C: Director's Report — original pdf

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PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD DIRECTOR’S REPORT DATE: February 2021 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENTS: Govalle Neighborhood Park Improvements: The third virtual public meeting is planned for February 24 at 5:30pm. At the meeting, the Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) and Austin Parks Foundation (APF) will share the selected playground that was identified through the online survey results and will discuss improvements to the basketball court and new multipurpose field. The meeting will be held via Zoom and Facebook, and Spanish interpretation will be provided. Citizens are encouraged to register at: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMldeqopjIoHNRs6BQmJ56fpSXVQ3vNo66g. District 3 1  PLANNING UPDATES: Central Williamson Creek Greenway Vision Plan: The draft vision plan was open for community feedback via Social Pinpoint through February 22. The partner team led by Community Powered Workshop and Asakura Robinson will present the draft vision plan to the Environmental Commission on March 3. Following the Environmental Commission review, the team will seek approval from the Parks and Recreation Board in April. The draft vision plan is at: https://www.centralwilliamsoncreek.net/. District 3 George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center Facility Expansion Plan: PARD and the consultant team, Smith & Company with Perkins & Will, continue to refine the cost estimate and draft facility expansion report. The expansion plan is anticipated to begin the approval process in late March and is on the agenda for review by the Design Commission on March 22 and the Parks and Recreation Board on March 23. The draft facility expansion plan is at: https://www.austintexas.gov/CarverATXplanning. District 1 Zilker Metro Park Vision Plan: On February 3, the Capital Contracting Office finalized the contract for the Zilker Park Vision Plan with the consulting firm, Design Workshop. The Department and the consulting team will host the first Technical Advisory Group (TAG) meeting on March 3. The team also expects to start the community engagement process in April and May. The link to the project can be found at: https://www.austintexas.gov/ZilkerVision. District 8 Wilder (4802 S. Congress) Site Plan, appeal by the applicant to staff recommendation of the Parkland Dedication Ordinance: This item was presented to the Parks and Recreation Board on January 26. The Board voted 9 – 1 to recommend to the Planning Commission to deny the applicant's request to pay fee in lieu of land dedication, and upheld staff’s recommendation for the dedication of parkland. The item came before Planning Commission on February 9, and it was postponed to March 9 at the request of the South Congress Neighborhood Contact Team. Department staff will use this interim to reach out to the contact team and provide information about PARD requirements, the greenbelt, and the site plan. District 3 Project Connect: Department staff have participated in Project Connect meetings along with other City Departments and stakeholders. Recent discussions have been about the NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) process, which is just beginning, rail alignments (Locally Preferred Alternatives), station locations, as well as entry portals – locations where the rail will go subsurface. The Department is focused on the locations where the rail will cross over, under or through parkland. The project team is aware that a Chapter 26 process will be required if parkland will be needed for either the Orange or the Blue line alignments. With the information we know to date, the Blue Line is planned to go through the current site of the Trinity Street Waller Creek Boathouse and will necessitate its relocation. Lastly, the Blue Line Bridge across Lady Bird Lake is expected to have a pedestrian component, similar to the Pfluger Bridge. District 9 Statesman Planned Unit Development (PUD): The Statesman PUD is currently under review and the applicants have expressed interest in achieving parkland superiority. Department reviewers have made it clear that a prerequisite for superiority will be the dedication (by deed) of land fronting on Lady Bird 2 Lake, roughly 7.5 acres, not counting public plazas. The Butler Hike and Bike Trail exists only within a Trail and Recreation Easement today. The applicants have pushed back on this requirement, stating that they would prefer to record a Parkland Easement and retain private control of the area. Their stated reason for not dedicating land by deed is that they fear encroachment by people experiencing homelessness (despite the current prohibition on camping on City parkland). The Department and Watershed Protection Department (WPD) are jointly interested in