02-1: PARD Director's Report, August 2022 — original pdf

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PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD DIRECTOR’S REPORT DATE: August 2022 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENTS: Renaming Ceremony – George Morales Dove Springs Recreation Center: The facility renaming ceremony in honor of Constable George Morales took place on July 30, 2022, at 9:00 am. The event was not only to recognize the Dove Springs Recreation Center name change but also to highlight the many years of community service and protection that George Morales has given the Dove Springs community. Keynote speakers included Congressman Lloyd Doggett, Mayor Steve Adler, Council Member Vanessa Fuentes, Former Council Member Greg Casar and County Commissioner Margaret Gomez. District 2 Constable George Morales speaking to ceremony attendees George Morales Dove Springs Recreation Center: The George Morales Dove Springs Recreation Center hosted a town hall meeting on July 23, 2022, from 10 am-1 pm. This meeting was coordinated by Councilwoman Vanessa Fuentes and Mission Capital. Discussions between Travis Country Child Welfare Services, Austin Independent School District (AISD), and community members took place. The primary focus of these discussions centered on support that Black/Brown families receive from health and protective family agencies in the Austin area. Approximately 75 visitors attended this event and participated in open discussion and dialogue. District 2 1  Outdoor Basketball/Pickleball Court Ribbon Cutting Ceremony: Gus Garcia Recreation Center hosted an official ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, for their outdoor basketball court. There were over 50 people in attendance to witness the grand opening. Speeches were given from City Council member Jose “Chito” Vela, the Gus Garcia, Advisory Board President, and members of The Austin Parks Foundation. District 4 Tarrytown Neighborhood Park Playground Replacement: On August 27, 2022, the Department will host the second community engagement event for the upcoming Playground Replacement at Tarrytown Neighborhood Park, located at 2106 Tower Drive, Austin, TX 78703. The event will take place in person from 10:30 am – 12:00 pm and will include poster boards and survey questions for public response. The community will have the opportunity to review three different playscapes from different playground vendors. Responses that we receive will help to determine the final playscape equipment and the preferred color scheme. An online survey will be available on the project webpage for those not able to attend in person. The project is funded by the 2018 Bond Program and Parkland Dedication Funds. https://www.austintexas.gov/department/tarrytown-neighborhood-park-playscape-replacement. District 10 Montopolis Pool Replacement Project: On September 13, 2022, the Department will host the second community engagement meeting for the upcoming Pool Replacement Project at Montopolis Neighborhood Park, located at 1200 Montopolis Drive, Austin, TX 78741. The event will take place from 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm both virtually through Zoom and in-person at the Montopolis Recreation and Community Center. During the meeting, the team will share the survey results from the second community survey and the final pool concept. The project plans to upgrade the existing neighborhood pool to a community pool with a beach entry, new play features, an accessible deck, and new family restrooms. The existing restrooms will be renovated, and the mural on the side of the building will be restored through the Austin Art in Public Places program. The Zoom link for the community meeting will be available on the project website. The project is funded by the 2018 Bond Program. https://www.austintexas.gov/department/montopolis-pool-project. District 3 Community and Engagement Unit (CEU) - Davis/White Northeast Neighborhood Park Fitness Equipment Replacement Project Survey: This project will introduce new fitness equipment, consolidated into a central location, to enhance the exercise opportunities in the park. Community members can provide input online or in-person at two pop-ups in the park. Community Survey: Open now through September 5 (Encuesta Comunitaria). District 1 CEU - Beverly S. Sheffield Northwest Pool Community Meeting #2: Similar to the Montopolis Pool meeting, the Department will host the second community gathering for the Beverly S. Sheffield Northwest Aquatic Facility project to show the latest pool concept and hear feedback as well. At the meeting, the project team will share previous community input that helped shape the pool concept, listen to comments, and share the next steps. Wednesday, September 28, 2022. Event Details: In-person at Northwest Recreation Center, 2913 Northland Dr., Austin, TX 78757, Online at Zoom Registration, Project Webpage. District 7 PLANNING UPDATES: 2  Commercial Parkland Dedication Ordinance: The City Council will conduct a public hearing to consider amendments to City Code Chapter 25-1 (General Requirements and Procedure at Austin City