Category: Uncategorized

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Final Purchases made from Austin Parks Foundation Grant

Let’s give one last cheer for the Austin Park Foundation Grant that gave us the chance to purchase all the following in the last year:

– Expandable 50 foot hose
– 50 green scrubbers
– 12 copper scrubbers
– 1 thachet rake
– 2 regular rakes
– Snake tongs
– Dog catcher pole
– 3 Plastic buckets
– Metal Baby Garbage Can
– 1 Plastic Bin
– Screw Extractor
– 1 package cleaning cloths
– 2 hose nozzles
– 2 Fiskars Shovels (the world’s best!)
– Mattock (big pick ax)
– Weasel Weed Puller
– Razor-Back Flat Shovel
– Pendulum Lawn Edger
– 3 Safety Hoses (100 ft/yellow)
– 1 Hose (100 ft/red & black)
– Ace 2-Wheel Wheelbarrow
– 2 Job Site Brooms
– 3 Bulls-Eye Nozzles
– 5 Heavy-Duty Push Brooms
– 2 Stiff Small Stand Up Brooms
– 1 Dust Pan
– 1 Half Moon Shovel
– 1 Bush Axe
– 1 Fiskars Manual Lawn Mower
– 12 Pairs of Gardening Gloves
– 24 6″ x 3.8″ Scouring Pads
– 1 Size 8 Hip Waders
– 1 Size 11 Water Boot

That’s a lot of stuff! And if you want to see what some of it does, stay tuned for our pool cleanings when they ramp up again in March. You would be surprised how fun a lot of this cleaning equipment is to use!

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“Children’s Facilities” Focus Group Meeting — McBeth Recreation Center on Nov. 5 (6pm)

Please join us on November 5, 2015 at 6:00 PM at McBeth Recreation Center for the second Focus Group Meeting to discuss the Children’s Facilities goals, priorities, and solutions in connection with potential Zilker Park Improvements within the Barton Springs Bathhouse Zone.  This will be the third meeting from the City of Austin’s scheduled public engagement topic meetings which include:

  • October 27th, 2015 — Open House from 6:00-8:00 PM at Zilker Botanical Gardens
  • November 3rd — Environmental/Infrastructure Focus Group, 6:00-9:00 PM McBeth Recreation Center
  • November 5th — Children’s Facilities Focus Group, 6:00-9:00 PM McBeth Recreation Center
  • November 12th — Bathhouse Focus Group, 6:00-9:00 PM Zilker Botanical Gardens
  • November 18th — Review and Alternatives, 6:00-9:00 PM Zilker Botanical Gardens
  • December 9th Draft Recommendations, 6:00-9:00 PM location TBD

The agenda for the November 5, 2015 Children’s Facilities Focus Group Meeting is set forth below:

Meeting Agenda:

  1. Introductions and Structure of the Meeting (5 min)
  2. Project Summary (5 min)
  3. Presentation- Bathhouse Zone Plan and Overview of Constraints (10 min)
  4. Small Group Discussions (20 min each)
    1. Playscape issues, such as replacing or expanding playscape equipment with safe, modern, natural, age appropriate structures (e.g., natural, faux, or manmade structures).
    2. Children’s Amenities & Other Facilities issues, such as children’s restroom facilities at different locations in the park,
    3. Environmental Education issues, such as the adequacy and improvement of the environmental and water quality education provided at the Sheffield Center and Splash! Exhibit, safe bus loading, and the interaction between Splash! and education classrooms and other sites in the area.
  5. Share Responses (10 minutes)
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Public Engagement Meetings for Barton Springs/Zilker Park Improvement Projects

Please join us on November 3, 2015 at 6:00 PM at McBeth Recreation Center for the first Focus Group Meeting to discuss the Environmental and Infrastructure goals, priorities, and solutions in connection with potential Zilker Park Improvements within the Barton Springs Bathhouse Zone.  This will be the first focus group meeting from the City of Austin’s scheduled public engagement topic meetings which include:

  • October 27th, 2015 — Open House from 6:00-8:00 PM at Zilker Botanical Gardens
  • November 3rd — Environmental/Infrastructure Focus Group, 6:00-9:00 PM McBeth Recreation Center
  • November 5th — Children’s Facilities Focus Group, 6:00-9:00 PM McBeth Recreation Center
  • November 12th — Bathhouse Focus Group, 6:00-9:00 PM Zilker Botanical Gardens
  • November 18th — Review and Alternatives, 6:00-9:00 PM Zilker Botanical Gardens
  • December 9th Draft Recommendations, 6:00-9:00 PM location TBD

Following up to the October 27 Open House meeting, each topic meeting will provide an introduction, project summary, and a presentation overview of the Bathhouse Zone Plan and applicable constraints in the area.  The agenda for the November 3, 2015 Environmental/Infrastructure Focus Group Meeting is set forth below:

Meeting Agenda:

  1. Introductions and Structure of the Meeting (5 min)
  2. Project Summary (5 min)
  3. Presentation- Bathhouse Zone Plan and Overview of Constraints (10 min)
  4. Small Group Discussions (15 min each)
    1. Parking issues, such as traffic flow and parking improvements, including the idea of improving drainage and reducing impervious cover from the north side driveway and parking lot area by converting the turnaround area in front of the bathhouse into a greenfield-type drainage area.
    2. Pedestrian and Bicycle Circulation issues, such as trail connections and conflicts,
    3. Amenities and Concessions, such as how/whether the Café, Zilker Zephyr, and Boat Rental concessions fit/work in the area.
    4. Environment issues, such as federal permit requirements for maintaining endangered species habitat (salamander), education and Splash! requirements, trees, water quality zone and drainage requirements, and floodplain requirements.
  5. Share Responses (10 minutes)
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Cheers to Austin Parks Foundation!

