Where theory meets the park...

 

Remember classes where the teacher bored you to tears with things like making you do fractions over and over again on paper instead of using practical examples like making you halve a favorite recipe?  Lessons are all around us, but often school favors the theoretical over the useful.  This wasn't so for the students in UT's 10 week design/build studio this summer.  Instead of designing for an imaginary place these academic students are paired with community members to create something real.  Instead of a drawing on a computer screen the students leave with blisters on their hands and the community is left with something tangible.

Last year students designed and built a moveable tool shed for our southern neighbors at Holly Neighbors Helping Neighbors.

This year our neighborhood was lucky to be selected for a project and an obvious place to create something was...you guessed it...our park!

In early June, Coleman Coker and Laura Edwards from the UT School of Architecture's Center for Sustainable Development met with the neighborhood association to present the idea and the project rapidly grew from there. 

 

 One of the main goals for the Public Interest Design practicum is community engagement so logically the next step was for us to meet the students.

On a warm Texas evening we met with the students who instead of being equipped with note pads came armed with smart phones that they set on the picnic table between us to record the conversation.  Together we had a very honest conversation about the park's history and its future.  We discussed past crimes, illegal dumping, housing buyouts, floods, young neighbors desires for a cool playground and more.  The students left with more information then they probably imagined was possible when it comes to a little piece of land with lawn and pecan trees but also with a sense of how important this community space is to neighbors.

 

They digested the information and several weeks later sent very detailed plans to the neighborhood for planned kiosks.  When many neighbors first heard that they were planning kiosks we imagined that they'd create a post with some cork board tacked to it and maybe a shelter but the plans we got were for architectural pieces of public art with an interpretive connection.

In all there were three groups, three designs, and three kiosks created.  The designs were tweaked by the Parks and Recreation Department but stayed true to the students initial vision.

Human Kiosk - Highlights human intervention with the creek by drawing the eye towards the transition from the creek with natural sides to the concrete channel.  Students interviewed community members who frequent the Conely-Guerrero Senior Activity Center and incorporated their memories into the piece.

the design

 

 

the reality

 

Canopy Kiosk - Provides a space to recline and relax while staring into the trees' canopy.  Middle school students provided poems and thoughts about the park in English and Spanish that were etched into the wooden slats.

the design

 

 

the reality

Riparian Restoration Kiosk - Draws the eye toward the creek which due to urban flow patterns cuts deeply into the landscape and isn't easily seen.  It highlights some of the native plants being used in the restoration and the wildlife that it supports.

the design

 

the reality

Once the students had the greenlight from the Parks and Recreation Department and our group they started to order materials, cut, haul, screw, weld and more.  They spent many HOT hours in the park patiently building their pieces while answering questions from curious passer-bys and doing it only for their class requirement and the occasional popsicle or slice of pizza from one of us.

 

 

Before we knew it the summer was almost over and on August 14, 2013 we came together to learn more about the students vision, thank each other and break bread.  Click here to see more photos of the entire process.

 

THANK YOU to the professors and students for making a difference while learning.  We look forward to seeing you in the park!

 

Serious Papers - Boggy Creek Restoration

Project Manual - Book 1 of 2
Project Manual - Book 2 of 2
Streambank Stabilization and Restoration

Erosion

According to FloodPro we had 2.72" of rain in the last 7 days and that was more than enough to sweep soil off the banks of Boggy Creek.  Earlier this week the restoration contractors finally sprayed the exposed banks with hydromulch.

photo taken May 23, 2013 looking upstream from Pleasant Valley overpass.  new hydromulching and some plants going in

However, the seeds in the hydromulch didn't have time to take root before the much  needed rain so here are some photos of the sad results.