Hall, 301 W. Second Street, Austin, Texas) to require parkland dedication for commercial, including industrial and office uses, developments. Postponed by Council to September 1, 2022. All Districts Project Connect: The Department continues to work with Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) and Texas Park and Wildlife (TPWD) on Section 6F of the Land and Water Conservation Act and 4F of the U.S. Department of Transportation Act. The Waller Beach portion will go through a 6F conversion, which requires a 1:1 replacement of land. TPWD is discussing 6F for Auditorium Shores where the line will be subterranean. The Department has created a spreadsheet of properties to consider for replacement and has shared it with ATP. https://projectconnect.com/. Multiple Districts Zilker Metropolitan Park Vision Plan: In August, the project team hosted meetings with Austin Transportation Department and TxDOT/Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority to review draft plan elements focused on transportation options in and around Zilker Park. The consultant team will distribute a single draft concept and accompanying plan for internal review at the end of August. After the initial review, the plan will be shared with the project's Technical Advisory Group, tentatively planned to take place in September. The parking shuttle pilot program will conclude on Labor Day, September 5. More information including the concepts and meeting recordings may be found on the project website. https://www.austintexas.gov/ZilkerVision. Districts 5 and 8 Brodie Oaks PUD: The Brodie Oaks shopping center redevelopment is a proposed Planned Unit Development (PUD) located at Loop 360 and South Lamar. At a high level, the project proposes a mixed- use center that includes mid- and high-rise multifamily, hotel, office, and shopping center land uses. 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. Department staff plans to bring the PUD proposal before the Parks and Recreation Board for a recommendation to City Council in September. The proposal currently includes dedicating 11.6 acres of new parkland to expand the Barton Creek Greenbelt. District 5 305 Congress “Statesman” Planned Unit Development Amendment (PUD): The item is coming back to Council in September, for a second reading after it was postponed at the July 28 regular Council meeting (item 131). The LAW Department has drafted an Ordinance with several exhibits. The Department has the following concerns with the current ordinance: • It contains some baseline commitments but does not clarify whether these can receive credit from parkland fees, and states that fiscal will be posted but does not include a timeline. • The ordinance lacks a committed park plan or a roadmap to get to one. The Grove is a good • • • example of a PUD with a roadmap. It falls far short of the park plan or investment level of the South Central Waterfront Plan. It removes one current access (parallel to S. Congress), which many view as a loss. It contains an overly cumbersome procedure for park programming which the applicant also does not agree with. District 9 3  DEVELOPMENT UPDATES: Northwest Recreation Center Playground Construction: Demolition of the playground at Northwest Recreation Center began on August 15, 2022. Following demolition, installation of a new playground will begin. District 7 Turner- Roberts Recreation Center: The Department team in coordination with AISD recently completed a driveway replacement from Colony Park Drive to the parking lot and entry way of the recreation center and Overton Elementary. The project encompassed most of the summer and was completed in time for the start of the AISD school year. District 2 Givens Recreation Center: The reconstruction of a ballfield at Givens Recreation center began on July 18, 2022. The space will become a multipurpose field for site and community usage as outlined in the approved vision plan. District 1 Turner Roberts Recreation Center: Turner Roberts Recreation Center recently began construction of a new Radio-Controlled Car Track. Participants in the program will learn components of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (S.T.E.M) as they build and race their own cars around the outdoor RC track. District 2 Construction of Turner Roberts Recreation Center’s RC Track Parque Zaragoza Recreation Center: Parque Zaragoza Recreation Center recently began work to provide irrigation to their baseball field. The site has seen many improvements within the past two years to include the installation of new lights, netting, batting cages and now irrigation which will greatly improve the overall upkeep and appearance of the field. District 1 4  Irrigation construction at Parque Zaragoza ballfield Mendez Recreation Center: A Community Activated Park Project (CAPP) proposal has been submitted by artist Mr. Fidencio Duran to upgrade the gazebo near the murals along the hike and bike trail at Metz Neighborhood Park. The restoration process was discussed at a one-hour site visit on August 3, 2022. Dittmar Receation Center: Dittmar Recreation Center is in the process of revamping the fenced in backyard area behind