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PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD DIRECTOR’S REPORT DATE: May 2021 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENTS: Beverly S. Sheffield Northwest Park Vision Plan Community Engagement #2, June 15: The Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) hosted the first community-wide meeting for the vision plan on May 4, where the design team presented what they heard so far from a series of small group meetings and an online survey. They also presented a series of planning values that will guide what is included in the vision plan alternatives presented in the next public meetings on June 15. June 15 meeting registrations noon and 5:30pm and project webpage: http://www.austintexas.gov/sheffieldNWpark. District 7 Highland Neighborhood Park Community Meeting #2, June 24: Phase 2 Implementation engagement will continue June 22 with a second community meeting hosted via Zoom. At this meeting, a final proposed park design will be presented to the community for feedback. June 24 meeting registration and project webpage: https://www.austintexas.gov/HighlandParkProject. District 4 Zilker Park Vision Plan Survey and Community Meeting #1, June 29: The Zilker Park Vision Plan, the first comprehensive plan for the entire park since it became a public park, concluded the series of 14 small group discussions on May 18. The initial survey is set to close on June 1 and already has more than 3,000 participants. Community Meeting #1 (held virtually) will take place on June 29 and will be followed by a series of pop-up meetings throughout the city. At this meeting, community members will be re- introduced to Zilker, including the area and scope of the vision plan, the plans and studies that have taken place in and around the park, and community input received so far. June 29 meeting registration and project webpage: https://www.austintexas.gov/zilkervision. Districts 5 and 8 Colony Park Aquatic Facility, June 30: PARD will host the third virtual meeting on June 30 at 5:30pm. At the second community meeting in April, PARD presented three preliminary concepts for consideration. Based on feedback from that meeting, subsequent survey and community conversations with students at area schools, the Project Team will present the proposed final concept for the new pool and facility at the third meeting. Community members will be asked to identify how well the draft final concept connects with key values and aligns with feedback collected. June 30 meeting registration and project webpage: https://www.austintexas.gov/department/colony-park-aquatic-facility. District 1 Givens Aquatic Facility Renovation Community Meeting #3, July 1: PARD will host the third virtual meeting on July 2 at 5:30pm. At the second community meeting in April, PARD presented three preliminary concepts for consideration by the community. Based on feedback from that meeting, subsequent survey and discussions from outreach in Givens Park on May 8, the Project Team will present the proposed final concept for the new pool and facility. Community members will be asked to identify how well the draft design ideas connect with key values and align with feedback collected. July 1 meeting registration and project webpage: http://austintexas.gov/givenspool. District 1 Brownie Neighborhood Park Community Meeting #2, July 15: PARD will host community meeting #2 on July 15 at 5:30pm. On April 22, PARD hosted a virtual community meeting around Brownie 1  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, 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 for responses 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. July 15 meeting registration and project webpage: https://www.austintexas.gov/browniepark. District 4 Oertli Neighborhood Park: Community Engagement #2: The Department and consultants, MWM Design Group, hosted the second community meeting on May 19, where data from survey #1 was reviewed and three preliminary concept plans were presented for the park. New survey questions were presented to the community in a live polling format. An online survey is currently available on the project’s webpage at: https://www.austintexas.gov/OertliPark. The six-acre park is currently a vacant field divided by a fence row of trees, located at 12613 Blaine Rd., Austin, Texas 78753. The park is surrounded by single family homes and multifamily apartments, with access from Blaine Road and Pearl Retreat Drive. The park was acquired through parkland dedication funding. District 7 PLANNING UPDATES: George Washington Carver Museum Facility Expansion Plan: PARD and the consultant team, Smith & Company with Perkins & Will, completed presentations as part of the plan’s approval process to the African American Resource Advisory Commission, Design Commission, Library Commission, and Parks and Recreation Board. The planning team also provided briefings to Council Offices and to the Arts Commission on May 17. The team anticipates seeking Council action on June 10. 