moving the Hike and Bike trail a few feet inland to restore the waterfront’s edge on the eastern portion of the site. Other areas of concern are the size and location of proposed water quality ponds and the design for the bat viewing area. At this time discussions are ongoing and PARD cannot recommend the current proposal for parkland superiority. District 9 3  DEVELOPMENT UPDATES: Boggy Creek Urban Trail: Construction on a portion of the Boggy Creek Urban Trail from E 12th Street to Rosewood Avenue, Austin’s first ever dual-track trail, is complete. The project was made possible through a partnership with Austin Public Works, Austin Transportation, and PARD. The work included trail lighting and four raingardens. This trail is part of two urban trail systems, Eastlink, and Red Line Trail. District 1 Asian American Resource Center Phase 2: On January 28, City Council approved utilization of the Construction Manager at Risk (CMR) delivery methodology for the next phase of AARC, in line with the 2019 Council Approved Facility Expansion Plan. Following the CMR approval, the solicitation for Professional Design Services was advertised on February 3. The Pre-Response meeting was held on February 10 with 50 participants, and solicitation responses are due on March 17. An evaluation period will follow shortly thereafter, and following City Council approval, the contract execution for Architecture/Engineering design services is expected in the summer of 2021. The solicitation for construction manager (CMR) services is scheduled to be posted on March 1 with an April 12 due date. Following the evaluation of proposals and City Council approval, the contract execution is expected in late summer or early fall of 2021. Project completion is tentatively projected in 2025. District 1 Zilker Maintenance Barn Replacement Project: After rebidding the project in December 2020, the Zilker Maintenance Barn replacement project is expected to start construction in the summer of 2021. Request for Council approval to execute a construction contract is planned for the April 8 City Council meeting. The current barn is very close to the Barton Springs Pool and is in very poor condition. The 4 scope of the current project includes the construction of a new 4,329 s.f. facility with office space and maintenance bays, ample material storage, and parking for staff and visitors. The limits of construction will include 5.46 acres within the Eanes Creek and Barton Creek Watersheds. The project is seeking LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification. Initiatives contributing to the building’s LEED certification include native and adapted plant selection, low-emitting materials, water- efficient fixture selection, and multiple energy efficiency measures. The building will be solar-ready, and rainwater tanks may be installed in the future. Completion is expected in the spring of 2022 and will greatly improve PARD staff’s ability to maintain Zilker Metropolitan Park. District 8 5  MAINTENANCE UPDATES: Butler Pitch and Putt Golf Course: The renovations to the golf course, new ADA bathroom installation and outdoor arbor improvement are nearing completion. The Pecan Grove concession contractor is awaiting a final approval for potable water connections to complete the renovations. While the next few weeks will be busy preparing the final touches, the soft opening is anticipated in March with a grand opening in April. District 9 Jimmy Clay Irrigation Project: The Jimmy Clay irrigation maintenance project has completed 17 holes of installation. The project is currently ahead of schedule and should be completed before the end of the month. The project has limited closures to one or two holes at a time, resulting in less revenue loss. The areas of completed irrigation with trench lines will continue to settle and be rough in some areas as the growing season continues. District 2 Evergreen Cemetery: The final phase of restoration of the vandalized monuments is anticipated to be complete before the end of February. The contractor, Tri-County Monuments, LLC., will complete the restoration of monument inscriptions. District 1 Dottie Jordan Recreation Center: The Center remodel is almost complete with kitchen cabinets and counters installed and waiting on sink and faucets. The plumbing system needs to be repaired pending engineer’s review of the building and the hose connection in the community garden needs to be retrofitted to accommodate an ADA request from the Senior Citizens of the community. District 1 Barton Springs Pool Tree Maintenance: Forestry staff will be performing routine maintenance to promote health and safety on the trees inside the fence at Barton Springs Pool and in the immediate vicinity. Scope of work will include pedestrian clearance, deadwood removal, and structural pruning to reduce the likelihood of future branch failures. This work