D: Director's Report — original pdf

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PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD DIRECTOR’S REPORT DATE: April 2021 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENTS: Givens Aquatic Facility Renovation: On April 26 at 5:30pm, the Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) will host a virtual community meeting to reveal draft concepts. The ideas presented will be created from the community input received so far through input at Givens Swims in 2019, the first community meeting in January, and the community survey that followed. Community members will be asked to identify how well the draft design ideas connect with key values and align with feedback collected. The meeting will be conducted on Zoom, meeting registration. Project Webpage: http://austintexas.gov/givenspool. District 1 Colony Park Aquatic Facility: On April 28 at 5:30pm, PARD will host a virtual community meeting that will be shared over YouTube Live and Facebook Live to reveal draft concepts of the new aquatic facility. The ideas presented will be created from the community input received so far through input at the first community meeting in January and the community survey that followed. Community members will be asked to identify how well the draft design ideas connect with key values and align with feedback collected. Project Webpage: https://www.austintexas.gov/department/colony-park-aquatic-facility. District 1 Beverly S. Sheffield Northwest District Park Vision Plan: The first community-wide public meeting is scheduled on May 4 at noon and at 5:30pm where the project team will share what they have heard from the community so far and gather additional input. For Zoom registration visit: http://www.austintexas.gov/sheffieldNWpark. District 7 Oertli Neighborhood Park Concept Plan: The second virtual community meeting for Oertli Neighborhood Park will take place on May 19 at 5:30pm. During this meeting, the project team will share initial proposed concepts based on information received at the first meeting and the following survey. An online survey will be available on the project webpage after the meeting for the community to provide additional input. The meeting will be conducted on Zoom, meeting registration. Project Webpage: https://www.austintexas.gov/oertlipark. District 7 Highland Neighborhood Park In-Person Engagement and Survey: PARD’s community engagement team hosted its first in-person engagement event on Saturday, April 17 at Highland Neighborhood Park. Phase 2 Implementation of the park plan continues. At this event, PARD connected to more than 50 individuals, many of them kids who play in the park each week. We shared the proposed variations of the park improvements and received 36 paper surveys in English and Spanish, plus more completed on people’s phones. The second community meeting will take place in June. Project Webpage: https://www.austintexas.gov/HighlandParkProject. District 4 1  Brownie Neighborhood Park: On April 22, PARD hosted a virtual community meeting around Brownie Neighborhood Park Concept Plan Implementation. Based on the Concept Plan, this phase will include a picnic pavilion, irrigation system expansion, a loop walking trail, solar security lighting, benches, picnic tables, a new playground, a new drinking fountain and a vehicular turnaround with parallel parking spaces. The design will reflect sensitivity for the nearby creek and provide green infrastructure opportunities in collaboration with the Watershed Protection Department (WPD). A community survey followed and will be open from April 22 through May 13. At the time of this update, the survey was not yet published but will be made available through the project webpage. Project Webpage: https://www.austintexas.gov/browniepark. District 4 PLANNING UPDATES: Central Williamson Creek Greenway Vision Plan: The partner team led by Community Powered Workshop and Asakura Robinson presented the draft vision plan to the Environmental Commission on April 7, with support from Watershed Protection Department and PARD. The Environmental Commission unanimously recommended the plan for approval. The team will address additional community comments this month and will seek approval from the Parks and Recreation Board on May 25. The draft vision plan can be found at: https://www.centralwilliamsoncreek.net/ and http://www.austintexas.gov/department/central-williamson-creek-greenway-vision-plan. District 3 George Washington Carver Museum Facility Expansion Plan: On April 6, PARD and the consultant team, Smith & Company with Perkins & Will, presented the draft facility expansion plan to the African American Resource Advisory Commission (AARAC). The Commission acted in support via a proposed written recommendation to Council that would speak to the urgency of continuing expansion efforts. The planning team will continue with briefings to Council