different standards?
The Parks and Recreation Department says it does not make sense to create a unique policy addressing pocket parks – small urban parks less than 2 acres in size – despite the challenges faced by locals who say it has…
Parks • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jul 16, 2015
New parkland dedication fee would "maintain" park-to-person ratio
With recent unanimous approval from members of the city’s Planning Commission, the Parks and Recreation Department says it might soon be able to recalibrate the fee it charges residential developers in lieu of making parkland available. Developers unwilling or unable…
Parks • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jul 10, 2015
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Open-space recycling a challenge to city, says staff
Austin’s recycling requirements are ambitious, but they don’t cover one major area — open spaces. Now, the city is taking steps to make up for it. The Austin Resource Recovery Department recently performed an assessment on Parks and Recreation Department…
Parks • By Tyler Whitson • Jun 15, 2015
Austin ventures into civic crowdfunding
The Internet is replete with crowdfunding appeals for endless pet projects: help fund your college roommate’s rap EP, pitch in for your buddy’s film or donate a few dollars toward your cousin’s volunteer trip to Haiti. But what about a…
Parks • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jun 5, 2015
Metz and Mabel Davis pools to remain open
This summer, the Parks and Recreation Department plans to keep open both Metz Neighborhood Pool and Mabel Davis Municipal Pool. Late last month, the department announced its intention to close the District 3 pools. Last summer, Mabel Davis lost 25,561…
Parks • By Elizabeth Pagano • May 13, 2015
Decker Golf gets first positive sign from committee
The City Council Committee on Economic Development gave supporters of a proposal for a PGA-style golf course at Walter E. Long Metropolitan Park their first victory Monday. The four-member committee voted unanimously to approve a framework for additional benefits for…
Development • By Jo Clifton • May 12, 2015
Parks will consider keeping city pools open
After impassioned reactions from neighbors to news that the city would close Metz Neighborhood and Mabel Davis Municipal pools this summer for extensive repairs, the Parks and Recreation Department told the Open Space, Environment and Sustainability Committee on Wednesday that…
Parks • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Apr 30, 2015
Residents confront Parks Board over pool closures
East Austin residents demanded answers from the Parks and Recreation Board during its Tuesday meeting over news that Metz Neighborhood Pool and Mabel Davis Municipal Pool will close this summer for extensive repairs. The item was not on the board’s…
