Parks and Recreation BoardOct. 24, 2022

05-1: PARD Director's Report, October 2022 — original pdf

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PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD DIRECTOR’S REPORT DATE: October 2022 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT/EVENTS: Roy Kizer Golf Course: The successful grand reopening of the Roy Kizer Golf Course was held on September 29, 2022. A bagpipe player kicked off the event welcoming the players who teed off beginning at 7:00 AM. The morning also featured a live radio broadcast with the sports radio show The Horn with Bucky and Aaron, and breakfast for all attendees. The afternoon included music, giveaways, a golf aide demo, more golf, and beverage samples. 200 people attended the event. District 2 1 Mornings with Bucky and Erin Broadcast/Bagpiper David Shackelford Golfers warming up for their round / Clay-Kizer Practice Facility Dedication Ceremony at Wooldridge Square: On Friday, October 28, 2022 at 10:00 AM, the Austin Parks and Recreation Department and Friends of Wooldridge Square will celebrate the dedication of two markers honoring the historically significant park. Wooldridge Square was awarded a National Votes for Women Trail marker in recognition of the square’s important role in the women’s suffrage movement in Texas. Wooldridge Square was also recognized by the Texas Recreation and Park Society as a 2021 Lone Star Legacy Park. Read the press release to learn more. District 9 Govalle Neighborhood Park Ribbon Cutting: The Department will host a ribbon-cutting event at Govalle Neighborhood Park on November 7th in partnership with Austin Parks Foundation (APF). Attendees will celebrate the renovation of the playground area and the installation of a new multi-purpose field that was made possible in part through APF board-designated Austin City Limits funding. APF and the Department collaborated with the community to develop the design of the new playground and the scope of the improvements throughout the park. The event is open to the community and Council Member attendance is anticipated. Additional funding was provided by the Tres Grace Foundation, Jay Paul Company (Tank Farm), Hershey Funding, Urban Forestry Grant, and Parkland Dedication fees. District 3 Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Flyer Asian American Resource Center Phase 2 Design Reveal: The AARC Phase 2 project team will host a hybrid meeting revealing the schematic design on Thursday, November 17. The design will include a theater, multi-purpose space, gallery space, and parking alignment. The schematic design was developed based on the 2019 Facility Expansion Plan and community input provided through engagement opportunities throughout 2022. Attendees will be asked to share their reactions and feedback on the design. Additional opportunity for feedback will be available after the meeting for people who are unable to attend in-person or virtually. Thursday, November 17, 2022 Doors open at 6:30 PM, presentation begins at 7 p.m. In-person: AARC, 8401 Cameron Rd., Austin, TX 78754 Zoom Registration (Zoom will begin at 7 p.m.) Project Webpage District 1 2 AVA Fest 2022: Old Bakery & Emporium will host the ‘Tom Lea Combat Warrior Art’ exhibit starting October 22 for the Fourth Annual Austin Veteran’s Art Fest taking place October 12 through November 12. AVA Fest works to prevent veteran suicides by creating community and healing through art. More information about the event: https://www.avafest.org Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead 2022: The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center in collaboration with Austin Veterans Art Festival celebrate the lives of ancestors, family and friends, veterans, and public figures for Dia de los Muertos. There will be a multi-day event that culminates in a festival on Saturday, November 5th, 4:00 PM–10:00 PM. PLANNING UPDATES: Zilker Metropolitan Park Vision Plan: Department staff reviewed the draft concept and accompanying document. Interagency coordination continues throughout the review process ahead of an anticipated public release of the draft in November. The planning team will prepare for community engagement events to follow the release of the draft. Districts 5 and 8 https://www.austintexas.gov/ZilkerVision 305 Congress “Statesman” Planned Unit Development Amendment (PUD): The item is coming back to Council on November 3rd for a second reading after it was postponed at the October 13th regular Council meeting. The LAW Department has drafted an Ordinance with several exhibits and continues to revise the draft as additional direction is provide during Council Meeting discussions. The Department is following these items with interest: • The Applicant has a design solution to recreate current access parallel to South Congress, including ADA access. These design discussions continue as coordination between multiple City departments is