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, completed the draft Site Analysis and Needs Assessment Report and provided a briefing to the plan’s Technical Advisory Group for further input. The team presented the report’s findings to the Urban Transportation Commission on May 12 and to the Environmental Commission on May 19. Virtual small group discussions with partners, user-groups and stakeholders continue, with 14 discussions in total aimed to be completed this month. The project’s webpage can be found at: https://www.austintexas.gov/ZilkerVision. Districts 5 and 8 Historic Montopolis Negro School Update: PARD provided an update in a May 3 memo to Mayor and City Council on preservation activities and future planning efforts for the historic Montopolis Negro School, which was acquired in 2019. The Department completed formal protective efforts in 2019 and completed a hazardous material abatement in summer 2020. All the building’s furnishings are stored onsite in a secure container and all sensitive material is stored in archival boxes in a climate-controlled environment. In 2020, the Department and Austin Parks Foundation earmarked $150,000 of Austin City Limits funding toward a vision planning effort, which is anticipated to begin in spring 2022. The project’s 2  webpage (https://www.austintexas.gov/MontopolisSchool) provides additional information and allows for community members to sign-up to receive updates. District 3 Statesman Planned Unit Development (PUD): The Statesman PUD is currently under review and the applicants have expressed an interest in parkland superiority. Superiority will be based on the dedication by deed of parkland fronting on Lady Bird Lake and commitment to construct amenities beyond what is required in current code. The Department plans to update the Parks and Recreation Board in August. District 9 Brodie Oaks Planned Unit Development (PUD): The Brodie Oaks shopping center redevelopment is a proposed, upcoming Planned Unit Development (PUD) located at Loop 360 and South Lamar. The project proposes a mixed-use center that includes mid- and high-rise multifamily, hotel, office, and shopping center land uses. A Development Assessment was recently completed in preparation for the future PUD application. PUD zoning is intended to produce developments superior to the development that would occur under conventional zoning and subdivision regulations. Parkland is one of the categories for which the development will seek superiority. The application included four new parks, two of which will be adjacent to the Barton Creek Greenbelt located directly to the north of the development. PARD staff has issued comments on the Development Assessment, which can be reviewed with the City staff report included in backup to the City Council briefing from March 23, 2021: https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=356962 (PARD comments begin on page 19 of the PDF, page 16 in the comment report pagination). Presentation by the development team was also included in City Council backup: https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=357051. PARD will continue to work with the applicants and the community once the PUD application has been submitted for review and anticipates further discussion related to the proposed use of the existing Barton Creek Greenbelt for re-irrigation, as well as the interface between the proposed new parks and the existing Greenbelt. District 5 Appeal by the applicant to staff recommendation of the Parkland Dedication Ordinance related to Wilder (4802 S. Congress) Site Plan: The Planning Commission voted on April 27 to deny the applicant’s request to pay fee in lieu, and to uphold PARD’s requirement to dedicate land. PARD staff are working with the site plan case manager and other disciplines on how to integrate PARD and other requirements, including ADA accessibility within the public access easement to parkland and trail design. District 3 DEVELOPMENT UPDATES: Holly Shores/Edward Rendon Sr. Metro Park Project | TTF: The Trail Foundation's (TTF) Holly Project completed the second open house for community outreach in December 2019. The project was subsequently paused due to COVID-19 and to await the final layout of the Lakefront Trail that was still going through alignment changes during the site permitting process. The Trail Foundation and the design team resumed their work on the project in November 2020. TTF and PARD have been meeting with various City departments to discuss permitting requirements for the design. The park design will address improving trail accessibility and water access, creating spaces to enjoy the views of the water and watch wildlife and will address public comments regarding the impact of invasive