Offices and Mayor, as well as presentations to Library Commission (April 26), Design Commission (April 26) and Parks and Recreation Board (April 27) before City Council review in May. The draft expansion plan can be found at https://www.austintexas.gov/CarverATXplanning. District 1 Zilker Metropolitan Park Vision Plan: PARD and the consultant team, led by Design Workshop, finalized a comprehensive community engagement plan to drive the planning process. Several small group discussions are slated for the end of April through May. The team anticipates the site analysis and existing conditions report completed for staff review by early May. The project page can be found at https://www.austintexas.gov/ZilkerVision. Districts 5 and 8 Beverly S. Sheffield Northwest District Park Vision Plan: PARD hosted the first of three public, small- group meetings on April 6 with a discussion focused on recreation, activities, and schools. A small-group meeting on April 20, focused on neighborhood and community feedback, and on April 27, PARD will hold a small-group meeting looking at nature and environmental issues for the park. An online public survey was available through April 18, and a SpeakUp Austin page asks residents to share their stories about the park. The first community-wide public meeting is scheduled on May 4. For information visit: http://www.austintexas.gov/sheffieldNWpark. District 7 2  Wilder (4802 S. Congress) Site Plan: Appeal by the applicant to staff recommendation of the Parkland Dedication Ordinance. Presentation to Planning Commission on Tuesday, April 27. This item appeared at 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 uphold staff’s recommendation for the dedication of parkland. Since the January meeting, PARD held a joint meeting with Transportation Reviewers at Development Services Department and Austin Fire Department. It is acceptable to all parties to have a public access easement in this location and consider options to satisfy the guidelines for Handicapped Accessibility. The question before Planning Commission remains of whether the applicant may pay fee in lieu of land dedication. District 3 Statesman Planned Unit Development (PUD): A work session of a joint working group from the Parks and Recreation Board and Environmental Commission was held on April 15. At this work session, WPD and PARD laid out the issues involved with this PUD, answered questions from the working group and received a list of other questions to be addressed in writing. The Statesman PUD is currently under review and the applicants have expressed an interest in parkland superiority. District 9 DEVELOPMENT UPDATES: Waterloo Park: The 11-acre Waterloo Park redevelopment project, including the new Moody Amphitheater, is nearing completion after more than two years of construction, and will open later this summer. Current work on site includes commissioning of the Moody Amphitheater, completing the utility, wetland, and landscape work in the southeast corner of the park, and a heritage tree support structure. The project is the first phase of the Waterloo Greenway, which will eventually stretch from 15th Street all the way to Lady Bird Lake along Waller Creek. The project will request approval of the proposed Parks Special Use for permitting alcohol consumption in designated areas of Waterloo Park. Waterloo Greenway Conservancy is reaching out to nearby property owners and neighborhood associations and other community stakeholders. Support for the Conditional Use Permit will be requested by the Waller Creek Local Government Corporation (LGC) on May 12 and the Parks and Recreation Board on May 25, prior to presenting to the Planning Commission (tentatively in June 2021). https://waterloogreenway.org/category/news-and-events/waterloo-park/. District 1 View from April 5, 2021, looking southwest: Moody Amphitheater, Great Lawn, and the Hill Country Garden. 3  Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (ESB-MACC): The Joint Venture Miro Rivera Architects and Tatiana Bilbao Estudio (JV MRA+TBE) has completed the programming phase of professional design services and has created a building programming document. The programing document focuses on the prioritization of items for the Phase 2 Expansion and Improvements as defined in the 2018 Plan approved by City Council and was confirmed through a period of Community Engagement with key stakeholders in early 2021. The ESB-MACC Advisory Board unanimously supported the proposed building program document on March 3. The document will be presented to the Hispanic Quality of Life Advisory Commission on April 27. This document will define the scope of work for the JV MRA+TBE and Construction Manager-At-Risk and is being used to develop and execute a contract for the remaining design services required for completion of the project. After contract execution is complete, the design team will move into the Schematic Design Phase. Site construction is anticipated to begin in late 2022 with a grand opening of the expanded and improved center in 2024. For more information visit: https://www.speakupaustin.org/mas-macc or https://www.austintexas.gov/department/emma-s-barrientos-mexican-american-cultural-center-phase- 2-improvements. District 9 Diagrammatic image from the programming document shows the proposed massing for the facility expansion. 