Remember the new grass in Zilker Park?

mandingo-- Thanks for bringing facts to this emotionally charged discussion. I like ACL Fest, I think it's a great event, but I'm not sure that the sacrifices that have been forced on the community that pays for the park are justifiable.

I especially don't like that C3 didn't pay the $2.5M up front, but rather wrote the public an IOU. I wasn't aware of that, and it definitely affects my reaction to this situation.
 
Sorry, but where in the article did it say anything about them taking 10 years to pay out the $2.5M? The article linked says they will pay it back in a "few years". Did you leave something out, or are you making an assumption there?
 
I've lived in Austin 15 years and the only things I've done in that part of the park are ACL and the Trail of Lights. I know other things happen there, but I stick to the jogging trail and the other side of the street, apparently.
 
Great, Dan. Happy for you. And your point that there is diversity of thought is valid.

Mark me down as not feeling great, not being supportive at this point, of the C3/ACL deal vs what the larger community has to give up. The time out of commission for the park, the lame payment deal, are just too much.
 
Sheesh, the since of entitlement here. Long term Zilker is better off as a result of C3's investment. Bad luck is right. I got 1/4 inch all weekend at my house in NW Austin. **** happens, move on, and quit whining. Just deal with it...Zilker will be closed a bit and then better than ever. BTW, on Friday the park looked the best I've seen it in over 40 years...this coming off record heat and drought over the summer.
 
Everyone's throwing in their two since worth on this issue.
The park isn't "closed," BTW. Just the areas where they are doing the work on the fields. I went to the garden center yesterday because a rare bird is hanging out there. It didn't seem to mind the muddy fields. I saw a Calliope Hummingbird, smallest bird in North America.
 
This year that part of the park was closed for a long time, that is not really normal. I love that park but dam Pearl Jam was worth it.
 
And the playground was open. The train was open (most of the time). The frisbee golf course was open. The picnic area was open. The botanical gardens was open. The sculpture garden was open. The theater was open....

BTW - Zilker is 350 acres and the "Great Lawn" portion that was closed is 46 of those acres. So, rather than people saying that the "park was closed" it would be more accurate to say "13% of the park was closed."

According to the city, the "Great Lawn" had seen no major improvements since the 1930's. Having one year in which the 13% of the park is under construction every 80 years doesn't seem terribly intrusive to me.
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The $2.5mil is strictly for the irrigation system and re-sodding. Any repairs to the new sod, due to the '09 Fest will be paid for by C3, in addition to that. They also pay a rental fee for the park for the entire time they are setting up, holding the event, and tearing down.

Also, if you think having a few concerts and ACL Fest there over the years is the reason for the deterioration of the grass and soil, you are wrong. It's soccer and other team sports. My guess is you won't be seeing much of these anymore.

Without the income made off of ACL, Parks would probably have budget cuts which would provide less maintenance and fewer employees to take care of park facilities all over the city. Without ACL, the City loses income, local businesses lose income and the local music industry would take a hit...also, Austin City Limits, though it has done pretty well on it's own, would lose out on some acts they would never book without the festival. I can't imagine that Pearl Jam, who I hear put on one of the best shows ever, would ever have thought about coming to Austin just to tape ACL.

Yes, the past year at Zilker was frustrating, but don't blame C3. It was work that needed to be done, that probably never would have been done, if not for C3.

I've been in Austin for nearly forty years and this thread made me think about my time spent at Zilker Park. I've spent a lot of hours and days there, from the Springs to the train, the picnic areas, the playground(two kids), the Nature Center, the Gardens, the summer musicals, and even the clubhouse for a few parties and weddings. Things I've done on the Great Lawn are the kite festival and...concerts, a couple that had even more people than ACL.

Hell, let's start a new thread and ***** about Eeyore's Birthday Party. It's pretty much devastated Pease Park.













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So according to this article, the grass is fine, has survived and just needs to be cleaned and rinsed off. Waaaaaaa!!! Oh, and C3 is paying.
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Crews begin hosing mud off Zilker grass
Park staffers still think healthy grass lies beneath the muck.
By Sarah Coppola
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Thursday, October 08, 2009

Crews began hosing down Zilker Park's Great Lawn on Wednesday in hopes of finding healthy sod beneath a thick layer of mud. City officials are optimistic that the sod, planted in April, withstood the weekend's rains and the thousands of fans at the Austin City Limits Music Festival.

The lawn will be closed at least through the end of the month.

Assistant Parks and Recreation Director Stuart Strong said about two dozen workers from ACL organizer C3 Presents used handheld hoses on the lawn's south side Wednesday. Water restrictions that took effect in August allow watering with hoses at any time, Strong said.

"It's basically a muddy carpet right now. In effect, they're washing it," Strong said. "Over the next few days we'll be able to perfect the technique and gauge how long it will take. We would like to get it done pretty soon."

The type of grass — Tifway Bermuda — is hardy enough to survive the kind of heavy foot traffic and rains it endured this past weekend, he said.

Also on Wednesday, park officials began allowing ACL vendors to use light-duty vehicles to remove equipment and supplies from the site if they first put down plywood or other coverings to protect the grass. Stages and sound equipment will likely be removed by cranes, the same way they were installed, Strong said.

After a week or so, the Parks and Recreation Department will assess whether the hosing effort has been effective, whether unhosed grass has begun to grow back and whether parts of the 46 acres need to be resodded.

C3 Presents will pay for the hosing effort and any grass repairs, but there's no cost estimate yet, Strong said.
 
A couple more things to ponder.

Rinsing off the grass? What kind of fertilizer was in the sod and what's it going to do to Town Lake and downstream?

More importantly. The "flood" that hit ACL Fest was less than an inch of rain. Did anyone see the park today? It looked like a lake in some parts. When they resodded the park they really should have thought about setting up better drainage. Specifically, no flat areas.
 
Rinsing the dirt off the grass?

I still don't understand that. How did the grass get dirty? Magically? Did dirt fall from the sky?

It got dirty due to the sod getting trampled and torn up, exposing the dirt, soil and mud that once held the grass.

yeah the remaining grass that is still firmly rooted may just need to be rinsed off, but that doesn't account for the areas where the grass got unrooted and is just no longer there.
 
Does everyone realize that this will happen again at ACL with less than an inch of rain?

Doesn't that beg the question, "Why didn't they lay rock underneath and grade the surfaces so that it drains better?"
 
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