species and shoreline erosion. The design presentation for the community is being planned for summer 2021. Final fundraising will commence after the final presentation and then follow with permitting and construction once funded. Once funding is secured, a Parkland Improvement Agreement will go before pertinent boards and commissions for review and approval. District 3 3  Seaholm Intake Building Phase 1 Rehabilitation: This project is seeking Council authorization on June 3 to negotiate and execute a Competitive Sealed Proposal Agreement with Balfour Beatty Construction Group, Inc. for construction services in an amount not to exceed $3,200,000.00. The facility is a contributing structure to the Seaholm Power Plant National Historic Register District, has a strong civic presence in the cityscape of downtown Austin and showcases a unique period of American Art Deco municipal architecture and Public Works engineering. Consistent with the council-approved Seaholm Waterfront Master Plan, the purpose of this Phase 1 project is to make the Intake Building safe and inhabitable for small programs and events by restoring character defining features and updating the building for code-compliant occupancy. This project is funded by both G.O. Bond and HOT funds. District 9 A historic photo of the Seaholm Intake structure (Building 1) from 1964. Credit: The Trail Foundation 4  Asian American Resource Center (AARC) Phase 2 Improvements: This project will seek Council approval on June 3, to negotiate and execute a professional design services contract with Trahan Architects or one of the other qualified responders for Request for Qualifications Solicitation to provide Professional Design Services for the AARC in an amount not to exceed $720,000. The selected firm will design the structure for a contemporary performing arts center and associated improvements informed by pan-Asian cultural and architectural sensibilities. The project will support the AARC’s vision to empower Austin's diverse communities through cultural understanding and life-enhancing opportunities and is funded by $7,000,000 from the 2018 General Obligation (GO) Bonds. District 1 MAINTENANCE UPDATES: Golf Course Condition Update: Sites are continuing to monitor turf and transition challenges due to the prolonged freeze in February and cooler temperatures and cloudy days in April. The construction team will cut damaged sod out from areas and resod where necessary. The most significant transition challenges are presently at Morris Williams, Hancock and Grey Rock Golf Courses; however, all sites may have some areas of recovery. Districts 1, 8, 9 Danny G. McBeth Recreation Center: Much needed facility improvement projects continue at the Center. The old ceiling spray foam (original) was recently abated and new foam liner is being installed. Additionally, drop ceilings with improved lighting and sound for participants with sensory processing issues is underway throughout the facility. Efforts to renovate the courtyard to alleviate flooding and facility damages caused by rain and heavy storms has also begun. District 8 Zilker Botanical Garden (ZBG): Sustained cleanup efforts following Winter Storm Uri continue to dominate Garden maintenance work. While the Garden is now substantially groomed and recovered, several significant removals are taking place in May: • A magnificent Red Oak tree, Quercus rubra, that served as a focal point in the Taniguchi Garden overlooking the Koi Pond failed and has been removed. ZBG is working to honor this beautiful tree by retaining the trunk base with plans to have it carved into a suitable sculpture. • Several specimen Pittosporums were also lost in the Taniguchi Garden, staff are researching appropriate species with which to replace these specimen plants. • Palm species throughout the Garden continue to be monitored, as they are slow to show signs of recovery. At this point, staff anticipates the need to remove at least some and have already removed several that have failed. District 8 5  Austin Nature & Science Center (ANSC): The Center is wrapping up several major projects that include updating the elevator, replacing the boardwalk by the pond, improvements at the Nature’s Way Preschool playground and completing the second phase of replacing fencing and gates around the site. Additionally, ANSC has kicked off its Vision Plan process with DTJ Design and the Friends of the Austin Nature & Science Center. District 8 PROGRAM UPDATES: TrashBlitz Litter Cleanup May 22 – June 12: Austin Resource Recovery, WPD and PARD are collaborating with national nonprofits - Into the Sea, 5 Gyres, and Inland Ocean Coalition - to publicize and facilitate TrashBlitz, a three-week litter cleanup where individuals volunteer to collect and categorize litter in civic and commercial areas using the Litterati app. The citywide cleanup will take place at over 100 locations