4  Dougherty Arts Center (DAC) Replacement Project: On May 6, the DAC redevelopment project will seek City Council’s support and approval to move forward into design and construction for redevelopment of the DAC at Butler Shores Park following the completion of an expanded preliminary design and community engagement phase. The Council action will follow eight Board and Commission presentations, which took place in February and March. The project was presented to City Council at the April 6 work session and additional briefings will take place with individual Council offices. Additional information at: http://austintexas.gov/department/dougherty-arts-center-redevelopment-project. District 5 MAINTENANCE UPDATES: Turner-Roberts Recreation Center Flood Damage Repair: The restoration project at Turner-Roberts has an estimated time for completion of eight months. Restoration will include repairs to the walls and floors and replacements of equipment and fixtures in classrooms, hallways, kitchen, lobby, and offices. Paul Mendoza, of the Public Works Department, is the Project Manager who will provide progress reports and updates to Council Member Harper-Madison and the PARD Executive team. Floor removal in the gym has begun and is estimated to cost $114,000.00 with a completion timeline of thee months. District 1 South Austin Recreation Center: The ballfield located west of the Recreation Center is undergoing a greatly needed renovation project. This updated space will provide for two mid-sized soccer fields that overlap a baseball field. Key improvements to the field will be irrigation, grating, new sod, fencing, dug outs and back stop. These renovations coincide with the park trail that will encircle the 1100 block of Cumberland Boulevard, from South 5th Street to Bouldin Creek. The current phase for the project includes new field lights installation. Projected completion is mid-April. From that point, irrigation and trail development will begin. The community is thrilled to know they will have newly renovated ballfields and a new trail. District 3 Zilker Botanical Garden (ZBG): ZBG has had a significant number of plumbing repairs completed to the outdoor restrooms and staff office areas. Several major specimen plants continue to be monitored to determine extent of pruning or possible removal, but most of the storm damage has been completed. Seasonal plantings have been installed and the Garden remains open to the public with online ticket sales and a capacity of 200 tickets per hour. District 8 Aquatic Maintenance: The Aquatic Division continues to work toward repairing damage caused by Winter Storm Uri. Most aquatic facilities sustained some damage to both pool system pipes as well as domestic plumbing lines. Over the past two weeks, Aquatic Maintenance has focused efforts on the Aquatic Division’s year-round pools, pools used for lifeguard training, and the Division’s plaster pools that needed to be filled to prevent damage to the pool’s shell that include Bartholomew Pool, Barton Springs Pool, Big Stacy Pool, Deep Eddy Pool, Dove Springs Pool, Dittmar Pool, Govalle Pool, Mabel Davis Pool, Shipe Pool, Springwoods Pool, Walnut Creek Pool and Westenfield Pool. Repairs are expected to be complete by May 15. Anticipated costs are not available since costs will vary. Districts 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, Deep Eddy: The pool will be closed for its Annual Maintenance from April 11-May 2 and resume operations on May 3. Work to be completed includes repair to and painting of the pool shell. General 5  cleaning, painting, and grounds work will occur in the rest of the facility. Restroom access has been restored at the facilities after outages related to the winter storm. District 10 Butler Pitch & Putt Golf Course: The course re-opened on April 9 and the renovations and upgrades have been well received by the golfers. District 8 Austin Memorial Park Cemetery: Work continues on the final stages of the roadway improvement project. Upon completion, the project will resurface the road system and construct a curbing system to delineate between road and grounds surface. Roadway improvements are estimated to be completed by the end of April. District 7 PROGRAM UPDATES: Bass Fishing Tournament: The Athletics Office hosted a bass fishing tournament from March 22-April 11. Participants could fish any body of water in and outside of Austin for a chance to catch the biggest fish. The cost was $10 to enter which included a t-shirt and a measuring