Austin expected to make shade improvements to city parks ahead of Summer 2023
The City of Austin released a memorandum Monday which showed many city parks were in need of more shade ahead of the hot, summer months.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The City of Austin Parks and Recreation (PARD) released a memorandum Monday, which showed many city parks were in need of more shade ahead of the hot, summer months.
The memo was in response to the Park System Shade Structure Analysis ordinance. The ordinance was issued for the city to prioritize infrastructure to provide necessary shade, including planting trees for community activity spaces, such as playscapes, splash pads, basketball courts and skating spaces.
St. John Pocket Park in north Austin was at the top of a list of parks with a high need for shade, according to the memo. It was followed by the YMCA North Austin Community Recreation Center and the Gustavo "Gus" L. Garcia District Park.
The parks were categorized by shade level, which included no shade, natural partial (partial tree cover), natural full (full tree cover), structure partial (a fabric or roof providing partial cover) and structure full (a fabric or roof providing full cover).
Many of the parks with the most need were in District 4, which covers areas in north Austin.
PARD said it looked at each park to figure out what improvements to make. Additional information, such as the improvements cost and other details related to installation recommendations, would be provided on or before February 1, 2023.