 "Photo: Karina Jacques/The Daily Texan")
Zilker Park’s Great Lawn will reopen to the public today after four weeks of rest and recovery from the rain and mud that accumulated during the Austin City Limits Music Festival weekend, Oct. 2-4.
The city will replace about one acre of the 46-acre lawn in the spring, as the Parks and Recreation Department projected this summer. Park staff have aerated the lawn since its closure, and have been working to remove the mud that developed over the grass, said Victor Ovalle, spokesman for the Parks and Recreation Department.
“We felt that we should turn it over back to the public at this point,” Ovalle said. “The lawn should start to come back naturally.”
To minimize damage to the turf, park patrons should be cautious of some saturated areas in the park. The turf should return to its green state in the spring, Ovalle said.
“We’re hoping the weather will stay warm for a while, so the grass won’t go into dormancy,” he said.
When temperatures drop, grass will stop growing, which could delay repairs to the park.
City employees are also working on a drainage system and on putting soil back in different areas to restore the lawn, he said.
C3 Presents, the company that produces ACL, will pay for any repairs to the grass.
“C3 has told us that they will spend whatever expense to make sure the lawn is restored as it was found before the festival,” Ovalle said. “We have a great commitment from them.”
Despite the park being closed earlier this summer in preparation for ACL and after the festival, Ovalle said the number of visitors to Barton Springs and the Zilker Park area have increased from last year.
Barton Springs Pool saw an increase of 50,000 visitors this year, he said. They also saw an increase in attendance for the Zilker Park Kite Festival.
“The Great Lawn is only 13 percent of Zilker park,” Ovalle said. “The park represents a high quality of life that Austinites expect, and it’s a great opportunity for them to experience the outdoors and to have a good time out there.”
Business sophomore Lauren Scroggs worked at ACL in 2008. At the time, patrons did not have to slog through rain and mud, but rather battle summer temperatures, she said.
“I was so glad to hear that they made improvements to the lawn because it’s such a good venue,” Scroggs said. “It was so dusty before.”
Scroggs said that she has been to the Great Lawn for a couple of school events including Gone To Business, a freshman orientation event for McCombs students.
“It’s just nice to get out of all the buildings and into an area that’s so green and open,” she said.
Crosby Cook, a computer science freshman, is originally from Austin and has grown up making trips to the Zilker area.
“In high school, we’d go and play pick-up soccer games,” Cook said. “I haven’t visited the lawn since I’ve been at UT, but maybe I’ll get to introduce some new people to it through the Trail of Lights.”