device to measure the length of their catch. • 1st Place winner measured at 23 ¼” • 2nd Place winner measured at 22” • 3rd Place winner measured at 20 ½” Pictured is a participant who was close to placing at 19” and had this to say: “I have really enjoyed this little tournament. It forced me to get back on the water and realize how fun it is to get back to nature. Thanks for putting this on.” Art in the Park: Art Spark Texas and the McBeth Recreation Center partnered once again for the Annual Art in the Park Festival! This year’s festival was presented virtually, a first since it began in 1978. Event organizers dedicated this year’s event to Michal Anne Lord, the founder of Art in the Park and the Department’s Adapted Recreation program, which later became McBeth Recreation Center. Michal Anne Lord also launched “Very Special Arts Texas” which ultimately became Art Spark Texas. Check out the great list of videos and virtual activities as part of this year’s festival by visiting https://www.artsparktx.org/art-in-the- park/. Spring Fling at District Sites: On March 27 district sites hosted Annual Spring Fling Events via drive throughs. Attendees participated by driving their cars through a festive entrance and received bags of pre-stuffed eggs and prizes to take home and do at home Easter Egg hunts. The Gus Garcia Rec Center had over 75 families in attendance this year. A special appearance by the Easter Bunny brought many smiles to young and old alike. 6  Asian American Resource Center (AARC) – Artist Talk: The AARC hosted a live virtual artist talk with photographer Amar Gupta on March 4. Gupta is one of the artists selected for the AARC’s community exhibit program. He journals the stories of Austin's service industry workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in his photo series, “Out of Service.” His photography captures this moment in the lives of workers who are the lifeblood of small businesses in Central Texas. To view more AARC online exhibits, visit our exhibits page here . Dougherty Arts Center (DAC) Gallery Demo Days Series: The public is invited to join us every second Saturday of the month during spring and summer for DAC Demo Days! The DAC’s Gallery Artists are joining forces to provide virtual demonstrations that highlight unique art techniques and are sure to get creative juices flowing. All demo events are free and open to the public. On April 10, participants explored the meditative world of visual journaling. Using pencils and paper, Meena Matocha guided artists through an integral part of her art making process. Participants learned how to set-up for an uninterrupted, meditative-style journaling session, and gained tips and techniques that helped them create artworks from concept to finished pieces. https://austintexas.gov/department/julia-c-butridge-gallery. Attendance: 75. Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (ESB-MACC) Presents La Mujer (Digital Program): The ESB-MACC hosted its annual celebration of Women in the Arts from April 21-24, 2021. This online festival included panel discussions, film screenings, youth education, visual art and musical performances by headliner Gina Chavez and more! In its 100th year, this festival was originally inspired by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz who is considered the first feminist of the Americas. This year, we are highlighting the accomplishments of mujeres, of women, who inspire us. The event is free to watch on www.LaMujerATX.net! Elisabet Ney Museum: On Saturday, April 10, Austin artist Jade Walker completed Mire + Mend, her first outdoor piece for the Elisabet Ney Museum as part of the pandemic-inspired Arts Responders Program. In all, three outdoor works will be accompanied by QR codes that lead to videos of Walker describing ways that viewers can interact with the art, metaphorically “mending” the community in the pandemic healing process. When the museum itself reopens, an indoor installation will join these pieces in a comprehensive show entitled “Reweave: 2021.” 7  Brush Square Museums: Digital Brush Square Museums are proud and excited about our newest series, “Susanna’s Pioneer Survival Skills.” This series highlights how tough it was for the inhabitants of Texas to survive in the 1800s. The series will inclusively cover the lifeways of the people of Texas during this period and showcase how different people accomplished the feat of getting nourishment, shelter, safety, supplies, and many other things that we may take for granted in our modern world. With this, Brush Square Museums would like to demonstrate not only “how” these things were done, but “who” did them, and how so many different people have shaped the Texas we know today. Digital Program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4znV- ifzW4o&list=PLelTMMBW0YOQklq4TKKgGSoCsg2bQ9sER&index=52. Austin Heritage Museums (AHM): AHM is the name of the new consortium of