Sections

About Us

 
Make a Donation
Local • Independent • Essential News
 

The Austin Monitor thanks its sponsors. Become one.

Parks

The Rainey Street Trailhead Project is expected to be completed in early 2024.

Downtown Commission hears plans to address Rainey Street safety

The Downtown Commission last week gave an unofficial thumbs-up to the city’s efforts to improve safety in the Rainey Street nightlife district, in an effort to prevent more drownings in the area. On July 19, representatives from the Parks and…

Council OKs lawsuit settlements related to injuries, land

City Council agreed Thursday to settle five lawsuits, including paying $1.2 million to a protester who was injured during the protests outside the Austin Police Department in May 2020. Bomani Barton, who was shot by a police officer with three…

City makes Barton Springs Road safety improvements ahead of pilot

The city recently began work on a series of safety improvements to the crash-prone stretch of Barton Springs Road between Stratford Drive – inside Zilker Park – and South Lamar Boulevard, ahead of a yearlong pilot program that has prompted…

After years of staffing woes, Austin finally hires enough lifeguards by start of swim season

Austin finally has enough lifeguards. This week, the city’s Parks and Recreation Department celebrated the hiring of more than 1,000 lifeguards this swim season. That allowed PARD to open all 32 operational pools in its expansive aquatics system and extend…

City, conservancy moving ahead with Rainey Street safety improvements

The Parks and Recreation Department has proposed up to $1 million in permanent infrastructure improvements to enhance public safety along the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail in the Rainey Street District. A memo released last week by department Director…

Insufficient staffing revealed in audit of fraud and waste at Parks and Recreation Department

A former employee of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department fraudulently submitted timesheets stating she was working, according to a report from the Office of the City Auditor, and she collected paychecks for six months in 2021 – although she…

Subscribe to our newsletter

Public parking at Zilker confounds parks board

Members of the Parks and Recreation Board struggled with the many facets of public parking at Zilker Park this week, finally postponing a vote until July 24. After a lengthy discussion, board members failed to adopt a resolution asking City…

Parks board wants SXSW artist pay included in negotiation for use of city facilities

In response to a call for higher compensation for South by Southwest showcase musicians, the Parks and Recreation Board on Monday voted unanimously to ask the city to negotiate for fair pay for artists performing at its parkland facilities, such…

Mayor expresses opposition to amphitheater, parking garages in Zilker Park Vision Plan

Mayor Kirk Watson on Tuesday expressed strong opinions about the Zilker Park Vision Plan, particularly areas of the plan that have already caused controversy. Watson wrote in his “Watson Wire” email that he was opposed to putting a proposed 5,000-seat…

Study calls for formalizing partnership between parks department and foundation

Local parks advocates want the city and the Austin Parks Foundation nonprofit group to come to a formal agreement spelling out the roles and responsibilities between the two entities, with the hope of better addressing equity issues across the city’s…

Ethics commission dismisses complaints over Zilker Park votes

The Zilker Metropolitan Park Vision Plan continues to generate controversy. This week, accusations about the motivations of two of the plan’s supporters came before the Ethics Review Commission. In April, Austinite Teri Adams filed two complaints with the Ethics Review…

Zilker Park Vision Plan wins over Parks and Recreation Board, but the battle is far from over

Following a marathon of public testimony this past Monday, the Zilker Metropolitan Park Vision Plan has secured the blessing of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Board, though its opponents say the fight is far from over. The vision plan, an ambitious…

Back to Top