is scheduled to begin on February 25 and will be prioritized to occur on days the pool is closed to minimize the impact to normal operations. The goal is to address the needs of each tree, with the project expected to last several months. District 8 Living Shoreline Project Support: Forestry crews recently assisted The Trail Foundation (TTF) and WPD in a unique restoration effort along a stretch of Ladybird Lake shoreline near Longhorn Shores. Staff coordinated with TTF’s Conservation Director to identify several declining invasive Chinaberry and Chinese Tallow trees for removal along the trail and facilitated a trail closure and detour on the day of the event. Trunk and branch wood from these trees were cut into manageable sections and used as bank revetments, floating wetlands, and fish habitat for this restoration project. More information: https://thetrailfoundation.org/?post_type=portfolio. District 3 6  Zilker Botanical Garden Maintenance Closures: As part of the Garden’s COVID-19 safety responses, Zilker Botanical Garden closed on Mondays in February. These closures allowed Garden staff to perform needed maintenance duties in high traffic areas while protecting staff from exposure/close proximity to Garden guests. Monday was chosen to have the least impact on visitors as it is the lowest visitation day. Reopening on Mondays is expected in Stage 4. February Monday closure dates were February 8, February 15, February 22. March 1 is the next scheduled closure date. District 8 7  PROGRAM UPDATES: Cities Connecting Children to Nature – Green School Parks: Story maps are now available on the Cities Connecting Children to Nature website that walk through the different eco-features installed at both Barrington and Wooldridge Green School Parks. A drone flyover of Wooldridge Green School Park with a detailed description on each eco-feature is also now available. Historic Austin Parks – Downs Field: Willie Wells was a significant national sports figure who, sadly, was not fully appreciated in his lifetime. Austin’s historic Downs Field has strong ties to Willie Wells and through a special promotion with Texas Monthly, his story is being shared with a broad audience. The Department has been hard at work in recent years to honor the field’s history through art panels, a historic marker, and an upgraded entrance and fencing. The work continues this year with the restoration of the historic grandstands. Partnerships with Six Square and Forklift have been instrumental in elevating the profile of this important site. The Department partnered with the City of Austin Historic Preservation Office on the Translating Community History project, which engaged community members in the College Heights and South East Austin to learn about and document the buildings and stories that make these communities unique and special. One of the exciting outcomes is a nomination of Parque Zaragoza to the National Register of Historic Places (listing anticipated in late 2021). Additional documentation highlighted many life-long park and recreation advocates, as well as significant parks and historic sites in East Austin. Features include College Heights/African American Heritage, South East Austin/Mexican American Heritage, and Patrimonio Mexicano-Americano y del Sureste de Austin. The historic resources of the park system provide a local laboratory for student projects and over the years, PARD has worked with institutions of higher learning to document the history and conditions of PARD historic sites. The Historic Preservation Program of the University of Texas, School of Architecture (UTSOA) focused on PARD historic sites for several classes in fall 2020, and spring 2021. Projects include historic structure reports for the Ashford-McGill House at the Austin Science and Nature Center and 8  the historic log cabin and barn at Commons Ford Metropolitan Park. The historic Zilker Park Pistol Range concession building was the focus of both a historic structures report and measured drawings for the Historic American Building Survey of the Library of Congress. This spring, PARD is excited to support a UTSOA preservation and design studio that focuses on the historic Montopolis Negro School, which served as a segregated county school and later a church in the Montopolis community. The property was recently acquired by the City of Austin and PARD is working to protect the building and prepare for a future visioning process. Additionally, PARD is working with a student on a Materials Conservation independent study class to explore restoration strategies for historic concrete picnic units at Zilker Metropolitan Park. Barton Springs Pool and Deep Eddy Pool: Pools continue modified operations with Lap Swimming only. Barton Springs Pool will be closed from February 27 through March 12 for annual routine maintenance. Bartholomew Pool, Big Stacy Pool, Deep Eddy Pool, and