Austin Parks and Recreation and other departments are initiating the public input phase of the General Grounds Improvement project. The projects will include
• burying overhead power lines
• electrical power upgrades to provide more lighting and power for cleaning
• pump improvements to facilitate pool cleaning and irrigation
• landscaping, removing exotics, and protection from runoff
• an access path from the south gate to the pool deck
• tree court landscaping improvements near the main gate
• a new fence to surround the pool
The City of Austin is hosting a meeting on Monday, May 3, 2010, 6 pm, Zilker Botanical Gardens – Auditorium, 2220 Barton Springs Road, for folks to participate in the design of the grounds improvements at BSP. The meeting is open to the public. The design input process will be a charrette. A charrette is any collaborative session in which a group of designers drafts a solution to a design problem. While the structure of a charrette varies, depending on the design problem and the individuals in the group, charrettes often take place in multiple sessions in which the group divides into sub-groups. Each sub-group then presents its work to the full group as material for future dialogue. Such charrettes serve as a way of quickly generating a design solution while integrating the aptitudes and interests of a diverse group of people.
As designs are developed and approved through the city processes, the work can get started. The City staff expect that the first work would focus on electrical, irrigation, and plumbing infrastructure followed by the tree court, trail, and landscaping. The final phase would make fence improvements.
