The Austin City Council approved on Monday several 2016 grant requests to the Hormel Foundation, including upgrades to Riverside Arena and continued funding for city events.

Riverside upgrades, followed by various quality of life programs and a new Austin Municipal Pool slide were the council’s top three choices.

The Austin Parks and Recreation Department requested $100,000 to go toward continuing year two of Riverside renovations. Some of the equipment being replaced includes roof air conditioning units, compressors, and arena floor and in-floor cooling systems.

City staff requested $140,000 for the city quality of life designation, which includes funding for Freedom Fest, the Artworks Festival and Leadership Austin, among other things. According to city officials, these events help draw citizens to community businesses. Parks and rec staff requested $400,000 to replace the pools current slide and add an additional slide as well.

For more on the Hormel Foundation requests go to www.austindailyherald.com/2015/08/riverside-upgrades-top-grant-request-list-proposals-total-more-than-800k/