Springwoods Pool: Pools are open to the public for lap swim only. During Stage 5, the recommendation was to eliminate Recreational Swim hours to prevent the congregating of large numbers of patrons within the facility. The facilities are still doing contact tracing, temperature checks, reduced capacity as well as continued COVID-19 disinfecting protocols. South Austin Recreation Center (SARC): During January, the SARC was activated as a cold weather shelter for the homeless members of our community. On January 10, SARC hosted 36 guests and on 9  January 11, 47 guests. In total, SARC housed 83 guests with a safe and warm place to rest out of the elements. SARC staff distributed prepackaged dinner and breakfast to guests during the cold weather shelter nights. Several guests expressed their sincere appreciation for the generous hospitality provided by SARC staff. Community Recreation Division (CRD): During February, CRD had four sites (Northwest, South Austin, Givens and Dittmar) activated as cold weather shelters for the homeless members of our community. Beginning on the evening of Thursday, February 11 through Saturday, February 20, each site served approximately 60 guests, 24-hours per day. Staff distributed meals, snacks, and coffee to guests during the cold weather shelter operations and dealt with emergency issues throughout the week. Several guests expressed their sincere appreciation for the generous hospitality provided by community recreation staff and offered to help with chores around the building to show their gratitude. Fifty Plus Services Transportation: John Herrera, Fifty Plus Services Transportation Driver, worked with the Emergency Operations Center to drive in bitter cold conditions throughout the winter storm event for the purpose of driving to homeless encampments and to shuttle people to warm shelter at the Palmer Events Center. George Morales Dove Springs Recreation Center (GMDSRC): The GMDSRC served as a COVID-19 vaccination site beginning on January 22 on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The Center continued to serve as a vaccination site in February on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Although the exact number of individuals vaccinated at GMDSRC is not available, it is known that thousands have been vaccinated. McBeth Recreation Center & Adaptive Outreach Programs: The McBeth Recreation Center along with the Adaptive/TR Outreach team continue to provide quality virtual programming for participants across Austin. Game On! Virtual Club: Hancock Recreation Center is completing its third session of Game On! Club – A virtual club that meets weekly with participants from all around Austin. When kids sign into the online club, they get to talk with staff! They then spend the next hours playing games against other participants and counselors! #ParksAndSeek: Community Recreation newsletters are featuring a social media scavenger hunt. This activity provides the community with a fun way to learn about unique or distinguishing features of the many parks near Recreation and Senior Centers. Each week, a picture is posted with a staff member (as a clue for some community members) and a small detail about the highlighted feature and asking the community if they know where it is located. For additional fun and marketing, the scavenger hunt has been highlighted on PARD’s social media accounts encouraging the community to find the locations and take a photo to share with the #ParksAndSeek hashtag. The answers are also posted the following week with additional information about the feature that was highlighted. 10  Geocache Austin: The Athletics Office launched a citywide, contactless geocaching challenge (Geocache Austin) to provide a safe opportunity to visit green spaces. A total of 51 caches were hidden in over 20 PARD green spaces. As participants find more caches, they are awarded more prizes for their finds. The challenge started on February 1 and will conclude on March 31. The event drew much more attention than anticipated with over 600 individuals participating in the event (194 teams and 43 individuals). Caches were found in Austin parks more than 1,200 times in the first week of the event alone. Due to the buzz the challenge created via social media, staff have even been fielding questions from and helping guide other municipal parks and recreation departments across the country who are interested in creating their own version of a geocache challenge for the communities they serve. Most notable municipalities to reach out to us for challenge info and guidance have been Mecklenburg County (Charlotte, NC) and St. Joseph, MO (30 miles north of Kansas City). Asian American Resource Center, Stories from the South: The Asian American Resource Center in partnership with the Austin History Center hosted Stories from the South: Archiving Your Family History on January 