The Pease Park Conservancy is taking over operations and maintenance across the more than 80-acre Central Austin park, under an updated city agreement expanding its current responsibilities centered around Kingsbury Commons.
The big picture
Pease District Park is Austin's oldest park. It recently celebrated its 150th anniversary; its original portion along North Lamar Boulevard was donated as public land in 1875 by former Gov. Elisha Marshall Pease.
Austin's partnership with the Pease Park Conservancy stretches back nearly two decades to the volunteer-led Trees for Pease started in 2008. The initiative evolved into a registered nonprofit in 2013 ahead of the 2014 passage of a Pease vision plan, and later contributed millions of dollars to the redevelopment of Kingsbury Commons on the park's southern end.
Austin Parks and Recreation entered into a formal parks operation and maintenance agreement, or POMA, with the conservancy in 2023 for programming and upkeep at Pease. It's one of many "Community PARKnerships" in place between the city and local organizations for improvements and stewardship of public spaces.
After years of managing Kingsbury Commons and taking on other work across Pease, the conservancy is entering into a new operations and maintenance phase plan with Austin for the entire 84-acre park. Parks staff reported the move follows recent successes at Pease, and it was unanimously supported by the resident Parks and Recreation Board this fall before City Council signed off on the update Nov. 5.
“They’ve demonstrated performance, financial and operational capacity and a detailed, thoroughly-reviewed plan for expansion," PARKnership Program Manager Christine Chute-Canul said in October.
The details
The conservancy now takes over lead responsibilities from the city parks department including:
Facilities maintenance
Programming, concessions and volunteering coordination
Trash and other waste collection
Graffiti abatement
Expanded public engagement related to the park
Additionally, the nonprofit will lead on proposed improvements across Pease over the coming years in line with the 2014 vision plan. That will start with the creation of a comprehensive signage plan, a project that'll run into 2027. Extensive upgrades to various other park features are included in the approved phase plan.
Conservancy CEO Nicole Netherton said the organization is already ramping up capacity for those obligations, with new staff hires expected in 2027 and 2028. The group also plans to expand its ecological restoration efforts, volunteer opportunities and financial support for its growing work.
"The city, the conservancy and the community each are essential to our partnership, and together we provide a stronger foundation for the park by leveraging philanthropic resources, hands-on stewardship and meaningful engagement to the people who love Pease," Netherton said Nov. 5. "Our operations team is in the park every day and can respond quickly to maintenance and visitor needs. PPC also coordinates volunteers, provides free community programming and creates opportunities for connection for visitors from every Austin ZIP code. An active park is a safe park, and PPC’s consistent staff presence is key to our success."
Some park oversight and maintenance work will still fall to the city, and there is no change to Pease's status as fully public parkland. The full phase plan can be viewed here.
What they're saying
Trees for Pease founder Richard Craig told officials that the nonprofit recognized a need for improvements and stewardship beyond what the city could provide, which the new structure will allow for.
“We always dreamed that one day the conservancy would have the capacity to care for the entire park, and I’m thrilled that day has arrived," he said. "Pease Park is an Austin treasure, and success of the conservancy in the lower park at Kingsbury Commons demonstrates what a partnership between the city, private philanthropy and a committed community of neighbors can accomplish.”
Mayor Pro Tem Chito Vela said the conservancy did a great job with Kingsbury Commons and supported its extension to the rest of Pease. And Council member Mike Duchen, whose West Austin district includes the park, credited the conservancy for its "extraordinary work" so far in maintaining and improving the historic green space.
"I would love for this to serve as a model to other parks and also other park organizations and park advocates for how to collaborate and ensure that our parks are well-maintained for future generations," he said.
What else?
The approved phase plan is expected to result in savings for the city and offset parks staff workload.
The new plan isn't attached to any city dollars, and the nonprofit anticipates hundreds of thousands of dollars in upcoming expenses from projects to staffing will be supported by private funding.
Currently, the nonprofit must contribute at least $50,000 per year to park management outside Kingsbury Commons while Austin reimburses the conservancy up to $36,000 of its annual park utility costs.
