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Parks department and Austin Parks Foundation outline volunteer, grant and capital support; call for simpler city processes
Summary
Parks staff and the Austin Parks Foundation told the committee the nonprofit contributes volunteers, grant funding and project delivery — roughly $2.5 million in volunteer labor and millions in project grants — and asked for clearer city procedures to speed projects.
Austin Parks and Recreation and the Austin Parks Foundation briefed the committee on June 1 about long‑standing partnerships that support park maintenance, programming and capital projects.
Liana Kalivokai, assistant director for Austin Parks and Recreation, described a flexible partnership framework the department has used in recent years to engage nonprofits, conservancies and private partners to expand capacity for park development and maintenance. Kalivokai said partnership oversight and transparency are priorities and noted an annual impact report is available online that documents partner contributions.
Colin Wallace, chief executive officer of the Austin Parks Foundation (APF), described APF’s role as a private nonprofit that accepts donations, manages sponsored fund accounts, runs volunteer programs and leads capital campaigns. He said APF mobilized roughly half of the 24,000 volunteers who contributed 75,000 volunteer hours in fiscal 2024 — an amount Kalivokai characterized as “the equivalent of over 2 and a half million dollars in labor.” Wallace said APF raises individual, corporate and foundation funds and deploys them across grants, volunteer coordination and project implementation.
APF leaders outlined program and project work: adopt‑a‑park groups (about 128 adopters), community‑initiated grants and capital projects (examples include the Dino Pit shade at the Austin Nature and Science Center and the Aldebrook pocket park), park activations such as Movies in the Park and the Zilker Eagle miniature train operations (APF reported more than 100,000 riders in its first year). Katie Robillard, a landscape architect with APF, listed ongoing capital work including the Seaholm waterfront, Rosewood Park cabin restoration, Little Walnut Creek Greenbelt trailhead and the All‑Abilities playground at Onion Creek Metro Park.
Jana Bergdorf, APF chief financial officer, described APF’s funding mix and near‑term commitments: ACL Festival proceeds in 2024 provided $4.5 million for park improvement projects and $2.4 million for programming and operations; APF reported $20 million in net assets that are committed to specific future projects (for example, $5 million committed to the All‑Abilities playground). Bergdorf said APF manages sponsored fund accounts for community groups that do not have 501(c)(3) structures and that APF voluntarily undergoes independent audits and national nonprofit ratings.
Councilmembers thanked the presenters and asked about timelines, maintenance capacity and prioritization. Councilmember Duchin pressed on project timelines and maintenance gaps; APF and Parks staff said timelines vary by project complexity and community engagement, and that Parks has long‑term maintenance staffing gaps compared with peer cities. APF leaders urged the city to identify ways to streamline permitting and interdepartmental processes to help get projects implemented more quickly.
Staff and APF representatives also discussed equity in investments and a focus on historically underserved areas: APF said its work often prioritizes projects in the city’s eastern crescent and other neighborhoods with less historic investment. APF said it would share a public impact dashboard on its website in the coming weeks, detailing projects and funding sources.