required. • The Applicant has committed to building specific park amenities like the Great Steps, plaza areas, amenitized water ponds, ADA accessible trail entrances, reconstructing the trail and a green wall. The draft ordinance offers language to codify commitments and discussion is expected to continue. • The Park Plan within the ordinance consists of a map of amenities. Council has signaled it will likely discuss an additional park amenity prioritization planning process specifying an expected funding source for the prioritization process and direction regarding the mechanism for conducting the process. • Plans for park programming and what processes should be followed is another item to likely be discussed. • The question of who will maintain the park has been raised by Council, and the Department is reviewing cost estimates and alternatives per their request. • The question of parkland dedication also continues to be discussed. District 9 Project Connect: Project Connect is re-evaluating several options considering recent findings that put the project over budget. One recent alternative shared is for a Rail Service Yard and a rail line that would run along the planned Bergstrom Spur Trail Network, which has been dedicated as future parkland. This could alter the plans for the trail, which is currently seeking community feedback on the 60% design 3 plans for the Western and Central segments. This has been shared with Public Works. The Project Connect office is putting together a proposal for this alternative to be evaluated by Public Works and the Department. The Department continues to work with Austin Transit Partnership to identify replacement properties as part of Section 6F of the Land and Water Conservation Act. Multiple Districts https://projectconnect.com/ 64 Rainey Street Community Community Engagement: The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (ESB MACC) and the Advisory Board held a community engagement event on Thursday, September 29, 2022, to get feedback for the 64 Rainey Street property. After years of leasing the space for staging for the high-rise at 70 Rainey Street, the lot at 64 Rainey Street is now available to develop into a meaningful park space for visitors. Under the guidance of City Council Resolution no. 20220609- 123, the Parks and Recreation Department in collaboration with the Mexican American Cultural Center Advisory Board (MACC Board) sought community input on this future park space. The results will be shared with the City Council to prioritize funding. There were 27 people in attendance. The project website can be found at https://www.austintexas.gov/department/64-rainey-street-park-planning. Members of the community providing feedback 4 DEVELOPMENT UPDATES: Givens Aquatic Facility: The renovation for the aquatic facility is currently in the Site Plan permitting stage. This requires a hearing before the Planning Commission as part of the approval process. The meeting was held on October 11, 2022, and the project passed on consent. District 1 Rendering, Givens Aquatic Facility Nash Hernandez Building Renovation: As a result of City Council Resolution 20220616-89, a report was issued to Council studying the feasibility and financial impact of an Intergenerational Resource and Activity Center (IRAC) program in the Nash Hernandez Building. Several factors were considered as part of this feasibility study, including the programmatic limitations of an IRAC due to the building’s physical layout, the renovation costs due to the poor condition of the building, the building location relative to other resources for older adults and childcare, and the fact that funding sources for the design and construction of a pilot IRAC facility have not yet been identified. Council was updated via memo on October 17, 2022. District 3 Nash Hernandez Building 5 Colony Park Aquatic Facility: The new aquatic facility planned for Colony Park is in the Site Plan permitting stage. This requires a hearing before the Zoning and Platting Commission as part of the approval process. The meeting was held October 18, 2022 and the project passed on consent. District 1 Rendering, Colony Park Aquatic Facility Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (ESB-MACC) Phase 2 Improvements: The Joint Venture Miró Rivera Architects + Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO (JV MRA+TBE), City of Austin project team and Roger’s O’Brien Construction continue to work toward attaining a project design aligning with available designated funds. Each month, a written project update is delivered to the ESB-MACC Advisory Board by the Public Works Capital Improvement Project Manager. The Board maintains an agenda item to discuss this update. A formal presentation will be provided to the ESB-MACC Board once this value engineering exercise is completed with updated project renderings. This project follows the guidelines as outlined in the Council-approved ESB-MACC Phase 2 Plan