 

some large debris and a dead tree that the contractors are waiting to plant

 

Johnson grass and erosion, photo taken from Rosewood Avenue looking downstream

 

 

photo taken from pedestrian bridge looking upstream towards Pleasant Valley overpass

 

National Trails Day, June 1

As part of National Trails Day, we were awarded a grant for 30 yards of mulch to help our trees through this ongoing drought.  Come help us spread it out on Saturday, June 1 from 9:00 - 11:30 AM.  Bring a water bottle, closed-toe shoes, and sunscreen.  We'll have water, gloves, and tools. Additional wheel barrows, rakes, and shovels are welcome too! 

Register via Austin Parks Foundation: http://www.austinparks.org/multi-project-list.html?eventid=651&linkid=202&action=selectproject. 

An after party at Barton Springs will provide volunteers with free lunch, local beer, and a chance for some prizes!

one step forward, 1/2 step back, but we're still ahead

Some days you win, some days you lose, and some days you learn a lesson.  We'll count today as a lesson learned day.  We've been working to establish a Grow Zone on the tributary that flows from Hargrave Street into Boggy Creek and today mowers visited our park. 

We've met with park staff on site, talked with several departments to ensure we could pull mowing back from the banks of the creek, and we put in posts to mark the Grow Zone.  We found old construction fencing and put that up between the posts but didn't have enough to cover the length of the area. 

Oddly enough, last night I felt strongly that I needed to go out and put rope between all of the posts but was feeling sick so convinced myself that it would be ok to put the rope up today.  Oooops!  Wrong decision!

Here's what I found today:

you can see that the area with orange fencing in front of it is still full of wildflowers

 

 

area that was not mowed

 

close-up of the area that's still growing

 

 

area that was mistakenly mowed  :-(  all of the area between the slope and the post was supposed to be allowed to grow

 

SOLUTION!

 

 

The evidence is clear that if there's a strong reminder that mowers should stay away then they will.  Let's hope that neon rope strung between the posts will send a message next time the park is mowed.

 

Onward toward wildflowers and eventually an urban creekside forest.  

 

 

 

 

Clean Sweep 2013

There's no better way to start a Saturday than with volunteers working to make the world a little bit better.  On April 13 we welcomed volunteers to the park for Keep Austin Beautiful's annual Clean Sweep.  We were one of 134 cleanup sites and we're biased but we think we had the happiest volunteers in town.  Thank you to everyone who came out to make a difference!

 

Photos of our Boggy Creek Clean Sweep

 

 

"before" shot of trash floating in the creek

 

See all the volunteers in our creek?

 

moving some mulch leftover from It's My Park Day

 

 

Victory!

 

Oh & did we mention that KAB throws a volunteer party?  We made a neighborhood bike gang and rode to the party to enjoy lunch, t-shirts, music, face painting, and cool exhibits like making a reusable bag out of old vinyl banners.

 

 

 

 

waffle maker, juicer, new towels OR stuff for the park?

When Doug and I got engaged one of the first things we did was adopt this park.  We love walking our dogs (Kona & Pippa) here and now that our partnership was going to be formalized it seemed like the right thing to formalize our partnership with the park too.

 

Kona         &                 Pippa

 

We did have ulterior motives though, we didn't want stuff.  As soon as you get engaged it seems like people begin to ask you where you're registered so by adopting the park and setting up a fund management account with the Austin Parks Foundation we could cleverly skirt that question and encourage people to donate to the park.   Besides, if you get a juicer it needs to be cleaned every time you use it and you have to clean it alone.  If you take care of a park with a creek then you do need to hold cleanups every once and a while BUUUUT people help you and thank you for what you're doing! When was the last time you were thanked for cleaning a juicer?

So on the fifth anniversary of our first date, we tied the knot and now we just need to decide how we want to improve our park.  The great staff from the Parks and Recreation Department have requested some trash cans with side entry and a lid that'll be more attractive, easier for them to use and will reduce the amount of litter that blows out.  It would also be nice to have  bench facing the creek so we can have quiet moments to watch wildlife.  What do you think our wedding gifts to the park should be?