Georgetown Edition | April 2022

Georgetown Parks and Recreation saw youth registration hit an all-time high in 2021. With expected future growth, GPR will need to add facilities, sta¡ and program o¡erings. HEAD COUNT

early,” Garrett said. The plan recommends that GPR allocate an esti- mated $4 million to create and record standards for such components as well as another $4 million to create a work order system to track maintenance. The city also hired Green Play, an outside consulting Šrm, to assess its current facilities on quality, function and condition. Green Play’s recommendations for current and future facilities comprise the bulk of the plan. The Šrm divided George- town’s 53 parks into three categories based on size. The lowest-scoring parks were Windridge Village, Chandler Park and Westbury Park, and the highest scoring were San Gabriel Park, Rowan Park and the Downtown Splash Pad. Adding players GPR manages 29 neighbor- hood parks, four community parks, two regional parks, Šve special-use areas, 13 pocket parks, Šve pool areas,

one tennis center, six large pavilions, one recreation center and one community center that total 1,399 acres and 0.74 square feet of indoor area per capita. “Our community has always been supportive and active in our e¤orts,” Garrett said. “When COVID[-19] hit, and we could not o¤er indoor programming, we saw a sig- niŠcant increase in our park services.” Nationwide, data from the Outdoor Industry Asso- ciation found there was an increase in activities such as running, biking, hiking, Šsh- ing and camping from March 2020 to March 2021. Additionally, Garrett said that youth program registra- tion increased in 2021 as well. In fall 2020 a total of 506 participants were registered for youth soccer. With a 34.58% increase, there were 681 participants registered in fall 2021. Youth volleyball also saw an increase from 108 registered participants in fall 2020 to 259 registered

Youth soccer fall

Youth volleyball fall

Youth basketball winter

Youth soccer spring

734

681

661

506

400

2020 2021

259

233

108

SOURCE: CITY OF GEORGETOWNž COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER

participants in fall 2021, a 139.81% increase. In Šscal year 2020-21, the GPR department o¤ered a total of 1,813 seasonal and ongoing programswith 16,532 registered participants. As GPR makes adjustments to meet area and population demands, not only is it sug- gested that the department add programs, but also an additional 10 full-time posi- tions to reduce workload. As of now Georgetown has 10.5 full-time employees per 10,000 residents. By compar- ison Cedar Park has 4.4, and Round Rock 9.3.

“I’m proud of the work done by the council, our com- munity, city sta¤, and the consultant to put together such a proactive, compre- hensive blueprint for where we can improve our parks and recreational activities in Georgetown,” Mayor Josh Schroeder said in a release. “I’m excited for residents to see the great work to come.” The GPR master plan was developed by the George- town Parks and Recreation Department, the George- town Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, Georgetown leadership, stakeholders and

the consulting Šrm Green Play. A total of 2,036 public sur- veys were completed over the course of 10 months, according to GreenPlay. “I am excited to see what changes will happen, even in just the next few months,” said Megan Gallows, a two- year resident in the Sad- dleback neighborhood in Zone 4. “It would be great to have a park closer to my neighborhood.”

For more information, visit communityimpact.com.

Georgetown Water Rates and Schedule Follow the 2-day per week watering schedule

City of Georgetown water customers should follow the two-day watering schedule for irrigation systems and hose-end sprinklers. The year-round schedule is based on the last digit of the street address. During the summer months, we approach our treatment capacity due to overactive lawn irrigation. Do your part, and make sure your irrigation system is set properly.

City of Georgetown

Volumetric water rates (per 1,000 gallons)

May water:

Gallons 0-7,000

Cost

$1.85

7,001-15,000

$2.75

15,001-25,000 $4.80 25,000 and more $8.40

water.georgetown.org

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GEORGETOWN EDITION • APRIL 2022

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