selected by individual participants and will include parks such as Auditorium Shores at Town Lake Metropolitan Park, Roy Guerrero Metropolitan Park, Bartholomew District Park, as well as watershed creek side locations. The goal is to not only clean up public spaces but also to gather data by measuring material, item, quantity and brand to have better information about the type of ground and waterway litter in Austin. Barton Springs Pool (BSP): Beginning May 21, to manage capacity for the safety of staff and guests, reservation time slots will be available in two-hour increments beginning at 8am until the pool closes at 10pm. The first set of reservations as well as season passes became available on May 10. People will need to pay the standard Barton Springs Pool entry fee (e.g., $5.00 for adult residents) to reserve a ticket. BSP continues to have Swim at Your Own Risk options from 5am-8am daily. Bartholomew Pool, Springwoods Pool and Big Stacy Pool: Pools are open to the public on a modified COVID-19 schedule. Restrooms at Bartholomew and Big Stacy Pools have been repaired and are open to the public. The Aquatic Division is discussing increasing capacity at its public pools during recreational swim hours. Capacities will be determined on the ability to increase staff at each site. The Aquatic Division has used an equity access lens to develop a tiered list of pools to focus on opening for summer. The training and hiring of lifeguards will dictate our ability to open more facilities. Lifeguard Applicants: As of May 10, there are 494 active applicants and 239 have been registered for classes through June, about 60 of these are applicants who are 15 years old. As of May 10, 180 lifeguards have been trained. More information is available at: www.lifeguardaustin.com. 6  Outdoor Recreational Sports: The Athletics Office implemented a phased approach to safely welcome back outdoor recreational sports for its affiliated organizations, agreement holders, partnerships, and PARD leagues. Each of the phases include the following groups: • Phase 1 (April 2021): Youth associations, Austin Men’s Soccer Association, Austin Metro Baseball • Phase 2 (May 2021): Five adult sports Athletic Agreement Holders • Phase 3 (June 2021): Eleven adult sports league reservation/rental partners • Phase 4 (mid-June 2021): Hourly reservations for outdoor facilities • Phase 5 (July 2021): PARD adult outdoor sports leagues • Phase 6 (mid-July 2021): Local tournaments • Phase 7 (September 2021): All tournaments and events Each phase is activated with consideration of the City of Austin COVID-19 conditions, local rules and department guidelines to ensure the safety of all patrons that visit our parks. Additionally, Athletics Office staff has met virtually with each of the groups listed above to discuss the expectations of resuming their programs. As an extra measure, these external organizations have provided their COVID- 19 operating guidelines for programs at PARD facilities to keep our Austin Community Safe! Older Americans Month: Every May, the Administration for Community Living (https://acl.gov) leads the nation’s observance of Older Americans Month. The theme for 2021 is "Communities of Strength.” Older adults have built resilience and strength over their lives through successes, failures, joys, and difficulties. Their stories and contributions help to support and inspire others. We will celebrate the strength of older adults with special emphasis on the power of connection and engagement in building strong communities. There are many things we can do to nurture ourselves, reinforce our strength, and continue to thrive. Connecting with others is one of the most important ways to do so. It plays a vital role in our health and well-being, and in that of our communities. The following events are occurring within the Community Recreation Division this month to support Older Americans Month. Highlighted events of the month are the following: • Virtual Marathon: Open to all ages and participants are encouraged to invite their kids, grandkids, and neighbors to join in this socially distanced fun! For more of an adventure, participants can share their milage to “Walk to Miami.” The marathon will begin May 17 and run for six weeks. • George Morales Dove Springs Trivia Drive Thru Event: Staff hosted the Trivia Drive Thru Event on May 11 with eight cars of 10 participants. The participants loved the prizes and enjoyed answering the questions. Every participant left with at least one prize. This was the first senior event since before the pandemic! • Virtual Exercise Classes : The Bringing Seniors Together Committee hosted virtual yoga, balance and strength exercises and Tai Chi to celebrate the month. • South Austin Senior Activity Center Mother’s Day Craft Shadow Box Craft: Participants were provided all the supplies and met virtually to make this special Mother’s Day gift. 10 registered to participate. 