Category: meetings

Friends of Patterson Park illustration by Caitlin Alexander

Neighborhoods Move Forward on Patterson Neighborhood Park Plan

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We are pleased to share the news that the Mueller and Delwood 2 Neighborhood Associations have recently voted to support the Patterson Neighborhood Park Plan. This week, Cherrywood will vote on the plan at their general meeting on Nov. 15 and Schieffer Willowbrook will vote at a special called meeting on Nov. 18. If you live in Cherrywood or Schieffer, please come out to learn more about the plan and participate in the vote.

The Patterson Neighborhood Park Plan is available for review and download here.

Wednesday, Nov. 15, 6:30 p.m.
Cherrywood Neighborhood Association General Meeting
in.gredients, 2610 Manor Rd.
Refreshments available, kids welcome.

Saturday, Nov. 18, 10 a.m.
Schieffer Willowbrook Neighborhood Association Special Meeting
3909 Grayson Ln.
Tacos and coffee provided, kids welcome.

 

Patterson Neighborhood Park Plan: Community Meeting #2

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Friends of Patterson Park is leading a community effort to develop a Neighborhood Park Plan that will guide our work over the next five years. We will be driven by the Survey of Community Priorities, which was completed by 255 park users in 2016. Join us for the second of two community meetings on Wednesday, September 13 at Servant Church (1605 E. 38 1/2 St) at 5:30 p.m. Pizza and babysitting will be provided.

Key Points

* Survey of Community Priorities for Patterson Park conducted in 2017 finds many desired updates to the park (e.g. updates to playground, furnishings, athletic courts), no major new additions, some minor and medium-sized additions (e.g. play equipment, lighting, water fountains, benches)
* Parks and Rec does not recommend a master plan because we do not have plans for major new additions to the park
* A plan will be helpful to organize timeline for fundraising and projects planned for coming years
* As this is a neighborhood-led and not PARD-led process, it will be known as a Neighborhood Park Plan and not a Master Plan (e.g. Ramsey and Brentwood Park plans as models vs. $200K Pease Park plan)
* After plan is approved FoPP will only return to NAs for approval of new items not included in park plan/update of plan in 3-5 years

Timeline

June 2017: Full analysis of Survey of Community Priorities for Patterson Park
September 2017: Two community meetings: June 21 and September 13

October 2017: Preparation of Plan
November – December 2017: Presentation of Plan at Neighborhood Association meetings in Delwood 2, Cherrywood, Mueller, Schieffer-Willowbrook, and Wilshire Wood
December / January 2017: Submission to Parks and Recreation Dept.

Notes

The Parks Department will provide support in the form of maps for meeting materials, attending meetings for questions and reviewing feedback/projects for feasibility.

Patterson playground closing

APF and FoPP Advocating for Parks Funding in City Budget

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On Thursday night, the City Council held the first of two public budget hearings leading to the adoption of the upcoming fiscal year’s budget in September. Austin Parks Foundation is advocating for an additional 5 million dollars to be allocated to the Parks and Recreation Department, and FoPP and other park groups were invited to support them.

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The city’s parks have 700 million in deferred maintenance, plus 80 million to make them ADA compliant and many millions more to keep our aging neighborhood pools from failing. According to APF, “ParkScore, the Trust for Public Land’s gold standard index for parks, ranked Austin 46 out of the 100 most populous U.S. cities for how well we meet our resident’s needs for parks in 2017.”

The council also reviewed the recently released Aquatic Master Plan, and decided to form a task force to review its implementation in an equitable way. There was lots of discussion about how many East Austin pools are in relatively poor condition, and that there are large newer areas of the city with little access to aquatic facilities. Our group should keep up with this as it develops.

Examples of deferred maintenance and improvements at Patterson include our 50+ year old bathroom facilities, a basketball court that’s been in need of resurfacing for 15+ years, a tennis court that was never surfaced, and a playground that is near the end of it’s 20 year life. While we are deeply grateful for recent updates, including new signage, trash cans, fresh paint, and most importantly the resurfacing of the playground, there is much that remains to be done. Parks are the heart of our city’s neighborhoods and require regular attention as Austin’s population continues to grow. If you would like to email City Council members to support parks funding, you can do so here.