for building expansion and renovation. Funding is available through the voter-approved 2018 General Obligation Bonds in the amount of $27,000,000. District 9 www.austintexas.gov/MaccPhase2 45th Annual O Henry Museum Pun-Off: The Austin Parks and Recreation Department’s Brush Square Museums, in collaboration with the Brush Square Museums Foundation, welcomed back the 45th Annual O. Henry Museum Pun Off World Championships on October 8, 2022, at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center. The event featured a book sale, live auction, food trailers, live music, and best of all, puns for everyone. Brush Square Museums staff were happy to be back and in-person with 800 people in attendance this year! Additional information about the event can be found at the Pun Off website: https://www.punoffatx.brushsquaremuseums.org/. District 9 6 Austin Memorial Park Tower Restroom Renovation: Since August 2021, the 97-year-old Tower Restroom at Austin Memorial Park has been closed for renovations to meet current code and ADA compliance. Work began with asbestos and lead abatement work, which is required before permit review. Long review times for building permits delayed the project until early 2022. Upon in-depth structural investigation, it was determined that any proposed work involving the existing concrete ceiling should be avoided to protect the integrity of the structure. A structural engineer was then solicited to provide reports and assist with design revisions. As of October 13, 2022, the revised plans are under review by the contractor for final bidding. Notice to proceed and construction mobilization is anticipated in November 2022. The proposed restroom renovation will provide a family restroom with a locking latch from the inside. The ADA-compliant restroom will include a 4-foot-wide accessible path, new lavatory sink, mirror, floor-mounted toilet, baby changing station, hand dryer, grab bars, fresh ventilation, and LED lighting with occupancy sensors. All proposed improvements inside the restroom will maintain the historical character while providing updated features. No changes to the exterior façade are proposed. District 7 Plan drawings, Austin Memorial Park Tower Restroom 7 MAINTENANCE UPDATES: Alamo Recreation Center: The front desk/administrative office received a much-needed upgrade. Staff worked closely with department maintenance staff and the contractor to demo, design, and install a more inclusive, ADA accessible space that’s both inviting and more functional. Additionally, new flooring was installed to address mobility concerns for the Senior participants and those in walkers/wheelchairs. District 1 Alamo Recreation Center Front Desk Parque Zaragoza Recreation Center Irrigation Project: The irrigation project at Parque Zaragoza Recreation Center is finally complete. The addition of outdoor irrigation for the recreation center’s ballfield will provide much needed maintenance and services for the highly utilized field. Over the past two years, the sites ball field has implemented major improvements with the help of RBI to include new netting, the addition of batting cages, improved ball field lighting by Musco lights LLC, as well as field maintenance and oversite provided by the Dell Diamond field crew. District 1 Mendez Recreation Center Bike Polo Installation: Mendez Recreation Center Continues to move forward on the project to install a Bike polo court onto the outdoor multi-purpose court. The project funded by the Austin Park Foundation will provide resurfacing of the court as well as the replacement of court fencing to facilitate the bike polo program. District 3 8 New Golf Carts have Arrived: The golf division’s new golf cart fleet began arriving the week of Sept 24, 2022. Lions Municipal and Grey Rock golf courses will receive their new fleet of golf carts in late October and December respectively. The new carts feature USB charging portals, the Golf ATX logo and electronic parking brakes. Districts 1, 2, 8 and 10 Brand New GOLFATX Golf Carts Zilker Metro Park – Butler Landfill Maintenance Project: Planned maintenance work on the Stratford Drive Butler Landfill lot 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 three re-vegetated acres. A new pump will utilize lake water for irrigation. Work on the Butler Landfill Cap temporarily stopped to allow for the “load-in” of the Austin City Limits (ACL) event produced by C3. Before the start date of September 19, 2022, Clean Scapes completed the installation of mulch on the revegetation site. The mulch provided an additional level of protection to the cap. Upon completion and “load-out” of the ACL event, maintenance work resumed on the installation of the split rail fencing and completion of the irrigation system including the additional pump at the Zilker Pump House. The hydroseed will be applied to the revegetation lot and the gravel lot will be reopened for use by visitors to Zilker Park. The described