PARD’s museums (O. Henry Museum, Susannah Dickinson Museum, Elisabet Ney Museum, Oakwood Cemetery Chapel and the Old Bakery & Emporium). Under the leadership of Herlinda Zamora, Culture & Arts Education Manager at the ESB-MACC, the museums will work cooperatively to pool resources to cover the basic operational components of professional museums. With the help of a new Marketing Coordinator, Amy Evenson at the ESB-MACC, AHM will coordinate their marketing strategies into a joint campaign to better attract tourists. The consortium will next work on a coordinated approach to Collections Management. Nature Based Summer Camps 2021: Camacho will have two eight-week sessions for ages 5-7 and 8-11, plus three separate film camp sessions that will be provided for ages 5-17. Austin Nature and Science Center (ASNC) will have three camp groups this summer for ages 4-12 years. Those camps will run from mid-June through early August. Austin Nature Science Center Programs (ANSC): 124 videos and programs have been conducted. Live programs range from Zoom family star parties, reading stories while virtually meeting ANSC animals, to exploring the scientific process as a young scientist. Recorded videos include an Early Childhood Series, practicing mindfulness, and reinforcing Texas Education Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). In addition, Nature’s Way Preschool has provided 58 live programs this spring. Ninety live school and homeschool programs have also taken place this spring. While virtually visiting schools and home classrooms, staff can cover essential TEKS requirements that are to be met by Austin Independent School District. Homeschool families were able to see their peers while exploring science and nature. Camacho Programs: Camacho offered virtual public programs for participants ranging from age 5 to senior citizens. With four virtual clubs available for youth and teens, participants were able to explore their curiosity in the sciences, outdoor recreation and arts while engaging in fun activities with provided material packets. The Nature Immersion program provided 11 total meetings between January and March for 16 special education students from Blazier Elementary and Wayside Sci-Tech Middle School. Camacho hosted two Spring Break Camps for youth and teens; two culinary camps where they learned how to make culinary treats from around the world with ingredients provided by Camacho and a film camp where students ages 6-16 worked together to write, direct and star in their very own short film, “Just Alien Things.” A total of 49 meetings were conducted between January and March for youth and teens involved in our public programs. Throughout 14 total meetings, the seniors were able to socialize with each other in our weekly Active Adult Social Hour and learn from professional field workers in our 8  monthly Guest Speaker sessions. In addition to virtual programs, Camacho provided bike services for over 50 bikes to help community members get back on the trail. Park Ranger Program: From March 15-April 15, Park Rangers handled daily operations including 1,738 contacts regarding Laws, Safety, Service and Education; 206 contacts were logged for dogs off-leash during this time frame. 9 Park Rangers have seen an overflow in parks as outdoor recreational activities remain a popular opportunity for the community. In response to heavy use and parking violations at Zilker Park, Rangers  also worked on parking detail with the Transportation Department the weekends of March 20-21 and March 27-28. Park Ranger Cadet Program: In collaboration with Wildlife Austin, two Park Ranger Cadets were also accepted to present at the International Wildlife Conference. Their presentation “Centering Racial Equity to Support the Next Generation of Conservation Leaders," will occur in May. ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATES: Parks and Recreation Department Re-Integration Plan: The information below is a summary of the Department’s reintegration plan and future operational transition to include shared office space and telework options. • Beginning the week of April 26, select team members performing administrative or professional work functions will begin to incrementally return to the Main Office and Annex Buildings for some portion of the work week while continuing to telework. • Beginning the week of May 17, additional employees will return to the administrative building work sites and the time spent at the office will increase. Additionally, public facing buildings will begin to re-establish on-site in-person services throughout the park system; some will be by appointment only. • Beginning the week of June 7, all employees performing administrative or professional work functions will have returned to work sites for some portion of the work week while continuing to maintain a teleworking schedule. Public Facilities will re-open for on-site services like summer