31. The virtual workshop focused on practical tips on how to start your own personal archive for future generations. The event featured panelists from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, South Asian American Digital Archive, Asian American Feminist Collective, and ATX Barrio Archive. The event had over 200 RSVPs with 93 unique day of event attendees. The event was recorded and is viewable on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/uEOU49PMKsw. Dougherty Arts Center (DAC), ArtsResponders Installations/Redevelopment Project Community Engagement Meeting: Caroline Walker broke ground at the Neill-Cochran House Museum with the first augmented reality mosaic heart in her series Collective Voices. This heart is a visual representation of the gratitude Austinites have for the friends, family, and routines, that have helped get them through the last several months of the pandemic. (Neill-Cochran House Museum, 2310 San Gabriel St. Austin, TX.) Sarah Wilson’s project, Essentials, celebrates women essential workers who have selflessly served the Austin community during the pandemic. The first larger-than-life portrait was installed at The Linden in downtown Austin featuring Austin Streets & Bridges Crew Chief, Elicia. Stay tuned as more portraits celebrating women essential workers pop up over the next few weeks! (The Linden, 313 W. 17th St, Austin TX 78701.) More information at: http://austintexas.gov/department/julia-c-butridge- gallery). Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, Veintiuno by Ender Martos: Ender Martos, an award-winning Texan Venezuelan artist based in Austin, plans to jumpstart 2021 with a cultural headrush. The visual artist will debut “21 (Veintiuno),” a virtual exhibition of his celebrated optic art, along with his personal reflections on the theme of “diversity within diversity.” The online exhibit was featured on the Smithsonian Institution’s Learning Lab website. The virtual exhibition featured multiple digital photographs of Ender’s work arranged in three thematic periods of 21 years, each one representing the artist’s past, present and future. 11  The exhibit also features an installation on the grounds of the ESB-MACC. “’Graceful Celebration of Diversity’ is a 3D installation that I produced for the prestigious TEMPO art program of the city of Austin. It comprises 8 (eight) color metal cylinders that are arranged in a circle formation, providing an interactive optic art experience to those walking around the piece or going through it. The different colors of the sculpture represent diversity, while its eight cylinders symbolize prosperity; the piece is a celebration of the intrinsic relationship between these two fundamental ideas: ‘diversity and prosperity’.” - Ender Martos Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center, The Small Black Museum Residency Project: The Small Black Museum Residency Project is a three-month program that supports three artists as they develop new artwork and engage in professional development initiatives offered by CarverMuseumATX. The residency will be inaugurated during the latter part of Black History Month and will run through May 2021. Artists who successfully complete the residency will be eligible to participate in a survey show or solo exhibition. The inaugural cohort includes artists Adrian Armstrong, Hypatia Sorunke, and Temitope Olujobi. See the Carver’s website, George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center | AustinTexas.gov, for the Black History Month lineup for online programming. This year, the Carver Museum is celebrating Black History Month (February 1-March 1) by engaging in critical conversations about our current social and political landscape as well as providing the community a space to learn and heal. The Museum is hosting multi-generational discussions through our book club partnerships with the “Mom, Dad, and Me” Book Club and the Folktales’ Literary Society. The Carver is also producing a Create & Heal Art Series, a screening of “Man In Me,” and hosting virtual events for Black History Month Kids’ Day and hosted Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Day on February 11 from 11am-3pm. Oakwood Cemetery Chapel: To Remember considers the various types of grief, loss, and love across cultures. This exhibit shows many different forms of remembrance including burial and funeral practices, memorial anniversaries, cemetery maps, and genealogy research. Brush Square Museums: Staff continue to work on online programs and outreach. Historic toys in the Texas History Trunks have been shared out with audiences by means of our Texas History Trunk Toy Reviews and have been viewed by more than 150 people. Elisabet Ney Museum: In early August, the Museum launched Suffrage Now: A 19th Amendment Centennial Exhibition, an online show of women photographers’ works from all over the US, to comment on the state of Suffrage today. The exhibition’s last official day was January 31. The Museum also hosted a Suffrage Poster making workshop in collaboration with PrintAustin, the annual celebration of print arts. All in all, “Suffrage Now” received media coverage in Austin, New York, and Houston, and engaged almost 3300 visitors from four continents, with over 300 event attendees. 