Here's the reply I received. It sounds like they're planning on the relocation to be permanent. While I haven't been there in awhile it seems there may be merit to the notion that the area needs a rest to recover but it will be a crying shame if they don't put the course back at least close to the current location. Hope you Austin locals show up in force.
Dear Mr. Mahan,
Thank you for contacting our department about Pease District Park. The Austin Parks and Recreation Department is currently assessing the deteriorating conditions of this historic park and the potential for its recovery as a lasting public asset for future generations. Pease District Park experiences heavy use from a large variety of park patrons. Unfortunately, all these activities have taken a serious toll on the landscape and jeopardize its ultimate survival. The alarming conditions were confirmed by an ecological site assessment by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in 2006. This site visit confirmed that the park is suffering from soil compaction and trampling of vegetation; invasion by non-native plant species; and reduction of the capacity of the soil to absorb flood waters. Our department is also concerned that there are few young trees growing in the remnant woodlands to take the place of the older and, in many cases, dying trees.
As stewards of our public lands, the Parks Department is responsible to both today's park users and the future generations that rely on us to manage and preserve our precious green spaces for our children and grandchildren. As Austin grows, balancing these two important needs with limited resources becomes more and more of a challenge. Unfortunately, hindsight has shown us that the rocky slopes and narrow configuration of Pease Park is not an ideal location from a management standpoint for a heavily used disk golf course. The park must rest if it is to survive. We want to assure you that we are making it one of our top departmental priorities to replace the disc golf course at Pease with a well-designed and more sustainable course in a different central location, at the earliest possible date. We are proud to say that PARD has been collaborating for the past three years with neighbors and park advocates in a restoration program at Pease that has resulted in the planting of over 300 trees, along with other park projects aimed at bringing the park back to life. Likewise, we look forward to further collaboration with disk golf clubs to provide and maintain a new course we can all be proud of and enjoy.
A Pease Park capital improvement initiative will be taking place in 2011 to improve the water quality in Shoal Creek, repair significant stream bank erosion, and restore healthy soil and vegetation on the creek. The project area encompasses the creek and its floodplain in the parkland adjacent to Shoal Creek from a point just south of Gaston Avenue to 15th Street. The department has been in dialogue with all Pease Park stakeholders through a series of community meetings held over the last 12 months. The public process efforts have focused on listening to concerns and ideas, and informing stakeholders about the upcoming work in Shoal Creek and how it affects parks users and our plans to locate a new disc golf course.
The Department will hold a another public meeting on Thursday, June 17th at the Lamar Senior Activity Center located at 2874 Shoal Crest (off Lamar/29th Street). We invite you to join our staff for a discussion about Pease Park and disc golf.
Thank you once again for contacting us and for sharing your concerns.
Sincerely,
Sara L. Hensley, CPRP
Director, Parks and Recreation Department
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From: Mahan, Terry [mailto:
[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, June 09, 2010 9:48 AM
To: Hensley, Sara
Subject: Pease Park Disc Golf Course
Hi Ms. Hensley,
I am a resident of northern Virginia that has the opportunity to travel to Austin for business several times a year. While in Austin I'm certain to make a trip to Pease Park to play your excellent disc golf course. I've read of the plans to close the course during renovations to the Shoal Creek area. I fully recognize the need for this and the impact that the foot traffic on the course has on the area. The volume of this traffic is due to the high quality of this enjoyable and unique disc golf course. I've traveled much of the country and played courses on both coasts and much of the area in between, Pease Park is well up in my top ten favorite courses to play.
I know you've made plans to relocate the course to another area during the renovations, I hope you will consider making this a temporary relocation and restore the course to as close to its original location (with appropriate environmental impact modifications). It truly is the model for urban disc golf courses.
Thanks for your time,
Terry Mahan