the main facility. Dittmar received a $19,000 donation and is using these funds to pour a concrete slab, making it accessible for youth, teen, and varsity generation programming. The slab will be ADA accessible with new outdoor tables. District 2 Dittmar Backyard 5  Mueller Skatepark: The Mueller neighborhood’s latest amenity, the skate park and cycle pump track, opened on Thursday, August 11, 2022. It is the newest phase of the Southeast Greenway. The new facility is accessible from Manor Road and Zach Scott Street near the upcoming Austin ISD Northeast Austin Middle School. The park has features designed for skateboarding, inline skating, and riding BMX bikes and includes a colorful shade canopy, restrooms, and a water fountain. The skatepark was funded and developed by Catellus, master developer for the Mueller neighborhood, and was transferred to the Department as dedicated parkland at the completion of the project. District 1 Mueller Skate park opened on August 11. Photo courtesy of MuellerAustin.com George Washington Carver Museum – Facility Expansion Phase 1A & 1B: On August 5, 2022, the Department issued a solicitation for statements of qualifications for the selection of a design professional to provide architecture and engineering services for the facility expansion of the Carver Museum. The prime architecture firm submitting qualifications will provide design and construction services for Phase 1A and Phase 1B as outlined in the Department’s 2021 Council-approved Facility Expansion Plan for The George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center. In summary, the design scope includes a new mezzanine level administrative area within the existing structure above the current museum, remodel of the existing administrative suite into a multi-purpose room, relocation of the existing statues, new outdoor spaces, and site improvements that include outside classrooms, community garden, renovation of existing public restrooms, and a new flexible event lawn with covered pavilion. This project is funded by the 2018 Bond Program. District 1 6  Proposed Central Maintenance Complex Facility: The Department is working with the Capital Contracting Office to contract with an architect from the City’s rotation list to perform pre-design services for a proposed maintenance facility at Bolm District Park. Project kick-off is anticipated to begin before the fall of 2022. The scope of services include staff and stakeholder engagement, programming efforts, preliminary code studies, site analysis, conceptual site and floor plans, and construction cost estimates. District 3 Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River Park Channel and Bridge Repairs: Construction work is scheduled to begin the week of August 22 to stabilize a section of Country Club Creek and replace a pedestrian and bike bridge in Roy G. Guerrero Metro Park. The bridge sustained major structural damage during the 2015 Memorial Day floods, and severe erosion occurred along the creek channel. The Parks and Recreation Department has been working closely with Watershed Protection, Public Works, and Austin Water to stabilize and protect the area while developing long-term plans to safely replace the lost infrastructure. This project is funded through a combination of Drainage Utility Funds, General Funds, 2018 Bond Funds, and a FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant. Additional information on the channel stabilization can be found on the Watershed Protection Department’s project webpage. Construction is estimated to be completed by the fall of 2024. District 3 Illustrated plan of work planned at Roy G. Guerrero Bridge 7  Holly Shores / Edward Rendon Sr. Park at Festival Beach Vision Plan Implementation: A new trail segment along Lady Bird Lake is nearing substantial completion. The contractor, Muniz Concrete & Contracting, built the segment closing the Ann and Roy Butler trail gap through the nine acres of the Austin Energy Holly Street Power Plant property ceded to the Department. The completed ADA- accessible trail is 12 feet wide, meanders adjacent to the waterfront, includes an overlook area, and connects to Holly Street and Pedernales Street before continuing eastbound on the existing Hike and Bike Trail. Additional improvements include a decorative screen wall to separate the Austin Energy decommissioned power plant from the new trail, and landscape plantings to create an overall park setting and support the ecological restoration and protection of natural areas and wildlife habitat in the ceded property. The grand opening is currently anticipated to take place in September. The project is funded through the 2012 and 2018 Parks Bonds, a matching Federal Grant through the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) Program, Austin Transportation and Mobility Bonds, and funding from Austin Energy and Public Works Departments of the City of Austin. District 3 Left: Overlook area Right: trail entry from pedestrian lagoon bridge on the new Holly Lake Front Trail Pharr Tennis Center Renovation: The renovation of the Burnett “Blondie” Pharr Tennis Center started construction on August 