7  • • “Fight Back Against Stress” – Health Talk with Nutritionist from Natural Grocers: On May 13, Joseph Hernandez, Nutritionist from Natural Grocers, led a virtual session focused on the ill effects of chronic stress on the body, 12 registered to participate in the session. Lamar Senior Activity Center Paint with Rebecca: Two session of this popular event were hosted on May 19. All supplies were provided to paint your own “Longhorn in Bluebonnets” masterpiece. 17 registered to participate. • South Austin Senior Center Button Art: South Austin Senior Center staff hosted virtual event on May 21 to create a picture using buttons. Participants received all needed supplies. • Older Americans Month Concert: Conley Guerrero Park Pavilion will host a socially distanced outdoor concert with music by the All Rhythms Band on May 28, at 9:30am. • Family Archiving Mini Kits and Virtual Workshop: On May 19, the AARC hosted a Family Archiving Mini Kits and Virtual Workshop for participants to learn how to store family archives. The workshop was presented in English and Chinese Mandarin. 14 participated in the workshop. Pavilion Seniors Challenge: During the month of May, the community is invited to explore as many pavilions in Austin parks as they can and then submit a photo of themself at each pavilion. Participants will receive one point for each photo they submit at each different pavilion visited. Prizes will be awarded to the top three older American point winners! Top winners will receive a PARD pot of gold (four chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil). Dittmar’s Journey Through Time Drive-Thru Event: On May 25 from 10am-12pm, the Center parking lot will be split up sequentially into decades, 1950’s through 2000’s. Participants will drive the loop around the parking lot, going through each decade. Each decade will be decorated based on the culture of that time period and will feature staff dressed up as specific people who were popular during the decade or in popular attire of the time. Small items will be handed out along the way that coincide with each time period. Given’s Green Thumb: Givens Rec Center will hold a Green Thumb event on May 24 from 9am-1pm. Participants will receive a “Green Thumb Kit” which includes potting soil and 2 pots, 2 seasonal flower(s), 2 seasonal vegetable/fruit and instructions. Rodolfo “Rudy” Mendez Recreation Center Drive-Thru Luau: The Center will host a Drive-Thru Luau for seniors on May 26 starting at 10am while supplies last. The Drive-Thru Luau will focus on sharing Healthy Living tips. Participants will receive a healthy snack, flyers and/or promotional items from health-related vendors, tips on how to beat the summer heat and exercise cards. There will also be an opportunity to win prizes! Virginia L. Brown Senior Activity Center Senior Activity Kits: Seniors visited the Center on May 12to pick up activity kits that included the Virginia L. Brown senior newsletter, a Life quote, seeds to plant a beautiful Texas flower (includes pot and soil), an exercise card, word puzzle booklet and popcorn. 8  Holistic Wellness: Holistic Wellness is a health and wellness series presented by the AARC. The first session held last December was on Ayuryoga, a yoga practice with an Ayurvedic approach. The second session on April 10, focused on Qigong. Qigong (meaning energy work) which is a Chinese system of cultivating health, vitality, and longevity. Qigong uses slow and deep breathing, gentle movements, and mental focus. The class was led by Kimball ("Kim") Lorio and Surapsari ("Sari") Megumi Fujimaru, the owners of the Rolling Oaks Retreat in Driftwood, TX and 12 people attended the event with one attendee providing the following feedback, “Qi Gong is a wonderful healing practice which I have used for the last 30 years. I appreciate this offering, and the instructor was so skilled. Thank you for your time & keep up the work you do, the world needs it right now more than ever.” The last session in this series will be on May 22 and will focus on Meditation. Dougherty Arts Center LGBTQ+ Trivia Night Movie Edition: On May 19, the Dougherty Arts Center hosted a virtual LGBTQ+ Trivia Night Movie. From indie films to the golden era of cinema, participants challenged their knowledge or learned something new. For this event participants played as an individual, partaking in three rounds of LGBTQ+ movie trivia (15 questions per round) for the chance to win awesome prizes! 15 participated in Trivia Night. ESB-MACC Healing Garden: The Healing Garden had a work day on May 16 to work on the garden beds that sustained damage during the winter storms. Six volunteers worked to maintain the garden and its infrastructure by replacing damaged plants and fixing the beds that had been broken. The next work day will be during It’s My Park Day on Saturday, June 12! Sign-up at the following link: https://austinparks.givepulse.com/event/232587-Emma-S.