About the Author
Elizabeth Pagano is the editor of the Austin Monitor.
Newsletter Signup
The Austin Monitor thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Most Popular Stories
- For the first time in 20 years, more people are leaving Travis County than moving in
- Austin’s giant troll is finally finished. Here’s where you can find her.
- Travis County approves ambitious ‘Marshall Plan’ for northeast planning district
- Environmental commissioners air concerns about waterfront district plan
- Council hears plan for another South Congress PUD
-
Discover News By District
Parks department axes ‘master’ plans
Wednesday, August 12, 2020 by Elizabeth Pagano
The Parks and Recreation Department is renaming some of the terms it uses to do business. In an Aug. 3 memo, PARD Director Kimberly McNeeley explained, “stakeholders expressed concerns over the use of the term ‘master’ in referring to park master plans. The term is perceived by members of the community as offensive and derogatory. In addition, the term lacks specificity, requiring additional description depending on the type of project. PARD understands the concerns and has changed the terminology that describes park and facility plans to provide greater clarity and to acknowledge the power words have in cultivating understanding and shaping the way we perceive the world and participate within it.” In light of those concerns, the parks department will now be using an updated, defined set of planning terms. From the memo:
Join Your Friends and Neighbors
We're a nonprofit news organization, and we put our service to you above all else. That will never change. But public-service journalism requires community support from readers like you. Will you join your friends and neighbors to support our work and mission?