15, 2022. The project will refurbish the courts, add energy-efficient sports lighting, replace fencing, windscreens, and court amenities, and provide accessible parking, security lighting, shade structures and park furnishings. The pro shop building will be brought to current codes with updated restrooms. Additionally, a new piece of permanent artwork will be created as part of the Art in Public Places Program. The project aims to achieve LEED Silver certification and SITES certification. Construction is anticipated to be completed in late 2023. Funding is provided through the 2018 Bond Program and a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department grant. https://www.austintexas.gov/department/pharr-tennis-center-renovation. District 9 MAINTENANCE UPDATES: Delores Duffie Recreation Center: Delores Duffie Recreation Center will host its annual maintenance week this month. Major projects for this year will include the resurfacing of the site’s dance room and Doris Miller gym. District 1 Mendez Recreation Center: After recent vandalism to the building as well as activity in the park, Mendez has decided to increase its security of the premises by adding new internal and external 8  security. The City vendor, Johnson Controls has delivered a quote and has performed two facility walkthroughs. Last week, a member of the City of Austin maintenance asbestos team joined in the walkthrough and determined that spot checks will be performed during the camera installation as a precaution. No hot spots were identified during the walkthrough. District 3 Dittmar Recreation Center: Similar to Mendez Recreation Center, Dittmar has added outdoor security cameras to monitor activity in and around the building. The City vendor, Johnson Controls completed the installation. District 2 Lamar Senior Activity Center: Asbestos abatement in the following areas will began August 18, 2022: • Supervisor Office • Program Office • Computer Lab • South Room-east wall The south end of the facility will be closed during abatement and during the time which walls and floors will be repaired. Estimated time the areas will be closed to the public is two-four weeks. District 9 Zilker Metro Park Maintenance Project: C3 began the maintenance of the Stratford Drive Butler Landfill lot on July 5, 2022. Planned maintenance work includes regrading to prevent ponding, gates to control vehicular access to the cap, a pedestrian gate near Lou Neff Road, and an irrigation system to support the three re-vegetated acres. A new pump will utilize lake water for irrigation. In August, the existing wood bollards along Lou Neff and Stratford Drive were removed in preparation for the installation of the split rail fence. Grading was completed on the three-acre portion of the lot for the installation of the grass pave, and the base course has been installed. The contractor, Clean Scapes, has started the trenching for the main and lateral lines for the irrigation system. Clean Scapes anticipates most split rail fencing will be in place along Stratford Drive by mid-September before the ACL Music Festival starts loading in. Any remaining work and the revegetation of the three-acre lot will be completed after the ACL Festival. The 5-acre gravel lot was regraded in July and remains open for public use. District 8 Left: Arial view of the Zilker Metro Park Maintenance Project. The red outline indicates areas off-use to the public during the maintenance period. Right: View of grass pave base course, looking west. 9  PROGRAM UPDATES: Operation of Pools: The Aquatic Division continues to work towards providing guarded aquatic facilities to the Austin community. All Regional Aquatic Facilities will remain open on weekends through Labor Day (Northwest, Walnut Creek, Mabel Davis, and Garrison Pools). Barton Springs, Deep Eddy, Bartholomew, Springwoods and Stacy Pools will return to their normal winter operations with no weekday closures beginning August 15, 2022. Districts 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10 The Aquatic Division will continue to provide a safe aquatic learning environment for Austin Police, Fire and EMS to conduct training. Austin-Travis County Starflight is hosted their ECHO Heliops Conference at Bartholomew Pool on August 15, 2022. The Austin Police Department will be conducting training for their Dive Team at Northwest Pool on August 23, 2022. Districts 4 and 7 Food Access: In partnership with Brighter Bites, the Department distributed over 30,000 lbs. of fresh fruit and vegetables to the community through five recreation centers. Each week during the summer the Department and Brighter Bites bagged produce to give away to participant’s families in the summer camp program. Each distribution included sample recipes and fun activities for the whole family to promote healthy eating. Districts: 1, 2, 3 and 4 Number of Food Bags Distributed with Brighter Bites 10  Northwest Recreation Center Pride Bingo: Northwest Recreation Center implemented a new virtual event on July 21st called Pride Bingo to celebrate diversity and inclusion. Each participant received their Pride Bingo cards via email and logged into Zoom to play