2019 Recap: Volunteers, Ribbon Cuttings, Playgrounds, Oh My!

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2020 is here. Austin Parks Foundation is gearing up and excited for a big year of connecting Austinites with high-quality parks, trails and green spaces. In 2019, we finished the decade with thousands of volunteers, increased park funding and more ribbon cuttings than ever before. Thank you, Austin, for helping us improve parks across our city.10,500 Volunteers in Austin ParksIT’S …

Shining a Light on Park Safety in Austin’s Parks and Trails

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Featured image by Marina Hanna.Did you know safety is a key concern for Austin’s parks, trails and green spaces? During the Austin Parks & Recreation Department’s Long Range Planning process, they asked Austinites what they’d like to see in the next 10 years. Safety, especially a lack of lighting after dark, surfaced as a concern for Austinites. In order to …

Celebrate Giving Tuesday with APF and Win!

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Austin Parks Foundation is taking part in the international Giving Tuesday on December 3rd, and we want YOU to join us! In addition to some amazing partners giving back when you visit, we’re also hosting a ticket giveaway thanks to our friends at ACL Music Festival when you donate. Check out what our friends and sponsors around Austin are doing …

Code What? A primer on the new land development code & parkland dedication

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UPDATE: What’s happened with the LDC since October? A lot has happened since we first updated you on Austin’s ongoing efforts to revise its Land Development Code (LDC). In December, Austin’s City Council approved the new, proposed LDC on first reading. It takes three readings of the new LDC in order for it to ultimately pass and be adopted. Second …

Austin City Council’s 2019-20 Budget: A Big Win for the Parks

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On Tuesday, September 10, the Austin City Council formally adopted a budget for the City’s upcoming fiscal year beginning on October 1st. The budget process, which kicks off in earnest with community engagement in the spring and the release of the City Manager’s proposed budget in early August, saw significant increases for parks from beginning to end. Why is that, …

People + Parks: Keeping ACL Music Festival Green

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By Elizabeth McGuire When the ACL Music Festival opens its gates at Zilker Park in October and welcomes 75,000 visitors a day, two Austinites will be trusted with making those visitors feel at home. As leaders of the C3 Presents Guest Services Program, Farid Mosher and Emily Sorlie are the Hosts with the Most. But the way they tell it, …

Project Playback: Renovating Barton Hills Community Park

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Barton Hills Community Park opened along with the adjacent elementary school in 1964. Over the course of the next 50 years, only minor improvements were made until the Friends of Barton Hills Community Park stepped up to make a difference for their neighborhood’s park. In December of 2012, the Austin Parks and Recreation Department approved their Park Master Plan to …

People + Parks: Raise a Glass to this APF Donor

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By Elizabeth McGuire To be perfectly clear, Matt Luckie would rather not talk about himself. He would rather not pose for a photo or elaborate on all the ways he is contributing to the community. He loves Austin and a good cause, but truth be told, he would much rather shine the spotlight anywhere else besides himself. Fortunately for us, …

People + Parks: Healthy Parks, Healthy City

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By Elizabeth McGuire When Elizabeth Krause moved to Austin three years ago, she and her family began their house hunting by visiting parks all over town. “Having young children, it was just a natural criteria for me,” she said. “A big part of why we settled in our current neighborhood was because of its proximity to green spaces, playgrounds and …