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Patterson park plan mtg June 21

June 21: Creating a Neighborhood Park Plan

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Friends of Patterson Park will lead a community effort to develop a Neighborhood Park Plan to guide our work over the next five years. We will be guided by the Survey of Community Priorities, which was completed by 255 park users in 2016. Join us for the first of two community meetings on Wednesday, June 21 at Servant Church (1605 E. 38 1/2 St) at 5:30 p.m. Pizza and babysitting will be provided.

KEY POINTS

  • Survey of Community Priorities for Patterson Park conducted in 2017 finds many desired updates to the park (e.g. updates to playground, furnishings, athletic courts), no major new additions, some minor and medium-sized additions (e.g. lighting, water fountains, benches)
  • Parks and Rec does not recommend a master plan because we do not have plans for major new additions to the park
  • A plan would be helpful to organize timeline for fundraising and projects planned for coming years
  • As this is a neighborhood-led and not PARD-led process, it will be known as a Neighborhood Park Plan and not a Master Plan (e.g. Ramsey and Brentwood Park plans as models $200K Pease Park plan)
  • After plan is approved FoPP will only return to NAs for approval of new items not included in park plan/update of plan in 3-5 years

TIMELINE

  1. June 2017: Full analysis of Survey of Community Priorities for Patterson Park
  2. September 2017: Two community meetings: June 21, 5:30 @ Servant Church and 2nd meeting in September
  3. October 2017: Preparation of Plan
  4. November – December 2017: Presentation of Plan at Neighborhood Association meetings in Delwood 2, Cherrywood, Mueller, Schieffer-Willowbrook, and Wilshire Wood
  5. December / January 2017: Submission to Parks and Recreation

NOTES

The Parks Department will provide support in the form of maps for meeting materials, attending meetings for questions and reviewing feedback/projects for feasibility

 

Notes: February 2017 Community Meeting

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Friends of Patterson Park held a community meeting on Saturday morning, February 4 at Servant Church. Donuts and childcare were provided, and 8 neighbors came out to talk with artist Jennifer Chenoweth and Brian Block, PARD liaison for Adopt-a-Park groups.

Chenoweth answered various questions about Dance of the Cosmos, including the refinishing process she is using before installing the sculpture at Patterson Park, and the kind of signage she is developing.  Block led a discussion of what to do with the community priorities for Patterson Park identified in last year’s survey. He said that since the list did not include anything transformative, i.e. a major addition to the park, that a master plan would not be required for Patterson.

Block suggested that FoPP identify what the most easily achievable priorities were and work on those first, not necessarily tackling them in order. An example of the straightforward kind of project would be adding new benches to the park, and an example of a more complex and expensive project would be resurfacing the basketball court. For the full list of priorities, click here. Since PARD is currently working on a series of improvements at Patterson, future projects should be undertaken in coordination with their work plans.

Community Priorities for Patterson Park (2016)

  1. Playsground improvements
  2. Pool improvements
  3. Bathroom improvements
  4. Trail improvements
  5. Amenities
  6. Landscaping
  7. Dog park
  8. Shade covers
  9. Athletic field/court improvements
  10. Splash Pad
  11. Skatepark improvements
  12. Lighting
  13. Recycling bins
  14. Trash
  15. Fitness equipment
  16. Water fountains
  17. Events
  18. Other social
  19. Fencing
  20. Other
  21. Amphitheatre
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Community Meeting to be Held Saturday, February 4

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Friends of Patterson Park would like to invite the neighbors from Cherrywood, Delwood 2, Mueller, Schieffer-Willowbrook, and Wilshire Wood to an open community meeting to discuss plans at the park for 2017.

Friends of Patterson Park Community Meeting
Saturday, February 4, 10-11:30 a.m.
Servant Church, 1605 E. 38 1/2 St., Austin, TX 78722

The main topics are:

1) Dance of the Cosmos, Jennifer Chenoweth’s kinetic scultpure, will be moving to the park later this year. This is our opportunity to ask the artist anything and everything we want to know about the piece, her work, and how it will fit into Patterson Park.