along online with other participants. Nine participants registered in advance for the event and one of the Northwest Summer Camp groups played as well to bring the total number of participants to 29. The winner of each game stopped by the recreation center to pick up their prizes. District 7 After School Program – All Recreation Center Sites: This year’s After School Program began August 15, 2022 and is all about what YOU can do! Whether it’s being an inventor, being silly, or making a difference, interests through Enrichments, Homework Time, and Active Play will be explored. North Area Field Day: Gus Garcia hosted this summer’s North Area Field Day Wednesday, July 20, 2022, from 10 am-1 pm with 180 participants in attendance. Participants were able to join a number of outdoor activities and were given prizes at every station. As an extra special treat, participants were able to choose a draw string backpack and a refillable water bottle. Teen participants from Gus Garcia, Montopolis, Mendez, and South Austin Rec Centers were in attendance to help run the game booths. At the end of the event all participants were able to enjoy a Chick-fil-A meal to cool down from the summer heat. District 4 Delores Duffie Recreation Center – Games Day: Delores Duffie Recreation and Parque Zaragoza Center closed out the summer with a day of games galore: booger wars, hamster ball, and water balloon toss and bubble soccer. District 1 Delores Duffie and Parque Zaragoza host a field day of games Delores Duffie Recreation Center – Leafy Learner: Delores Duffie Recreation Center continues to move forward with its Toddler Program entitled Leafy Learner. The outdoor toddler-based curriculum became a new addition to facility programs after recent funding for outdoor programs provided to the site. The program, which has run continuously throughout the year introduces a new and engaging outdoor learning component for toddlers and their guardians. The success of the program has allowed the site to expand into two additional and separate toddler-based programs also offered once per week called Sweet and Salty Science and Melodies Movement. The site will continue the implementation and growth of these new toddler focused programs, quarterly, into the start of the new fiscal. District 1 11  Delores Duffie Recreation Center toddler Leafy Learner program Mendez Recreation Center: Mendez Recreation Center closed its summer Movie in the Park Series after six weeks of Friday night movies resented to the community. August 12, 2022 included Nickelodeon’s Good Burger to cap off a summer series of movie watching under the summer sky. Special thanks to Sendero Healthcare for proving movie goers with food and snacks throughout the summer series event. Average attendance throughout the summer was 50. District 1 Mendez recreation center hosts its annual summer movie in the park series 12  Givens Recreation Center: Givens Recreation Center recently began registration for its youth Flag Football program. This program will mark the sites first return since pandemic to a co-ed flag football league for participants’ ages 5 to 10 years of age. District 1 Backpack Give Aways: Reaching Out Supporting Every Sister (R.O.S.E.S.) 12th Annual Back to School Drive- The Carver Museum and Black Women in Business supplied over 500 backpacks filled with school supplies to attendees on Saturday, August 6, 2022, during the R.O.S.E.S 12th Annual Back to School Drive. District 1 Pam Recreation Center hosted a back-to-school giveaway this month with donated backpacks form Constable George Morales. To supplement these backpacks the site will also provide school supplies in each of the bags with donated funds from the site’s special revenue funding. District 3 Givens Recreation Center hosted its back-to-school event in co-sponsorship with community leaders to distribute over 150 backpacks to families in the Givens area prior to the start of school year. The event will be held Saturday, August 13, 2022, in the Givens gymnasium. District 1 George Morales Dove Springs Recreation Center hosted its annual ‘’Back to School Bash’’ on July 30, 2022, from 10 am-1 pm. Over 4,000 backpacks were stuffed by the Parks & Recreation and Constable’s Office staff with valuable school supplies for students. Almost 3,500 backpacks were distributed to the community and over 2,000 citizens attended this event. District 2 4,000 stuffed backpacks 13  Community residents lining up to receive backpacks George Morales Dove Springs Recreation Center: The George Morales Dove Springs Recreation Center held the first ever ‘’Dove Park Madness’’ event on July 23, 2022, from 10 am-2 pm. This event was done in coordination with the previously mentioned Council office town hall meeting. Approximately 105 visitors attended this event and enjoyed a fun day of inflatable obstacle courses, carnival games and prizes. District 2 Youth enjoying carnival games Youth participating in the inflatable wheel race 14  Montopolis Recreation and Community Center: Montopolis Recreation Center hosted Summer Teen Challenge on July 29, 2022, from 10 am-12 pm. Teens from various recreation centers came together and participated in multiple games such as blow-up soccer, dart Nerf Gun war game and a fun foam pit. Snow cones and popcorn were given to attendees. 