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The City of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) will hold a public meeting on the ongoing Republic Square Park Vision Plan Update and Phase II Design and Construction project on Saturday, May 12, 2012 in the Austin City Council Chambers at City Hall from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. with an optional walk-through of Republic Square Park afterwards. The purpose of the meeting is for the consultant teams to present their analysis of existing conditions, and to solicit from the public suggested interests and opportunities that will be considered in the Square’s design, operations and maintenance.
Republic Square Park, one of three remaining Downtown Historical Squares, is located at the corner of Guadalupe Street and West 5th Street and adjacent to the new Federal Courthouse. The City of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department, the Downtown Austin Alliance, the Austin Parks Foundation, and two consultant teams are leading the planning for the future of this important public space. The Austin-based Design Workshop team is in charge of updating the Republic Square Park Vision Plan, and subsequent to the completion of the Vision Plan, Design Workshop will prepare construction documents and technical specifications and oversee construction of the Phase II improvements. ETM Associates, LLC will create a strategy for sustainable public-private partnerships for the Square’s on-going enhancement, operations, and maintenance.
in April, the consultants began the process of updating the Republic Square Park Vision Plan by holding seven meetings with citizen stakeholder groups. Particular attention is being paid to park frontages on West 5th Street, Guadalupe Street, and West 4th Street. While the Phase II construction documents will focus only on the parkland proper, recommended improvements to these streets right-of-way will be identified for future collaboration with other City departments and development interests.
The civic engagement process of this Republic Square project will involve the community in public information and education meetings and focus on obtaining input from representative segments of the community — the stakeholders. The public is invited to share ideas for potential park uses, both passive and active, public events, as well as ideas on opportunities for generating revenue. Ideas on the park’s design and character are welcome. The public’s feedback will help identify the ongoing maintenance and operation needs, which will enable the development of an appropriate operating model and operating budget. General questions and comments can be sent to the team working on this project at: [email protected]

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