In 2013, the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department began an Aquatic Assessment which resulted in a phased approach to aquatic master planning. The Master Plan will help the Parks and Recreation Department decide how to manage aging pools and guide installation of new pools where they are most needed. The plan will address ADA accessibility, amenities and features, improvements to existing pools, programs, the latest aquatic technology, public and environmental safety, costs for maintenance and new pools, and the best methods and locations to build new pool facilities.
Phases I and II (Aquatic Assessment and SWIM 512 Public Engagement) have been completed, and we are currently in Phase III – Aquatic Master Plan Development; utilizing information and data from Phases I and II to develop criteria and planning tools for a future community-supported aquatic system.
The city has released the Final Draft Master Plan of the SWIM 512 Aquatics Master Plan. Information about the master plan, along with links for download, can be found here:
https://austintexas.gov/department/aquatic-master-plan
There is some concern about the rankings of the pools in the SRCC neighborhood as indicated in the Site Suitability Ranking Summary . Both Big Stacy and Little Stacy pools are included in the “red” category, indicating they are amongst the Bottom Ranked Neighborhood Pool Sites. We want to make sure that Council is aware that just because our pools are not suitable to be re-developed into a large, feature-laden aquatics centers, that shouldn’t preclude us from getting the basic repairs and maintenance needed to keep the pools open and functional, especially since the usage of Big Stacy is is one of the most-used pools in the entire city. At the Swim512 Presentation meeting, there was some discussion about how the city needs to shut down some of the central pools and build more in the outlying areas.
City Council was scheduled to have a briefing on the Swim512 Master Plan on Aug 1 and a vote is on their Aug 10 agenda, according to Kathie Tovo’s office.
People are encouraged to write ASAP to the City Council:
http://www.austintexas.gov/email/all-council-members (link to email ALL City Council)
kathie.tovo@austintexas.gov (link to email Kathie Tovo)
Laura Cottam Sajbel will be at the SRCC Meeting on August 7th to provide more information about the Aquatics Master Plan.