80 teens participated. District 3 Montopolis Teen Group participating in Teen Challenge Paulina Miles, Montopolis Recreation and Community Center’s boxing program participant, competed in the 2022 USA Boxing's National Junior Olympics Tournament Championship. Paulina Miles won the tournament to become a 5X Boxing National Campion. The tournament was hosted in Wichita Kansas on July 16, 2022. District 3 Paulina Miles on the podium 15  South Austin Recreation Center: Annual Summer Camp Talent show took place on Thursday, July 25, 2022. Over 200 campers and parents were in attendance from five different recreation centers. District 3 SAR Gym at the Summer Camp Talent Show South Austin Recreation Center: The Out of School Time (OOST) programs Sandlot Baseball and Radio Controlled (RC) Car Club has come to an end. Between the two programs 13 total participants enjoyed a new sport and found a new hobby. RC Club participants received a RC car to take home and Sandlot participants took home a new glove and baseball. District 3 RC Car Club kids with RC Cars Youth Sandlot Baseball kids with their Gloves 16  North Area Field Day Conley Guerrero Senior Activity Center-Senior and Law Enforcement Together (SALT) Resource Fair: The resource fair was held on Thursday, August 18, 2022 from 10 am-1pm. The Annual Salt Resource Fair returns for an in-person event featuring entertainment, informational presentation, community resource, and lunch for attendees. District 2 South Austin Senior Activity Center Legacy Memories Class: The class began on August 15, 2022. Participants will learn ways to document some of their most important memories to be shared with their family and future generations. They will be given opportunities to utilize print, video, and audio media to record their message. District 5 Julia C. Butridge Gallery Artist Reception: The Dougherty Arts Center is proud to host new artworks by two Austin-based photographers, Tyeschea West and Chantal Lesley. Both artists and 62 members of the public celebrated the exhibition at an artist reception on Wednesday, August 3, 2022. More information about the exhibits and upcoming events can be found at https://www.austintexas.gov/department/julia-c-butridge-gallery. District 9 Left: “Some Have Assumed…” Tyeschea West, Fine Art paper and Print Film Right: “Self Portrait: What Are You?” Chantal Lesley, Archival Inkjet Print Author and Family Heritage Talk: Sarah Grace Monroe has many ancestors resting in Oakwood Cemetery. As she researched her family, she created a book to be distributed to the living descendants. Compiling genealogy, photos, and recipes, she has written a family genealogy book that includes family recipes to share the culture of her family through food. Event was held on July 23, 2022, at the Oakwood Cemetery Chapel. 28 people attended the recorded event which can be seen at https://youtu.be/P4Q21u6u0Q8. District 1 17  Author Sarah Grace Monroe Gives Talk on Her Family Heritage Cookbook at the Oakwood Chapel The Black Maker’s Market: The Black Makers Market is back at the Carver! Dozens of local artisans, and creatives serve up their finest arts and crafts for you. The event was hosted Saturday, August 20, 2022, from 11 am-3 pm - with DJ Sets, live interviews, and giveaways. Estimated attendance is 500. Black Makers Market. District 1 Black Makers Market August Vendor Market” Flyer Featuring a Woman in Sunglasses 18  Artivism – How to Create Social Change with Art: The Asian American Resource Center will host a free community workshop facilitated by The Slants Foundation’s Simon Tam on August 25, 2022. The session will feature practical and actionable skill-sharing for creating positive impact through culturally relevant art practice. For more information and to register for the workshop, please visit aarcatx.eventbrite.com. Expected attendance is 25 people. District 1 Taller Abierto Free Art Classes: The free art class program by the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center titled “Taller Abierto” (Open Workshop) has been a great success with our community members. Over 50 art enthusiasts and students ages 14 and older attended the vibrant bilingual classes taught by seasoned art instructor Miguel Angel Santana. Due to great feedback and attendance, we are working on expanding this program. Photos and information about Miguel can be found at https://tinyurl.com/tallerabiertoATX. District 9 19  Participants at One of the Taller Abierto Free Art Classes at the ESB-MACC Brush Square Museums O. Henry Playhouse Video Series: A long-lost television anthology series "The O. Henry Playhouse" has been lovingly restored and is now available to view again through ClassicFlix, www.classicflix.com. Museum staff at the O. Henry have been sharing highlights from these restored videos that are based on O. Henry Stories. District 9 The Reformation of Calliope Presented by the O. Henry Playhouse 20  Waterloo Park & Moody Amphitheater – Austin Energy® Green Building Award Ceremony: Waterloo Park, the