FBSP wants to give a big (though somewhat belated) THANK YOU to the Austin Park Foundation for their 2015 grant that allowed us to make the following purchases:

– 2 Fiskars Shovels (the world’s best!)
– Mattock (big pick ax)
– Weasel Weed Puller
– Razor-Back Flat Shovel
– Pendulum Lawn Edger
– 3 Safety Hoses (100 ft/yellow)
– 1 Hose (100 ft/red & black)
– Ace 2-Wheel Wheelbarrow
– 2 Job Site Brooms
– 3 Bulls-Eye Nozzles
– 5 Heavy-Duty Push Brooms
– 2 Stiff Small Stand Up Brooms
– 1 Dust Pan
– 1 Half Moon Shovel
– 1 Bush Axe
– 1 Fiskars Manual Lawn Mower
– 12 Pairs of Gardening Gloves
– 24 6″ x 3.8″ Scouring Pads
– 1 Size 8 Hip Waders
– 1 Size 11 Water Boot

That’s a lot of stuff! Wouldn’t you agree? If you don’t know what some of it is, be sure to come to our final pool cleaning of the season, next week, on Thursday October 1st. We will be putting all of this new stuff to use – great tools make for gratifying work.

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October 1st Pool Cleaning

Sign up for our October 1st pool cleaning – our last cleaning of the year! Barton thanks you from the bottom of its Springs for all your help this keeping the pool tidy and in prime swimming condition. Remember, our pool’s spring water magically starts to feel warmer as the temperatures cool off so there is still great swimming to be had as we enter the cooler months! And a big thanks to ABGB as always for inviting us for free pizza after we clean and making our monthly cleanings one of their amazing “Hell Yes” projects.

You can sign up for the cleaning on VolunteerSpot, by following these easy steps:

1. Click this link, or the button below, to go to our invitation page on VolunteerSpot:
Click to View Volunteer Opportunities on VolunteerSpot
2. Enter your email address:(You will NOT need to register an account on VolunteerSpot)

3. Sign up! Choose your spots – VolunteerSpot will send you an automated confirmation and reminders.

You can also sign up or direct your questions to president@friendsofbartonspringspool.org

Pool cleanings take place in two-hour increments from 10-12 and 12-2. We need three to ten volunteers for each shift along with experienced volunteers to serve as shift leaders.

At the seasonal monthly pool cleanings, FBSP volunteers scrub rocks, vacuum the pool bottom, clean algae off steps and railings, skim algae off the pool surface, plant flowers and help maintain the pool grounds, paint benches and trim, and generally lend a hand to make the pool and grounds as clean and beautiful as possible.

So come roll up your sleeves, bring a friend, have a snack and enjoy the company of other Barton Springs enthusiasts. We look look forward to seeing you there!

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Summer Springs Pool Cleaning — Thursday, September 3, 2015

As we leave the Dog Days of Summer and close out the last days of the (astronomical) summer (in the Northern Hemisphere), Barton Springs still needs your help to clean the Springs, so help us tidy our beautiful pool and surrounding grounds. You can volunteer by signing up for a 2 hour shift, starting at 10 am or 12:00 pm. Bring some friends. Food and refreshments will be supplied. A big thanks to our partner on this cleaning, Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co.! For those that sign up for a 10:00 – 12:00 pm shift, head over to ABGB for a slice of pizza!

You can sign up for the cleaning on VolunteerSpot, by following these easy steps:

1. Click this link, or the button below, to go to our invitation page on VolunteerSpot:
Click to View Volunteer Opportunities on VolunteerSpot
2. Enter your email address:(You will NOT need to register an account on VolunteerSpot)

3. Sign up! Choose your spots – VolunteerSpot will send you an automated confirmation and reminders.

You can also sign up or direct your questions to president@friendsofbartonspringspool.org

Pool cleanings take place in two-hour increments from 10-12 and 12-2. We need three to ten volunteers for each shift along with experienced volunteers to serve as shift leaders.

At the seasonal monthly pool cleanings, FBSP volunteers scrub rocks, vacuum the pool bottom, clean algae off steps and railings, skim algae off the pool surface, plant flowers and help maintain the pool grounds, paint benches and trim, and generally lend a hand to make the pool and grounds as clean and beautiful as possible.

So come roll up your sleeves, bring a friend, have a snack and enjoy the company of other Barton Springs enthusiasts. We look look forward to seeing you there!