2) Fundraising priorities for park improvements. The results of the recently completed survey of community priorities indicated people’s top priorities are improvements to the playscape, pool, bathroom, trails, amenitites. But what’s practical and within reach? We’d like to determine a goal for fundraising during Amplify Austin in March. Brian Block, PARD’s liason for Adopt-A-Park groups, will be there to help us work through the options.

Childcare will be provided, so please feel free to bring your families. A babysitter will supervise an animated movie and we’ll have donuts and hot chocolate.

Meeting at Patterson Park. Photo by Jennifer Potter-Miller.

Dance of the Cosmos Sculpture Moving to Patterson Park in 2017

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Over the past several months, Friends of Patterson Park has been working with East Austin artist Jennifer Chenoweth on the proposal to donate her sculpture Dance of the Cosmos to our park. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department recently approved a final location, and Chenoweth has received a grant from the Austin Parks Foundation to fund the refurbishment and relocation of the sculpture. FoPP and four of the adjacent neighborhood associations voted to support the move (Cherrywood, Delwood 2, Mueller and Schieffer-Willowbrook). Wilshire Wood abstained.

To maintain the kinetic sculpture in perpetuity, PARD requires a donation of $5,000, which APF does not fund. The artist will be seeking community support for that amount.

APF will host a check presentation ceremony and discussion of next steps at 11a.m. on Monday, December 5th, and FoPP members are invited to attend. Work is expected to begin in January 2017, to be completed in Spring 2017.

About the sculpture

Dance of the Cosmos was inspired by Robert Putchik’s Theory of Emotions and a Tibetan lotus mandala. XYZ Atlas, a Hedonic Map of Austin, an interactive public art about our collective experiences. The sculpture has a footprint of 20 feet and is 8 feet tall when the flower is closed. The piece is currently on loan to the Elizabeth Ney Museum in Hyde Park. Dance of the Cosmos was created in 2015 in part with a grant from the City of Austin’s Cultural Arts Division.

About the artist

Jennifer Chenoweth is a visual artist and entrepreneur.  She is the principal of Fisterra Studio, creating contemporary abstract painting and sculpture. Chenoweth studied Painting and Sculpture at the Kansas City Art Institute, has a master’s degree from the “Great Books” program at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, and holds an M.F.A. in Painting from The University of Texas at Austin. She has curated a group show at her studio and home for the East Austin Studio Tour since its inception in 2003. Her art is in the Public Collection at the Houston Hobby Airport and she has shown extensively in Austin, San Antonio, Kansas City, and at art fairs in London, Miami, New York, and Santa Fe.

Chenoweth served as a panelist for the City of Austin’s Art in Public Places and served as Design Team Artist for the East 7th Street Corridor Project, advising for the African-American Cultural Center and the new Central Library. She has received honors for her work from the City of Austin and Giving City. She recently served as the Vice Chair of the Arts Commission, appointed from District 3 to help advocate for creatives in Austin. (Source: fisterrastudio.com)

DanceCosmosColor.photo by Michelle Atkinson.sm

Photo credit: Michelle Atkinson

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Patterson Park map by Chris Levack

September 24, 2016 Friends of Patterson Park Meeting Agenda

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Join Friends of Patterson Park at 10 am on Saturday morning, Sept. 24 at Patterson Park for a  discussion of current and proposed projects, coffee, and muffins.  For more info, email fopp.atx@gmail.com.

AGENDA

1) Welcome and introductions

2) Proposal for Gordon Bennett Trail markers and 3-D Patterson Park map:

3) Review of two proposed locations for “Dance of the Cosmos” sculpture by Jennifer Chenoweth, Fisterra Studio

  • Please take the online survey here: http://bit.ly/2cP6B0F
  • Note that PARD will make a final decision on location using this feedback.