work is the final phase and is anticipated to be completed by the end of November 2022. The revegetated lot will remain closed for at least an additional 6-12 weeks for the grasses to be established. Future uses for the lot will be determined according to the Zilker Vision Plan. The project is funded by C3 Presents. District 8 9 Arial view of the Zilker Metro Park Maintenance Project. The red outline indicates areas off-use to the public during the maintenance period. Prescribed Burn at Onion Creek Wildlife Sanctuary: The Land Management Program conducted the first every park and recreation led prescribed burn at Onion Creek Wildlife Sanctuary. All burn plans are reviewed and permitted by the Austin Fire Department (AFD) as well as implemented in partnership with AFD and other partner land management agencies. The successful permitting of this burn plan shows the importance of a multi-agency effort to manage public natural resources and reduce fire risk across Austin across jurisdictional boundaries. Prescribed burns are a critical tool for restoring ecosystem health and mitigating wildfire risk. Members of the PARD Prescribed Burn Team attended training at the annual Texas Interagency Incident Management Academy at Camp Swift in October. Several others are planned and will occur when weather conditions are right, and resources are available. District 2 Land Management Plan: The Land Management Program has been leading the development of a land management plan for approximately 10,000 acres (60%) of parkland natural areas. This initiative helps to fulfill the Departments commitment, in response to the 2019 Wildfire Preparedness Audit, to establish a land management team as well as to draft and implement land management plans for parkland natural areas. The land management plan will also assist PARD in meeting goals in the PARD Long Range Plan and City Climate Equity Plan. The team plans to provide a briefing on the plan to the Parks and Recreation Board in November. Multiple Districts 10 PROGRAM UPDATES: District 1: Youth Flag Football: The Givens Recreation Center recently began programming for its youth flag football program. The six-week program will be held every Thursday evening from 7:00-8:00 PM and include four teams in each age group ranging from five to twelve years old. The program marks the sites first return to youth flag football programming in over five years. Halloween Fall Fest: The Delores Duffie Recreation Center will host their annual event entitled Lisa’s annual Halloween Fall Fest on Friday, October 28, 2022, from 6:00-8:00 PM. Games, prizes and family fun for everyone. Expecting about 150 people expected to attend. Lisa’s Fall Fest Flyer 11 Asian American Resource Center’s AVAMPS Health Fair: The Asian American Resource Center (AARC) began the new fiscal year with a first time Community Health Fair in collaboration with the Austin Vietnamese American Medical Professional Society (AVAMPS). The event took place on Saturday, October 1, 2022, with multilingual language support for Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Burmese, and Spanish speaking groups. This is the first time the event has been in collaboration with the AARC, allowing broader access to other Asian and non-Asian groups. Some of the services provided included vision, dental, cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose screening, CPR education, and tabling by community organizations such as Light & Salt and Asian American Community Health Initiative (AACHI). Additionally, Austin Public Health administered 81 flu shots, 50 COVID-19 vaccines, and the University of Texas (UT) Pharmacy conducted 120 health screenings. 150 people across six ethnic groups attended the event, in addition to 124 volunteers, staff, and vendors. UT Pharmacy volunteers conducting Glucose and Cholesterol Testing Adult Gardening Classes at the Carver: The energy in the garden at the Carver Museum and Cultural Center is alive with excitement as the Adult Gardening Classes kicked off on Tuesday, October 4, 2022. The class was almost at capacity with 10 eager students gloved up and ready to dig into the soil and learn! Lead by Master Gardener, Harvé Franks, the six-week program provides information about a new horticultural topic every Tuesday evening from 5:30-7:00 PM. The Carver is committed to offering educational programming for adults. Students gearing up for mushroom inoculation 12 District 2: Virtual Bingo: The George Morales Dove Springs Recreation Center hosted its first ever virtual bingo program on Friday, September 23, 2022, from 10:00-11:00 AM. This program was conducted virtually via Zoom and in person. 