Today in Zilker Park

Thursday, September 25, 2025

09-22-2025 Email to Environmental Commission: The ACL Fest 2025 Contract has omitted many regulations

10-14-2025 (To City Council, Mayor, Parks Board, Environmental Commission)

Thank you for replying to confirm receipt of my earlier email.

You have probably been told by the Parks Department that the 10 pages of reduced content in the 2025 ACL contract is simply the relocation of content to external CoA sources. The fee schedule for the ACL rental of Zilker Park -- located now in the new ACL SCOPE OF WORK -- required an additional Public Information Request. It took me several more days to collect the SCOPE OF WORK documents located in CoA Municipal Code, Austin Center for Events policies and procedures, Park Rules, etc.

I have compiled an ACL SCOPE OF WORK LIBRARY: 15 documents, located outside of the ACL Contract.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15Ub_rJwFlq0seqUKsY-wPKEYNhZKWtr5?usp=sharing

I wonder how the ACL Organizer manages to comply with such wide-ranging materials, some of which appear to be contradictory to the very nature of the ACL Event.

For example, Special Event Property List (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15Ub_rJwFlq0seqUKsY-wPKEYNhZKWtr5) claims that the maximum capacity for The Great Lawn is "30,000+" which is still far below 80K. I was unable to locate the Zilker Park maximum capacity of 80K (attendees and staff) in any of the SCOPE OF WORK.

Thanks for your interest in the 2025 ACL Contract.

================================

10-02-2025

Dear Public Reader,

The Parks Department has since sent me the 2025 ACL Contract Addendum (2 pages).

The Addendum provides the details about the rental fees. However, ACL in 2025 continues to have minimal regulations (such as "maximum capacity of attendees"):

• no Tiered Special Event maintenance fees (the fee-per-ticket for general park maintenance);

• no EMS regulations,

• no Fencing regulations,

• no Maximum Capacity of Attendees,

• missing Portable Toilet details,

• missing Transportation details,

• missing Waste Management details and

• missing the impact of "free samples" on waste management.

The 2025 ACL Contract Addendum:

Dear Ms. Johnston and Environmental Commissioners,

The Parks Department (APR) has chosen to use a new minimalist contract template for ACL in 2025. The event is right around the corner (although you won't find the event dates in the new 2025 contract -- one of many omissions, I believe).

The EC discusses various topics that impact the environment, health and safety of people. ACL Festival has impacts on environmental topics: Waste Management, EMS/public safety, Transportation (sustainable and mass transit), to name a few.

I have taken screenshots to show you the missing Contract oversight for ACL in 2025.

The first few screenshots are the top and bottom of the 2024 vs 2025 ACL Contracts. They show: No rent due, no deposit due, no mention of "25% non-refundable." Page 12 verifies that this is in fact the 2025 ACL Contract, signed by Dir. Aguirre and the Organizer Emmett Beliveau.

The 2024 ACL Contract was 22 pages. The current 2025 ACL Contract is 12 pages. That means 10 pages of regulations, reporting requirements, and site-plan requirements -- for example -- are simply missing in 2025.

With my file names and annotation, I tried to make each screenshot clear. Always, the 2024 ACL Contract is on the LEFT and the 2025 Contract is on the RIGHT.

Many issues in the 2025 contract might be of interest to the EC:

• no event rental fees,
• no Tiered Special Event maintenance fees (the fee-per-ticket for general park maintenance);
• no EMS regulations,
• no Fencing regulations,
• no Maximum Capacity of Attendees,
• missing Portable Toilet details,
• missing Transportation details,
• missing Waste Management details and
• missing the impact of "free samples" on waste management.

There are more.

Perhaps you will find something of interest specific to the EC?

My best wishes -- and with gratitude for your volunteer service to the City,

Diana Prechter

The full contracts are at the links below:

2025: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Cy6ZExQA2fWpus-qeMHdavd--yc5WxIy/view?usp=sharing

2024: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1irnEYmbp9yW0-nFwFw_PRTqZPM5KLroA/view?usp=sharing

Comparing various sections by subject:

Sunday, March 30, 2025

2025 Update: Zilker Park turns muddy - Updated with WPD & PARD new information 04-08-2025

Three days ago, journalist Kasha Patel in the Washington Post sounded the alarm that climate change is damaging soil worldwide.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/03/27/earth-soil-moisture-drying-sea-level-study/

I'm concerned that the Parks Department may not be taking soil preservation seriously enough.

My Zilker Park photos on 03-30-2025 show excessive mud and mulch on sidewalks and roads; mud is entering the drainage culvert in the parking lot above Barton Springs Pool.

Roadways leading up to the Pool are full of mud. It is an indication of poor soil quality and the potential of even more severe soil loss this summer when temperatures rise.

This mud is now entering a drainage culvert near Barton Springs Pool.

Mud on sidewalk is dangerous for bikes.

Meanwhile, excessive mulch is on top of sidewalks -- where it is dangerous for bike riders -- and adjacent to Eliza Springs. The mulch appears to be part of the Zilker Train/APF concession. Maybe APF could be asked to better maintain the area around their concession.

Several temporary berms appear to be at the end-of-useful-life. They are turning into sources of mulch that may float downhill toward the Springs, possibly entering the drainage culvert during heavy rains.

Entire hillsides continue to show signs of severe erosion after ACL Fest. Is there a permanent solution? Maybe these should be formally terraced to hold soil and provide safe pedestrian steps.

The Polo Field shows soil erosion with mud deposited at its low corners.

Looking at the south side of Barton Springs Road, Zilker Park is showing signs of soil wear-and-tear that would benefit from springtime maintenance, when seedlings might grow. How long can we allow informal pathways to get wider and wider without fences to guide footsteps?