3) Announcements

Friends of Patterson Park meeting, June 10, 2016

Meeting Notes, June 10, 2016, Friends of Patterson Park

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Members in attendance:
Priscilla Boston, Schieffer-Willowbrook, Vineland
Mark Smolen, Wilshire Wood, Crestwood
Mike Sullivan, Cherrywood, Walnut
Jim Reed, Cherrywood, Werner
Julie Nelson, Wilshire Wood, Crestwood
Jennifer Potter-Miller, Cherrywood, Grayson
Ryan Osthun, Cherrywood, Hemlock
Lisa Fuka, Schieffer-Willowbrook, Cherrywood Rd
Amy Bench, Cherrywood
Tim Whitehill, Cherryood
Allison, Wilshire Wood, Lullwood

Visitors present:
Michael Berliner, Grow Green Initiative
Destiny and Michael, Nature’s Treasures
Jennifer Chenoweth, Fisterra Studio

Call to Order 9:05 a.m.

Community Garden

• Mark Smolen reported that the garden fence posts are being set. Irrigation lines are in though they are not tied to water yet. Next fencing panels will be installed and pergola will be built.
• Garden plots are still available. The allocation process will be a lottery for each plot. Owners are responsible for building their garden, which will be in raised beds because of caliche soil.

CherryWoodstock

• Ryan Ofsthun described plans for the neighborhood music festival planned for Sept. 17, 12-6pm at Patterson Park. Neighborhood-based bands will perform 30 minute showcases. A sound permit has been acquired from PARD.
• Sound will be amplified but directed toward Airport Blvd. There will be an 8×8 foot stage near the shelter. The event is alcohol free. Organizers are looking for walking traffic and not cars. There are only three people organizing this event and they would like help.
• Ryan requested a Letter of Support from FoPP and will ask for one from each adjacent neighborhood association. The letter should be emailed to Jason Mawer, head of PARD.

Concerns: Communication with the neighborhoods, parking. Jennifer suggested a Facebook page to share information. Michael Berliner offered to help create a website.

Action requested: Letter of Support. Jennifer plans to conduct online poll of FoPP members in order to get wide input.

Comment: Jennifer noted that FoPP is open to anyone who cares about the park, although the five adjacent neighborhoods will be asked to approve major plans.

Patterson Park Pool

• The pool is not scheduled to open to the public until late July. Jennifer expressed concern that this may be a signal that economics of neighborhood pools are changing. This summer’s pay rates are $13/hour and $19 for each overtime hour. Lisa Fuka, a swim instructor at the YMCA, suggested that this was causing displacement, taking lifeguards from other organizations such as the YMCA.

• Lisa spoke to Hyde Park’s effort to find lifeguards for Shipe. Hyde Park funds neighborhood kids through the city’s lifeguard program. Currently there is only one Junior Lifeguard taking advantage of that. Junior Life Guards are under the age of 16 and can only work at pools where there is a manager, such as Northwest and Bartholmew. One lifeguard worked 72 hours his first week earning over $1000 for one week. Kids are not the only ones who can lifeguard.

Potential action: Assess what we can do for future years.

Gordon Bennett Way Trail Markers

• Jennifer reported that the Chula League has $1621 in its account for a memorial to trail markers. Since our April meeting Girard Kinney has looked into the cost of stone markers matching those at Mueller, but it is 1K+. Girard has proposed raising funds for the markers as part of a larger trail improvement grant. Jennifer has spoken with neighbor Chris Levack of Texas Sculpture about making wood trail markers instead with the available funds.
• Priscilla Boston, who has a long history in the neighborhood, FoPP and Chula, suggested we find out if the funds can be transferred to FoPP’s account with the Austin Parks Foundation. She clarified that the markers extending Gordon Bennett Way from the Mueller greenbelt through Patterson would be a symbolic bridge or connection between development and neighborhoods to the west of Airport Blvd. Gordon had envisioned connected communities when he helped develop the plan for Mueller.

Potential Action: 1) Determine if funds can be moved to the APF account, and 2) continue discussion on design, materials and placement of markers.

At this time, about 10 AM we had been meeting for an hour and had to move locations due to the pavilion being used for another event.