14 participants attended the program for a fun morning of family friendly competition and prizes. Fall Youth Soccer: The George Morales Dove Springs Recreation Center fall youth soccer season kicked off on Saturday, October 8, 2022. This is the first youth soccer league to take place since the start of the pandemic in 2020. Parents, players and coaches are excited to be back to full league play. Currently, 95 participants are enrolled at the George Morales Dove Springs Recreation Center site. In total, 201 participants are enrolled between all the south district recreation sites. Soccer practices taking place at George Morales Dove Springs Recreation Center Tax Exemption Community Meeting: The George Morales Dove Springs Recreation Center hosted a Senior Homestead Tax Exemption Community Meeting on Saturday, October 8, 2022, from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM. Austin Public Health will work in collaboration with the Dove Springs staff to facilitate an educational workshop on financial assistance for 30 seniors. Promotional Flyer for Housing & Planning Workshop Series 13 District 3: ABCs of Learning: Mendez Recreation Center hosted the ABCs of learning- a training in partnership with the Andy Roddick foundation. The training will teach programming staff the skills and tools for behavior management. The training was held on October 14, 2022, from 12:00-2:00 PM with 30 people in attendance. Movie Nights: After much success over the summer, Mendez Recreation Center will continue to offer its Fall series of Movie nights in the park with various themed movie events held on Friday evenings beginning in the month of October and stretching through the month of February. The recurring event held on the front lawn of the center has been supported by partnerships from Sendero Healthcare to provide food and giveaways for event attendees. Haunted House and Carnival: The Mendez Recreation Center hosted their Community Haunted House and Carnival on Thursday, October 20, 2022, from 6:00-8:00 PM. Pan Am Recreation Center Fall Family Movie Night with Austin Park Foundation: In partnership with the Austin Park Foundation, the Pan Am Recreation Center hosted a Fall Movie Night on September 23, 2022. Over 80 participants were in attendance for the free outdoor event that included snacks, a drink, and a movie under the fall night sky. Food vendors, Tiff Treats and Mission Dogs, provided food to the public. Pan Am Recreation Movies in the Park sponsored by the Austin Parks Foundation Pumpkin Carving: The Parque Zaragoza Recreation Center will host a Pumpkin Carving event on Friday, October 21, 2022, from 6:30-8:30 PM. Games, prizes and fun for all. 14 Halloween Carnival: The Pan Am Recreation Center will host their Community Halloween Carnival on Saturday, October 29, 2022, from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM. Games, music, door prizes and craft activities for all. Community Halloween Carnival Flyer District 6: Varsity Generation Programs: The Pickfair Community Center is now offering Varsity Generation programs every morning, Monday-Friday. Join us for table games, bingo, Zumba, card games, table tennis, tai chi, and more! More details are available at Austin Varsity Games. 15 District 7: Fall Festival: The Northwest Recreation Center will hold its first Fall Festival on Friday, October 28, 2022, from 4:00-6:00 PM. The event will include games, prizes and fun for all. Please visit TTF Flyer.JPG (540×822) (austintexas.gov) for more details. Northwest Fall Festival Flyer District 8: Danny G. McBeth Recreation Center: Adapted Sports Athletes participated in the Special Olympics Fall Classic State competition in College Station bringing 31 athletes to compete in softball, aquatics and golf. The McBeth Adaptive Softball team took home the gold medal in their division, while all of the McBeth aquatics athletes competed in at least two individual races including freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and skills events. All members of the aquatics team medaled in their events taking home 20 gold, 12 silver, and four bronze medals. The McBeth Adaptive Golf team competed in the unified division taking home gold and silver medals respectively. 16 Special Olympic McBeth Participants Receiving Awards Austin Nature and Science Center Ambassadors: Two new porcupines became ambassador animals at the Austin Nature and Science Center over the last month. They made their debut at Austin Museum Day on September 24, 2022, with more than 500 people in attendance and will be officially named at Fall Fest on November 12, 2022, at the Austin Nature and Science Center. The Friends of Austin Nature and Science Center are taking name suggestions through their Instagram. Name suggestions range from “Pins and Needles” to “Quilly Nelson.” https://www.instagram.com/friendsofansc/ One of the newest animal ambassadors at the Austin Nature and Science Center District 9: Stacy Pool Aquatic Events: The Aquatic Division continues to work towards providing guarded aquatic facilities to the Austin community. Stacy Pool continues to host Liberal Arts and Science Academy High School for its Water Polo Team three nights per week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8:00-9:00 PM till the end of October. Akins High School is at Stacy Pool on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:00 AM-12:00 PM for its Swim ATX Class, which teaches high school students how to swim and prepares them to take the lifeguard certification course. 