We are excited to announce some recent ACL Grant and Design Services awards to parks across Austin:
- A $600 Neighborhood Grant to Overton School/Colony Park District Park in City Council District 1, for outdoor classroom installation and programming sponsorship for participation with PEAS OutdoorLearning
- A $1,000 Neighborhood Grant to West Austin Neighborhood Park in District 9, for the restoration of the park’s greenscape.
- A $5,000 Neighborhood Grant to Parque Zaragoza in District 3, for the installation of an outdoor community meeting space and classroom
- A $9,000 Community Impact award to Gullett School Park in District 7, for the renovation of their multi-use court
- A Detailed Design Services award, valued at $25,000 for Mary Dawson Pocket Park in District 9, which will provide the park the much-needed design work necessary to create a usable space with amenities and improved access.
- An Overall Park Planning award, valued at $100,000 for Grand Meadow Neighborhood Park in District 2, an undeveloped park in a neighborhood that is actively working to create a community garden and food forest, as well as a nature play area, but needs a vision plan to create a roadmap for a vibrant, active space for recreation and programming.
Design Services to Support the Community
APF began offering. Design Services in 2018 when it became clear that design needs were a major barrier to neighborhoods being able to make the improvements they desire, or turn undeveloped park space into a community hub. Professional design and park planning can be quite expensive, and the design fees for vision planning and the required community engagement for even small parks can be hundreds of thousands of dollars, which is not typically available to neighborhood, volunteer stakeholders. Austin Parks Foundation currently offers three design offerings:
- General Park Consultation – an on-site consultation to assist park adopters and park stewards with guidance on project planning and general direction
- Detailed Design Services – schematic design with preliminary budgeting which enables applicants to be ready to seek funding and ensure their specific park project is feasible and thoughtfully designed, like a fitness plaza or pavilion
- Overall Park Planning – for smaller pocket or neighborhood parks that are undeveloped or lack a plan, this enables groups to have a framework for future park improvement projects that are aligned with community desires.
Examples of past awards of the Overall Park Planning service were at Scenic Brook Pocket Park and Earl J. Pomerleau Pocket Park and both parks are now in the early stages of development.
Grant applications for the second cycle of 2022 Community Grants are currently being accepted and the deadline is September 30. All applications will be reviewed after the deadlines. For more information about APF’s Grant Program and to apply, please visit austinparks.org/acl-music-festival-grants/