Austin Neighborhood Fest: Little Free Library Event

• Michael Berliner from the Grow Green Initiative shared information about an event he is organizing in late July, location TBD. Free event in a park with BBQ, kid activities, supplies to build and decorate 100+ Little Free Libraries to be distributed across the city, and a community-wide book drive. FoPP members expressed interest in hosting the event at Patterson.

Next step: Grow Green will determine where the event will be held. FoPP will help spread the word regardless of where it is held.

Community Priorities Survey

• Time was short so Jennifer quickly summarized results of the survey so far, and suggested a committee meet to evaluate them.

Action: The survey will continue through the summer. Jennifer will send a call out for members to begin an initial review of the results.

Austin Parks Foundation Grant

• Jennifer reported that APF has invited us to apply for their Neighborhood Grants. These are $500 to $4,999 and are awarded throughout the year on a rolling basis. They can be used for a list of pre-approved items from PARD, including trash bins, tables, bike racks, etc. Our next presenter, Jennifer Chenoweth, suggested we apply early and often since funding may not always be available. She also said in some cases there is not a big cost difference between commercial made and artist or custom made items like benches and bike racks.

Action: Jennifer will send a call out for assistance writing first grant.

Proposed donation of sculpture to community garden

• Visual artist Jennifer Chenoweth of Fisterra Studio spoke about the proposed donation of her kinetic sculpture, Dance of the Cosmos, to Patterson Park. The piece is currently on loan to the Elizabeth Ney Museum in Hyde Park.Jennifer earned her MFA in 1996, serves on the Austin Arts Commission, is a resident of East Austin, and has been an active member of the local arts community for 20 years. She is proposing a permanent donation of this piece to Patterson Park.
• Dance of the Cosmos was inspired by Robert Putchiks Emotional Windows study and a Tibetan lotus mandala. It is part of the XYZ Atlas, a Hedonic Map of Austin is interactive public art about our collective experiences.
• The sculpture has a footprint of 20 feet and is 8 feet tall when the flower is closed. It has electrical components tied to a solar panel. The solar panel needs to be within 30 feet. The sculpture is attached to a pad. The pad is not a single piece but many colored tiles. Maintenance after installation should not be much and it would be funded. The outer coating will be done is such away graffiti can be easily removed.
• Jennifer C. had some potential locations mapped out in the park. The group looked over the map and identified another place between the pool, bathroom facility and picnic tables. The area is pretty flat and the solar panel might be placed on the bathroom facility.
• The group present was enthusiastic about the sculpture. If the broader FoPP group is supportive, Jennifer C. will pursue further community support from the adjacent neighbors and neighborhood associations.

Action: Conduct an online poll of FoPP members to see whether we should support the donation, and what would be the preferred location and write a Letter of Support.

Adjourn 11:10 a.m. Members still present took a short walk to see progress on community garden.

Notes prepared by Lisa Fuka.

Download a PDF of notes here: FOPP June 10, 2016 meeting notes

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Photo credit: Jennifer Potter-Miller

DanceCosmosColor.photo by Michelle Atkinson.sm

Friends of Patterson Park to Meet June 11

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Join Friends of Patterson Park for our June meeting at the park. We will be at the pavilion if it’s available, and at a nearby picnic table otherwise. Please bring a lawn chair in case we need extra seating. Muffins & coffee will be provided, children welcome.

Saturday, June 11, 9am
AGENDA

1) Introductions
2) Announcements
– Community garden update
– CherryWoodstock music festival update
– Patterson Pool opening delayed to July 25
– Austin Neighborhood Festival, a Little Free Library event
3) Current business

  • Community Priorities Survey
    – initial results and plans to collect more feedback. Next steps with Master Plan.
  • Austin Parks Foundation grant
    –     FoPP has been invited to apply for a small grant (up to 5K) this summer. We need to choose from pre-approved projects, including installation of picnic tables, benches and trash bins.
  • Proposed donation of sculpture to community garden
    – Presentation by artist Jennifer Chenoweth of Fisterra Studios about Dance of the Cosmos sculpture, currently on loan to the Elizabeth Ney Museum and visible at 45th St & Ave. H.

 Dance of the Cosmos photo by Michelle Atkinson.

Austin Neighborhood Festival

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