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.