first phase of the Waterloo Greenway, is an 11-acre green space that hosts a wide range of landscape experiences for play, leisure, and celebration of the natural environment including more than 1.5 miles of accessible tree-lined trail connecting a network of gardens, water features, gathering spaces, stands of mature trees, and Austin's newest outdoor performance venue Moody Amphitheater. The park and amphitheater are the first PARD project to earn a 4-star rating through the Austin Energy® Green Building program for their innovative sustainable design strategies. On July 31st an official plaque ceremony was held at the park followed by a tour of the site's environmental features as part of Waterloo Greenway's recurring Tales on the Trails series. https://waterloogreenway.org/tales-on-the- trail-recap/. Districts 1 and 9 Department Assistant Director Liana Kallivoka accepting the 4-Star Green Building plaque from Austin Energy. Photo credit: Lauren Slusher, Waterloo Greenway ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATES: Therapeutic Recreation: The Department is in the process of hiring a dedicated Program Manager over our Therapeutic Recreation Services work groups that provide safe, accessible, fun, and supportive recreation environments for all persons no matter their abilities. The Department’s Therapeutic Recreation Services include both adaptive and inclusive programs which are facilitated and supported by Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists (CTRS). On August 1, 2022, the leadership team over summer youth programming were invited to participate in continued learning for best practices with our inclusion participants. John McGovern, JD, an expert in accessibility/Americas with Disabilities Act (ADA) and a member of the American Academy of Parks and Recreation, spoke with the team to share and discuss ADA and our role as a Department. There were some good points for discussion and moving forward. Mr. McGovern is expected to return this fall for a more in-depth workshop to continue to celebrate, learn, and share! All districts. 21  Financial Services Division (FSD) - Zilker Train: The Parks and Recreation Board (PARB) received an update on January 5, 2021, regarding the execution of the Construction, Operations, and Maintenance Agreement for a Miniature Train Operation at Zilker Metropolitan Park with the Austin Parks Foundation (Foundation). During recent testing, the Foundation found additional parts and retrofitting are needed. Additionally, the difficulty in obtaining parts has further delayed their timeline. The Foundation has a website that provides details on opening and activities related to the train at https://www.zilkertrain.org/. District 8 FSD - Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA): Interlocal agreement (ILA) with LCRA for the installation of buoys at Lake Austin, Lady Bird Lake, Decker Lake, and the area surrounding Water Treatment Plant #4 on Lake Travis. This agreement will replace the current agreement expiring on December 30, 2022. Per the agreement, the Department and LCRA agree to mutually determine locations and number of buoys needed at each. LCRA will install buoys with the Department reimbursing LCRA for materials and labor. The Department presenting the ILA to PARB in July 2022 for recommended action of approval by Council in September. FSD - Recreation Management System: The contract with the current vendor, Vermont Systems (RecTrac), for recreation management, expires in September 2022. The Department, with the assistance of the Communications and Technology Management Department (CTM), published a Request for Information (RFI) to survey current technology solutions in the Recreation Management Industry. The Department /CTM received three responses and conducted vendor question and answer sessions and vendor system demonstrations, along with meetings with current user organizations, between September and October 2021. Based on the information gathered, the Department will work with CTM to establish a scope of work (SOW) and conduct a formal solicitation for a future Recreation Management System. As CTM is the principal information technology department that focuses on the delivery and operations of vital IT infrastructure network and telecommunications services for the City, they will facilitate the competitive solicitation process. This includes establishing a CTM project manager and creating a timeline for the solicitation process. A CTM project manager assignment and timeline for the Department are pending. The Department anticipates the solicitation process will take over a year to complete. The Department will continue to utilize RecTrac services throughout the solicitation process until a recommended vendor is established. FSD - Watercraft Concession at 2418 Stratford Drive: The contract with the current vendor, Rowing Dock, expires April 22, 2023. The Scope of Work (SOW) is currently under development, and it will be presented at the September CCC meeting. The solicitation is scheduled for release in late September and expected to be executed prior to end of current agreement by April 2024. District 8 22