I received a note from Daniel Woodroffe yesterday informing me about a proposed public private partnership (PPP) to bring further improvements to Butler Park.  As someone that enjoys Butler Park, I’m very excited about this project and hope you will share your support for it.

The Bloch Plaza Steering Committee, working with Austin Parks Foundation and the Prostate Cancer Resource Center are working with the R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation and the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department to design, build and maintain the proposed R.A. Bloch Cancer Survivors Plaza, proposed for the fountain area located north of the Palmer Events Center in Butler Park.

The plaza will be built around an existing one-acre site that features a landscaped pool and existing trees and native plantings. The plan proposes to add additional water elements, native plants and trees, and a series of tips on maintaining a positive mental attitude and the road to recovery in fighting cancer and other life threatening diseases. A separately funded and designed artwork will be selected by the RA Bloch Cancer Foundation and the City Arts Commission and installed in a portion of the plaza to be determined at a later date. This artwork will replace the original proposed sculptures of a family that appear in other Bloch Plazas in cities throughout North America.

The R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation will fund $1M of the cost of the design and construction, with advocates raising funds under the umbrella of the Austin Parks Foundation.

The Austin Parks Foundation will be responsible for the design and construction of the plaza and will perform the working following the established city standards. While the Plaza is and will remain the property of the City of Austin, the Foundation – through the Stakeholder Steering Committee, will be responsible for the heavy maintenance of the completed plaza and is raising additional funds mentioned above for that express purpose.

1. COA Downtown Commission convenes tonight at 5:30. On the agenda are updates on Bicycle Boulevard from Annick Beaudet with City of Austin Public Works Department, and Waller Creek District Master Plan presentation by Jim Robertson with City of Austin Planning and Development Review.
2. Another professionally managed shared bicycle system could be a good fit for Austin. This one is called B-cycle, and it gets rolling in Denver tomorrow.  You can vote on their website for Austin to be the next city considered (we’re already tracking as #1).   We’ve recommended to City Council Members Riley, Cole, Spelman, and Martinez that they consider integrating a shared bicycle system, like BIXI, as part of the City’s mobility strategy.  Since this mode of transit could be of great utility to visitors, one thought was that a hotel tax could fund part of the cost of a shared bicycle system.
3. Know that island of vegetation across from City Hall?  It shall be called the “Treeangle.”
4. In case you missed it, check out this inspired adaptation of an otherwise blah art installation on Lamar.
5. The ABJ is reporting “Austin area home sales rose dramatically in March — up 27 percent — compared with the same month last year, while the median price of buying a home was unchanged.” The surge is being attributed to the home buyer tax credits. We share that belief, and explore the downtown market in detail in our recent quarterly report.