-Barrientos-Mexican- American-Cultural-Center-Its-My-Park-Day-Spring. George Washington Carver Museum: The Carver Museum hosted its final installment of Create and Heal on May 20 from 7-9 pm with artist Dawn Okoro. Create & Heal works to help our community process the senseless killing of Black and Brown people in America which is accomplished by honoring the people we have lost and embracing the restorative and transformative power of art. 9  help cover The O. Henry Museum New Acquisition: During the 2021 winter ice storm, the O. Henry Museum’s off- site storage units flooded due to a broken fire sprinkler system. The current estimate of the destroyed items is $12,715. These items were mostly books from the Austin Poetry Society. However, the O. Henry Museum’s mission is to collect, preserve and interpret artifacts and archival materials related to William Sydney Porter and his life in Austin. The destroyed books were not related to Porter in any way. Meanwhile, drawings of William S. Porters’ (O.Henry) recently came up for auction. The images are from his early years in Austin and are a rare glimpse into Austin’s creative beginnings (1883-1884). With the Director’s permission, staff were the successful bidder on drawings. The Brush Square Museum Foundation donated $5,000 to shipping and handling costs and another private donor gave the museum $5,000 for conservation of the items. The portfolio included 27 illustrations for a lost mining memoir, drawn long before his fame as an author and laid into one binder; six possibly unrelated sketches on slightly larger sheets of thin tracing paper with substantial edge wear; one cartoon from a probably unrelated project; plus two photographs, four letters, and related clippings. [Austin, TX, circa 1883-84]. More information: http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/100835755_west-william-sydney-porter-aka-o-henry. Camacho Programs: Camacho Activity Center recently released their Learn-2-Ride video that is intended for youth and families to shed training wheels and learn to ride a bike with ease. The in-person Learn-2- Ride program is very popular, and staff are excited to see the program return in the Fall, should conditions continue to be favorable. The Center is also training staff and preparing to offer Family Kayaking programs this summer, which is an exciting way to get families active and engaged with nature. Zilker Botanical Garden Woodland Fairie Trail: The popular Woodland Fairie Trail (seasonal summer exhibit) will open Memorial Day Weekend, with approximately 40 fairy houses installed by community participants. Augmenting the trail itself, the Garden will install and feature a Story Walk featuring the book Backyard Fairies by Phoebe Wahl. Nature Based Programs: The Austin Nature & Science Center and Camacho Activity Center have both hired 80% of the staff needed for summer. The Austin Nature & Science Center and the Beverly S. Sheffield Education Center are finalizing their plans to reopen to the public by reservation. Park Ranger Cadet Program: Cadet Apprentice Uriel Martinez completed his support of the participatory design project at Williamson Creek Greenbelt in Dove Springs, his home neighborhood. This project involves University of Texas Professor Bjorn Sletto’s Practicum in Environmental Justice, GoAustin/VamosAustin (GAVA), Urban Roots, and community members. Zoom recording of the presentation & feedback. Park Ranger Operations April 10-May 10, 2021: Park Rangers handled daily operations including 1,371 contacts regarding Laws, Safety, Service and Education. 258 contacts were logged for dogs off leash 10  during this time frame. Park Rangers focused on carrying out Mark Capture survey, installing summer camp signage, and Easter operations during this timeframe. ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATES: City of Austin’s FY2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report Audit: The City completed the fiscal year 2020 audit with an unmodified or “clean” opinion by the City’s external auditors, Deloitte & Touche LLP. The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (Report) as of September 30, 2020 was issued on March 19. The audit report and results were presented to the Audit and Finance Committee in April. The Report is accessible at the following URL: https://assets.austintexas.gov/financeonline/downloads/comprehensive_annual_financial_report/comp rehensive_annual_financial_report_2020.pdf. COVID-19 Financial Impact: The City has established a COVID-19 Fiscal Dashboard that is updated monthly and contains information about the City’s use of funds pertaining to the COVID-19 health event. Here’s a link to the dashboard: www.austintexas.gov/covid19-fiscal-dashboard. 