Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

We are entering the week which is typically dedicated to recruiting and allowing for groups to perform parks clean up. However, until the governor’s executive order is lifted, the parks crew will have this responsibility to themselves. 

Todd Park Bike/Walking Path Bridge

Let me preface this part of my weekly update by saying that news regarding the bridge isn’t as exciting this week as it was last week, but it is good news nonetheless. Due to concerns of state budget restrictions and possible reduction of LGA payments to cities, the City of Austin is limiting expenditures within its already-approved capital improvement account. 

This ultimately means that some projects, which had been scheduled for this year, may not yet get completed. Others, which are deemed more critical infrastructure or are reliant upon grant funding, will become priorities. 

That being said, additional efforts will be made to open the flow under the current bridge in an effort to keep the approaches from further deteriorating. 

That will be first and foremost. If staff succeed at this, they’ll aim to patch and make usable for another year this overlying route for bikes and pedestrians, in addition to the underlying passage for Wolf Creek and its inhabitants. 

Riverside Arena

If physical distancing guidelines are relaxed and businesses, which were deemed non-essential are allowed to re-open, our intended timeline would be to re-open right after the Fourth of July. The ice was removed several weeks ago, so the city has been saving on this operating expense. Stay tuned.

Municipal Pool?

We’re nearing the deadline for needing to make a determination on the approaching season. Quite obviously, the governor’s executive orders are paramount in this decision, and when those restrictions are eased, local decision makers will then make the determination for our own community amenities. Related discussion will take place at the council level this approaching week.

Downtown Flowers

As many of you may know, the over 240 hanging flower planters plus the big round planters are annually filled with flowers for which funding has been annually donated. 

This year, those funds were again rounded up by Austin advocate Bonnie Reitz, and one of the sponsors is and has been the City of Austin. 

The flower bid was awarded to Hilltop Greenhouse a few months back; several weeks later, the colorful crop of multi-variety flowers were started, to put into gear the season of flower-viewing pleasure for all of those who visit downtown Austin. 

However, given the hiring freeze, which the city has implemented since that time, bringing on seasonal help to water flowers daily would be frowned upon. So, this will be another discussion item for the council tonight: Are there ways in which the city could utilize current staff from across departments to accomplish four months of daily flower care? 

Parks and playground availability

At this time, the city’s playgrounds, the skateboard park, the off-leash dog park, athletic fields and courts and disc golf courses still remain open and available to the public. We’re not the only community allowing for such. 

There are quite a number of parks and rec department representatives who visit weekly via a conference call to keep abreast of what other communities are doing in response to the challenges we have been presented with over the past couple of months.

As a reminder, volleyball, soccer nets  and bases will not be installed. Athletic fields will not be striped or marked. 

The park restrooms will not be opened until a later date.

Please note that parks staff are not able to clean/sanitize all playground equipment following each use, so common sense should dictate when considering allowing your children to use such. Remember to practice physical distancing guidelines and all other recommended sanitation protocol and if you are displaying any COVID-19 symptoms, please stay home.