Aquatic Master Plan May Be Mastered
Long-awaited pool plan goes before Parks and Rec Board
By Nina Hernandez, 10:15AM, Tue. Dec. 5, 2017
After two years of painstaking work and public input, the final Aquatic Master Plan unveiled this summer proved somewhat of a shock to City Council and stakeholder groups that had followed the project. Fearing that the project had turned into a de facto decommissioning plan for the city’s aging pool system, Council directed a small task force to review the plan, take in more public feedback, and return with a new report. The Aquatic Master Plan Task Force completed that mission the other week, and the results go before the Parks and Recreation Board today (Tuesday). The report recommends putting up a $124 million bond during next year’s November election – money that would go toward “end of life” replacement plans for pools in serious need; the creation of four new pools in underserved communities; and the allocation of ongoing maintenance costs for the current system. Council could see the new report, which can be found on the city’s website, as soon as its work session next Tuesday, Dec. 12. At least some stakeholders appear mollified by the task force’s work; a representative from the Rosedale Neighborhood Association praised the group’s work at its last meeting in November, saying that he and his neighbors had been “shocked at how tone-deaf the consultants’ [initial] recommendations” were.
Got something to say on the subject? Send a letter to the editor.
A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.