12  Austin Civilian Conservation Corps: Two Austin Civilian Conservation Corps (ACCC) crews dedicated to parkland began work in January. The missions of ACCC are service learning, job training, and economic response for individuals negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic while accomplishing needed natural resources management tasks on parkland. One crew began chainsaw and invasive species removal training on the Rene Barrera Indiangrass Preserve and Stephenson Preserve. The Onion Creek Crew is focusing on Forest Health in the Onion Creek buy-out area. The crews will operate for eight months, working predominately on natural resources restoration and management tasks. Homelessness Response: PARD received at total of 446 calls into 311 with reports of an encampment on parkland between August 1, 2020-January 22, 2021. Park Rangers spent the month of January responding to all these 311 requests. The following is a summary of those efforts: • 309 camps flagged as duplicates relating to a previously reported encampment. • 118 active camps and 26 abandoned camps were identified. • 55 calls had sites that could not be located. • 88 persons were present at camps during a visit. • 260 is the estimated number of persons at the camps including those who were present and those who were not. This number is based on the number of tents found at each site. These numbers only represent the encampments reported by the public and in no way represent the total amount of camps located within parks. Most encampments are not reported. Each of these camps were prioritized using the PARD prioritization metrics with 5 highest level of concern for safety; 4 impacting parkland or amenities; 3 adjacent to residences or park amenities; 2 being a clean campsite and 1 abandoned camp. • 44 camps assigned to Response Level 4 • 35 camps assigned to Response Level 3 • 8 camps assigned to Response Level 2 • 26 camps assigned to Response Level 1 • 55 camps that were not found • 3 camps that were not on parkland Austin Nature & Science Center (ANSC): During January, 58 preschool-aged children and 55 adults participated in 13 virtual programs offered by Nature’s Way Preschool (NWPS). The Preschool is continuing to develop instructional videos aimed at training early childhood educators on how to facilitate nature play. School programs in January got off to a great start with 18 virtual school visits with 380 youth participants and 36 adult participants. Homeschool Science Club met four times in January and 31 children attended the program. Additionally, 64 youth participated in the regular Homeschool 13  programs, which met virtually six times last month. Also, the ANSC team provided five Lending Library programs. The ANSC programs team kicked off the new year with a new program aimed at adults called “Lunch and Learn.” These free programs invite scientists from a variety of disciplines to speak about their field of study. In January alone there were 1,025 adults who tuned into the Lunch and Learn programs. Zilker Botanical Gardens Garden Interpretation: The Zilker Botanical Garden, in partnership with the Watershed Protection Department and with support from PARD Marketing, completed a series of interpretive signs for the water harvesting cisterns and the compost area. 14  Park Ranger Operations: From January 10-February 10, Park Rangers handled daily operations, including 990 contacts regarding Laws, Safety, Service and Education; 320 contacts were logged for dogs off-leash during this time frame. Overall Contact Breakdown from January 10-February 10, 2021 Park Ranger Cadet Program: The Watershed Protection Department is funding $29,000 for summer intern salaries, as a partner of the Park Ranger Cadet program. 15  ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATES: Fiscal Year 2022 (FY 2022) Budget Development: January 2021 marks the start of preparation for the FY 2022 Financial Forecast and Annual Budget preparation. Here are the preliminary key dates from the COA Budget Timeline: Dept Forecast deliverables due to Budget Office Boards and Commissions Recommendations Due Council Briefing: Forecast Presentation 5-year CIP Plan due from Depts. Proposed Budget due from Depts. Proposed Budget Presentation to Council CALENDAR Mar 5 Apr 9 Apr 16 May 7 May 7 Jul 9 Jul 22, Jul 29 Budget hearings Jul 27, Aug 3 Council Budget Work Sessions Aug 11 Tax Rate Hearing and Budget Readings COVID-19 Financial Impact: Realizing the ongoing impact of the pandemic, PARD