camp, drop- in services will replace “by appointment only” services and programming opportunities will begin to increase. Fiscal Year 2022 (FY2022) Budget Development: PARD has submitted its FY2022 Financial Forecast and the Finance Unit is currently working on the various FY2022 Proposed Budget deliverables that are due on May 7 to the City Budget Office. Here are some upcoming key dates from the City Budget Timeline: 5-year CIP Plan due from Depts. Proposed Budget due from Depts. Proposed Budget Presentation to Council CALENDAR 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 Winter Storm Uri Financial Impact: The February 2021 Winter Storm Uri event has been officially declared as a national disaster by FEMA, and the City has requested FEMA Public Assistance. PARD Finance is working closely with the City’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Office in a city-wide effort to track and report costs in the effort to be reimbursed by FEMA. PARD estimates an overall cost of approximately $886,000 to be incurred relating the Winter storm repair projects. As of the end of March, PARD has incurred expenses of approximately $329,000 relating to the winter storm event. 10  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 March, PARD has incurred costs of approximately $3.2M related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic impact on revenue collection continues. Approximately $2.4M in General Fund revenue has been collected as of the end of March, as compared to $4.1M collected at the end of March 2020. The majority of the second quarter revenue proceeds result from boating concessions, cemetery services and sales. Due to record-breaking attendance, Golf Enterprise Fund revenue is up significantly compared to same period of prior year. Golf revenue equaling $4.8M has been collected as of the end of March, which is an increase in comparison to the $3.5M revenue collected by March 2020. 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. PARD has approximately 95 vacant positions and will proceed with limited recruiting of 55 positions during the 3rd quarter of Fiscal Year 2021. As of April 1, 18 positions have been filled. Zilker Boat Rentals: Zilker Park Boat Rentals opened for business in 1969 as a canoe rental service for Barton Creek and Town Lake. The business has been in continuous operation for 50 years. In 2006, the City entered into a revenue concession agreement for use of the property located downstream from Barton Springs Swimming Pool. The contract expired on February 28, but a holdover has been established to continue services to the public. A later solicitation release is recommended by Corporate Purchasing in hopes of allowing for a greater pool of available responders following the pandemic. The anticipated release of the Request for Proposals is June 2021. Expedition School Boating Concession: The boating concession contract has been executed and a kick-off meeting was held with the vendor. The vendor is preparing the site for the start of operations. The term of the current contract is 18 months. Contract staff is preparing for a longer-term contract with the development of a new vendor proposal, while PARD CIP staff has conducted assessments of various locations to serve as a possible permanent site and concluded that the most suitable site is located in Edward Rendon Senior Park. Walnut Creek Park: Contract staff worked closely with PARD Planning staff and Corporate Purchasing staff to develop a Request for Information (RFI) to determine interest in the development of Walnut Creek Park. The RFI was released and two responses were received March 11. Corporate Purchasing is reviewing the proposals for completion and will share the responses with PARD leadership once the review is complete. Interlocal Agreements with Travis County and University of Texas at Austin: PARD is seeking to establish mutual interest interlocal agreements with (1) Travis County and (2) the University of Texas at Austin to allow for mutual support and cooperation for prescribed fire management and training, land 11 management planning, as well as planning and assistance for hazardous incidents. The agreements will be brought to the Parks and Recreation Board for approval in May. Grey Rock Golf and Tennis Facility Request for Proposals (RFP): The current Facility Management Agreement with Touchstone Golf, LLC expires on December 31. The City assumed this agreement in 2014 when it purchased the Grey Rock facility from Noram Management, LLC. An RFP has been drafted for a Qualified Management Agreement for release in early summer. Hancock Golf Course: PARD is waiting on the results of the survey conducted by the Austin Energy Research Division. PARD plans to continue small group virtual engagements in late April/May to discuss the survey outcomes and next steps and intends to provide a briefing to the Parks and Recreation Board in June. 12