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 April, PARD has incurred costs of approximately $3.3M relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. Regarding the pandemic impact on revenue collection, $2.8M in General Fund revenue has been collected as of the end of April as compared to $4.1M collected at the end of April 2020. Majority of the revenue proceeds result from Boat Concessions and Cemetery related fees. Golf Fund revenue is up significantly compared to the same period of the prior year. 11  Summer Hiring Efforts: PARD anticipates hiring approximately 500-800 temporary employees to assist with the summer season. The following divisions currently have temporary job postings and are currently hiring to meet the needs of summer programming: Golf, Aquatics, Community Recreation, Ground Operations and Maintenance, Museums, Natural Resources and various intern positions through the division. The Centralized Programs Division and Community Engagement Unit continues to support summer camp counselor hiring efforts in response to plans to re-open in- person programming. Strong efforts aimed at marketing and recruitment have been made, including targeted public radio ads, social media posts, virtual job/career fairs, and press releases to the local news media (https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/want-to-be-a-summer-camp-counselor-austin-parks-and- recreation-is-hiring/; https://www.fox7austin.com/news/pard-now-hiring-2021-summer-camp- counselors). Additionally, staff created a New Hire Paperwork video to assist applicants in completing their paperwork remotely. The team had a great time producing the video, and so far the feedback from applicants is they love it. Equity and Inclusion Program Manager I: On May 10, PARD launched the recruitment campaign for the Department’s first Equity and Inclusion Program Manager. The new manager will work hand in hand with the Director and will oversee the development, coordination, and administration of equity policies and practices, ensuring equitable access, opportunities and outcomes for the workforce and community. Applications are due by June 30. City of Austin Vaccine Clinics: PARD Human Resources continues to communicate City of Austin vaccine clinics when announced through-out the month. Between April and May, the City of Austin announced at least five COVID 19 vaccine clinics. All employees are encouraged to obtain the vaccine; however, obtaining the vaccine is currently voluntary. 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 with the Zilker Park Boat Rentals for use of the property located downstream from Barton Springs Swimming Pool. The contract expired on February 28, but a holdover was established to continue services to the public while a new solicitation implementation timeline was finalized. The anticipated release of the Request for Proposals is June. Zilker Zephyr Train Concession: Austin Park Foundation is continuing to move forward with opening for the new train concession is Q3 of 2021 and the estimated cost is $850,000. Most of the funding will be obtained through a fundraising campaign. Contract negotiations are underway. Solicitation for Recreation Management Information System: With the expiration of the current contract with Vermont Systems Inc. expiring in September 2022, Contact staff has initiated the development of a solicitation for these services with the Information Services Management Division. Currently, the project manager is gathering input from end users of the system. 12 Agreement with The Trail Foundation for EpicSUP: In accordance with City Council Resolution No. 20201112-071, PARD has negotiated and executed the agreement to allow The Trail Foundation to enter into a food and beverage and stand-up paddle board concession agreement with EpicSUP on City property located at 2200 South Lakeshore Boulevard,. Park Reservations System: The park-pass reservation system for Emma Long and Walter E. Long parks has been reactivated. Members of the public can go to the PARD online reservation system to reserve a vehicle or walk or bike-in pass which will be required for park entry on Fridays through Sundays for the rest of the summer season. Park entry fees may be paid at pay station kiosks at the entrance. Expanding System Connectivity: The Information Systems Management Unit is working with the City’s Communications and Technology Management (CTM) Department to expand network and Wi-Fi connectivity to PARD facilities. PARD has embarked on a project to extend the City’s fiber backbone to the Zilker Botanical Garden Center which will provide both employees and center staff with high-speed internet. New Wi-Fi installations in the center will enhance the conference center and back-office connections as well. PARD and CTM are also installing updated Wi-Fi systems in Recreation Centers, Senior Centers and the Department’s Museums and Cultural Centers. This work is expected to take two years to complete. 13