is filling vacant positions as necessary within certain vacancy savings requirements and is continuing to limit discretionary spending related to travel, training, promotions, and award and recognition budgets. As of the end of January, PARD has incurred costs of approximately $3M relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to record-breaking attendance for the last three months, Golf Enterprise Fund revenue is up 32% compared to same period of prior year. Golf revenue equaling $3.3M has been collected as of the end of December, which is up compared to the $2.5M revenue collected by December 2020. Covid-19 Communications Coordination: The Community Engagement Unit continues to coordinate internal and external communications regarding PARD amenity and facility openings and COVID-19 protocol with the Executive Team and the City’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM). With the move to Stage 4, the Department is developing plans to re-establish certain operations in coordination with Austin Public Health and local health authorities. Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center Phase II Implementation Building Program: Implementation of the Phase II Building Expansion Plan (2018 Plan) has begun. The first part of implementation includes developing a Building Program, identifying elements for renovation and expansion. The 2018 Plan will be the source of information and community engagement and will include a few key stakeholder small group discussions, an online forum for feedback and Austin 3-1-1 questions that can connect people without Internet access. Engagement began in January and continued through mid-February. More information can be found at https://www.austintexas.gov/masmacc. Hancock Golf Course: The Department is working with Austin Energy’s Data Analytics and Business Intelligence work group to develop a new survey for this project with plans to continue small group virtual engagements through February and March. An update on survey results and engagement outcomes is anticipated for the March/April Parks and Recreation Board agenda. More information can be found at: https://www.austintexas.gov/department/hancock-golf-course-planning. 16  2021 Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL) Extension: On January 12, the City of Austin announced that it would extend the use of Emergency Paid Sick Leave of up to 80 hours available to employees experiencing issue related to COVID 19. EPSL extension is available from Friday, January 1 through Saturday, February 27. PARD Human Resources received 215 applications from employees related to COVID-19. These employees were unable to work because they were quarantined and/or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and sought medical diagnosis. COVID 19 Vaccine Update: The City’s Human Resources Department is working to provide COVID-19 vaccines for critical infrastructure employees. All City employees were asked to participate in a survey during January asking for information to help prioritize and schedule people such as vulnerable employees to receive vaccinations. Vaccinations are not mandatory and are at the discretion of the employee. PARD Position Vacancies: Although the City hiring freeze was lifted, departments are urged to fill positions exercising caution. As PARD fills positions based on operational needs, the department and the City's financial risk continues to play a role in the decision-making process. The Department has approximately 95 vacant positions. Due to the budgetary constraints at this time, PARD will proceed with recruiting 38 positions during the 2nd quarter of Fiscal Year 2021. SD23 Performance Measure Reporting: The Department has successfully identified all pertinent performance measures associated with the City of Austin Strategic Direction 2023 initiative. Data has been recorded and the required documentation has been uploaded into the City’s Data Portal system, as specified for the first round by the COA Center for Excellence and Innovation (CEI). Further, PARD is on track to make the deadline for subsequent reports and updates to the various measures. More information can be found at: https://data.austintexas.gov/stories/s/59fp-raw5. System wide connectivity and Wi-Fi: Working with the City’s Communications and Technology Management Department (CTM0, PARD IT personnel have identified opportunities and set priorities for upgrading the connectivity of Department facilities and providing effective and reliable Wi-Fi networks within PARD facilities. Priorities include extending the network fiber backbone to the Zilker Botanical Garden Center, the maintenance facility at Fiesta Shores and several swimming pools. Wi-Fi coverage is spotty at many Recreation and Senior centers. An updated list of PARD sites lacking or having substandard Wi-Fi installations has been provided to CTM. 17