17 Let’s Glow Dodgeball: The Hancock Recreation Center Let’s Glow Dodgeball event was held on Saturday, October 15, 2022, from 5:00-8:00 PM for its second year of Let’s Glow Dodgeball games! There were 10 people in attendance. Glow in the dark challenges and prizes are all part of the fun. Austin Veterans Arts Festival Zine Machine: Dive into a world of zines and calligrams at our upcoming event Dougherty Arts Center Community Night: Austin Veterans Arts Festival Zine Machine on Wednesday, October 19, 2022, 7:00-9:00 PM. Create a reproduceable mini zine, discover a new form of expression, view select zines from Austin’s Central Library’s Zine Catalogue, and sign up for a Library Card. This event is part of the fourth annual Austin Veterans Arts Festival, created by the Veterans Suicide Prevention Channel to use the arts to promote wellness in Veterans. Attending Veterans will receive free therapeutic arts and craft kits provided by the Help Heal Veterans organization. There were 50 people in attendance. For more information, visit https://www.austintexas.gov/page/dougherty-arts- center-programs-and-events. Dougherty Arts Center Community Night Banner Naturalization Ceremonies at Waterloo Park: Waterloo Greenway will be partnering with the Austin Public Library and the Equity Office to host regular naturalization ceremonies at Waterloo Park welcoming new U.S. citizens. Due to restrictions on the number of participants being limited for indoor ceremonies, the groups began to look for new outdoor locations for the ceremonies, specifically parks. The first ceremony at Waterloo will be held on the morning of October 28th (time TBD) for approximately 50 new citizens and their families. District 9 Haskell House Re-Opening Celebration: On November 13, 2022, the Clarksville Community Development Corporation (CCDC) will celebrate the reopening of the 1887 Haskell House, which is a City of Austin Landmark and Recorded Texas Historic Landmark located in the Clarksville neighborhood, a historic Freedom Colony. In 2019, the CCDC, which provides stewardship of the site in partnership with the Department, received a Heritage Grant from the Economic Development Department’s Heritage Tourism Division to rehabilitate the House. The project faced challenges when construction bids exceeded the grant amount due to escalating material and labor costs. Additionally, more structural wood behind the siding required replacement than originally anticipated. Together, the CCDC and the Department’s Historic Resources and Tourism Program collaborated on a solution to the challenges. The CCDC used its grant money to pay for the siding, the doors, steps, and railings and the Department funded the new roof and additional repairs. As of September 2022, the Hezikiah Haskell House is open to visitors twice a month. Trained volunteer guides will educate visitors about the history of the house and Clarksville. District 9 18 Haskell House, credit: Clarksville Community Development Corporation Multiple Districts: Annual Halloween Carnival: The Givens Recreation Center, in partnership with Delores Duffie Recreation Center and Parque Zaragoza Recreation Center, will have its annual Halloween event at Givens Recreation Center. The free event will include a carnival with food games and fun as well as a spooky haunted house for those who dare to enter. The event will be held on Saturday, October 29, 2022, from 6:00-8:00 PM. Districts 1 and 3 Annual Halloween Carnival: The Turner Roberts Recreation Center, in partnership with Mendez Recreation Center and Pan Am Recreation Center, will have its annual Halloween event at Turner- Roberts Recreation Center. The free event will include a carnival with food, games and a spooky haunted house for those who dare to enter. The event will be held on Monday, October 31, 2022, from 6:00-8:00 PM . Districts 1 and 3 2022 Golf Tournament: The golf division closed the 2022 tournament golf season with the Men’s & Women’s Senior City Championship and the Boys & Girls City Junior Championship. Grady Bruce won the Men's Senior Championship and Tracey Calloway won the Women's Senior City Championship. Kevin Dahl won the Super Seniors. Junior champions were awarded in each of the age divisions, 8 and under, ages 9-10, ages 11-12, ages 13-15 and ages 16-18. There were 109 seniors and 51 juniors who participated in the event. Districts 1, 2, 8 and 10 19 20 Senior, Senior Ladies and Junior City Champions All Districts: Fall Youth Soccerr: All Recreation Center Sites - Fall Youth Soccer: Teams have formed for Fall Youth Soccer for ages 5-10 years old! Practices have begun and games start October 8, 2022. The games and practice were