20210622-B1: Payton Gin Pocket Park Renaming — original pdf

Recommendation

BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Parks and Recreation Board Recommendation Number 20210622-B1: Parkland Naming of Heron Hollow Pocket Park WHEREAS, this recommendation is intended to correct a park name and to document some of the history of the community for future generations; WHEREAS, currently the name of the park located at 801 Payton Gin Road is inadvertently listed by the City of Austin as Payton Gin Pocket Park; WHEREAS, the City of Austin never officially named the park “Payton Gin Pocket Park”; WHEREAS, the city property was not dedicated parkland property until the North Austin Civic Association (NACA) adopted the area and made the improvements to the now parkland in the early 2000s; WHEREAS, the site was named Heron Hollow Park by a community vote held by the NACA Park Committee prior to becoming City of Austin parkland; WHEREAS, the first meetings of the NACA “Heron Hollow Improvement Committee” were held on May 10, 2001; May 31, 2001; June 13, 2001; and June 25, 2001; WHEREAS, NACA signed an October 11, 2002, cooperative agreement with the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) to make improvements to the city property at 8830 North Lamar Blvd, now identified as, 801 Payton Gin Road; WHEREAS, the NACA and PARD agreement was referred to in an 2003-2004 Neighborhood Parks Grant application and the site was referred to as Heron Hollow; WHEREAS, NACA has led the beautification and all improvements at the site which include, but not limited to; designating wildflower areas, planting two black walnut trees, two Texas redbud trees, two Mexican buckeye trees, creating a walking trail, and erecting a Chimney Swift Tower; WHEREAS, the park was named after the blue herons that visit the park; WHEREAS, other names under consideration were Fiskville Green, Little Walnut Bend, and Payton Gin Nature Area; WHEREAS, the site is recognized by the Texas Historical Commission as the site of Fiskville, a settlement founded in 1857 that existed until the City of Austin annexed the community in 1963;