President’s Report — December, 2017

FBSP END OF 2017 PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Friends,

We capped off our 2017 volunteer pool cleaning effort by planting 3 pecan, and 2 oak trees that were dead or damaged on the south side entrance of the pool.  We worked in cooperation with PARD’s Urban Forestry Program to coordinate this effort. It  was a real pleasure to purchase and plant these trees where needed. We hope to plant more in the very near future.

For the year we sponsored (7) six hour first Thursday pool cleaning events that resulted in an estimated 300(~1500 hours) people volunteering to put a shine on the jewel of Austin.

For several years, we have reached out to the corporate community to help with volunteer cleaning and our list continues to grow. This year we had the pleasure of working with Whole Foods, C3 Presents, BRC Recovery, American Youth Works, and ABGB.  We also received support with food donations  from Tacodeli, and Austin Pizza.

THANKS TO ALL THAT VOLUNTEERED — YOU ARE THE HEROES THAT MAKE BEING A FRIEND OF BARTON SPRINGS POOL THE BEST IT CAN BE!!

As always, we learn from these volunteer experiences and use that knowledge to raise awareness and advocate for change.  This year was no different.  We noticed the irrigation issue and pressed PARD on what  was the cause and how it could be fixed.  PARD responded by implementing a better plan for irrigation until a replacement pump was installed.  This new pump should take care of all our irrigation and pool cleaning needs of the future.

We continue to push for better management of the plants in the pool and in cooperation with a group of stakeholders led by Barton Springs Conservancy (BSC) and supported with a grant from Austin Parks Foundation (APF) to fund another aquatic plant re-planting effort in the pool on Nov. 16.

We responded to a request by Watershed Protection Department (WPD) to take on the removal of Ligustrum from the area behind the diving board and ran into a problem with poison ivy which by seeking members that are not allergic to help out we were able to knock down a lot of these non-natives and hopefully the native plants will have a better chance to thrive and take over that area.

The BSP Master Plan is our guide to the long term projects important to BSP.  One such effort is  opening up the upstream dam to creek flow to improve water quality in the pool.  A presentation to the Joint Committee on Thurs (Nov. 16) spearheaded by BSC and supported by FBSP and other stakeholders to get this process started was made.  Another project is the renovation of the bathhouse.  We continue to support the efforts of BSC to seek HOT money for historic preservation that will be a huge funding source for this effort.

We have been able to apply and receive grant money for tools and equipment for our volunteer cleaning that have made the job easier for BSP staff and our team.  Many thanks to Austin Parks Foundation and the generous membership donations that help fund this.

Our year officially ends/begins on New Year’s Day celebrating the POLAR Splash event at the pool where we will be sponsoring a booth at the south side entrance from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.  We encourage y’all to come by chat, get involved or make a donation to our cause in exchange for t-shirts, and towels. Come joins us, it is going to be a blast!!

See you at the pool,
Steve Barnick
FBSP President

BSP Poster 12-17