well attended. Park Rangers Patrols: With the end of the fiscal year, Park Rangers provided customer service in a variety of ways including 1,065 directed patrols for areas with reported concerns, 615 visits to campsites on parkland illegally, 2, 211 interactions about off-leash dogs and 23,223 educational touchpoints. Cities Connecting Children to Nature: Department staff will host a 2-day training with world-renowned nature play expert, Adam Bienenstock, November 15th-16th for select PARD staff and partners. An evening presentation titled “Play in Nature – social, emotional and immunological imperative” will also take place on November 16th and will be open to a wider audience. City Parks Alliance Urban Park Tour: On Nov 3-5, 2022, the Department will host a City Parks Alliance Urban Park Tour in partnership with The Trail Conservancy. Thirty-five park professionals from across North America will be in attendance to visit sites around Austin. Planned stops include the Butler Trail & Town Lake Metro Park, Pease District Park, Waterloo Neighborhood Park, Delores Duffie Recreation Center, Oakwood Cemetery & Chapel, Patterson Neighborhood Park, Camacho Activity Center, Barton Springs & Zilker Metro Park, and many more. City staff will be speaking and leading tours at these stops with participation from the Parks and Recreation Planning and Development Divisions, Museums & Cultural Programs, Historic Preservation & Tourism, Community Recreation, Natural Resources, Cemetery Operations, Aquatics, and the Watershed Protection Department. Partner presentations will include The Trail Conservancy, Pease Park Conservancy, Austin Parks Foundation, Waterloo Greenway Conservancy, Go Austin!/Vamos Austin!, and Downtown Austin Alliance. ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATES: General Obligation Bonds: On October 18th, the Department presented a general briefing on the Department’s Parks and Recreation General Obligation Bond Propositions with a focus on the 2018 and remainder of 2012’s Bond Programs. All Districts Zilker Train: The Parks and Recreation Board (PARB) received an update late September 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 engine work is required to ensure fail-safe functioning of the train. Additionally, the difficulty in obtaining parts timely 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/. 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, PARD and LCRA agree to mutually determine locations and number of buoys needed at each. LCRA will install buoys with PARD reimbursing LCRA for materials and labor. PARD presented the ILA to PARB in July 2022 and Council approved on consent at the September 15, 2022, meeting. As of October 19, 2022, the agreement is currently pending signatures. Recreation Management System: The contract with the current vendor, Vermont Systems (RecTrac), for recreation management, expires in September 2022. PARD, 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. PARD/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, PARD 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. In October 2022, PARD began working with a CTM project manager to establish timeline and deliverables for the solicitation scope of work. PARD anticipates the solicitation process will take over a year to 21 complete. PARD will continue to utilize RecTrac services throughout the solicitation process until a recommended vendor is established. 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 was presented at the September CCC meeting. The solicitation is scheduled for release in late October and expected to be executed prior to end of current agreement by April 2024. Management and Operation of the Pharr Tennis Center: This agreement is for the management and operations of the renovated Burnett “Blondie” Pharr Tennis Center (Pharr). The soon to be renovated facility is anticipated to be completed in August 2023. The CCC was briefed at the October 21,2022 meeting on the solicitation, which is anticipated to be released in late 2022 or early 2023. Jimmy Clay Golf Course Drone: A new drone promotional video was produced for the Jimmy Clay golf course. The video is featured on the Golf ATX website, the PARD YouTube channel and the Golf ATX social media pages. The video will be used in future marketing efforts. Drone videos have also been created for the Morris Williams and Roy Kizer golf courses. Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-P_r8FyklgY Golf Revenues: The Golf Division closed the fiscal year $1.5 million over anticipated revenues. The six golf courses experienced a record number of rounds played with over 300,000 rounds. The Golf Division will close the fiscal year with over $10.5 million in revenues with $2 million in profit. This is the second time in the division’s history surpassing the $10 million mark. This is especially notable with one course, Roy Kizer, which was closed from April 15 thru September 8, 2022. 22