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Partnership with the City of Austin

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PARK OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE PLAN OVERVIEW

Established in 2003, The Trail Conservancy (TTC) is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization with the mission to protect, enhance, and connect the Butler Hike and Bike Trail. The Conservancy carries out the efforts set forth by the Citizens Committee formed in 1971, which created the Trail.

TTC’s work primarily falls into two buckets:

  • Placemaking capital projects – Congress bridge, restrooms, water access, and the Boardwalk
  • Conservation and land management – invasive plant removal, planting trees and shade canopy, and shoreline restoration

 

TTC is privately funded by individuals, companies, and foundations. Occasionally, TTC will apply for Parkland Dedication Funds from the city – these funds are acquired by the city from real estate developers as fees they must provide in return for their projects. These fees must be used within a specific geographic area near the development project and are restricted to construction cost.

TTC’s previous organizational model was to identify a need on the Trail (for example, a restroom) and fully fund, permit, and construct the project. Upon completion, TTC handed over the project to PARD to maintain the amenity long-term. 

In 2022, TTC transitioned into a “conservancy” model. This means that TTC will ultimately become the primary partner and steward responsible for operating and maintaining the approximately 300+ acres of parkland on which the Trail sits.

In June 2022, TTC finalized negotiations and signed a Park Operations and Maintenance Agreement (POMA) with the City of Austin, formalizing this transition. This agreement outlines terms for the expanded partnership between TTC and PARD, including:

  • Liability – The city will maintain public liability, as the parkland will remain public property. TTC will remain liable for any issues caused by our work and/or negligence.
  • Land management—TTC developed a robust and detailed Operations and Maintenance Plan for the day-to-day management and restoration of the parkland, including elements such as plantings, mowing, tree care, etc.
  • Programming – TTC will grow and expand free and accessible events and programming along the Trail, such as cultural events, family events, educational activities, art exhibitions, and additional activations per community need and interest
  • TTC’s responsibility for the approximately 300-acre park will expand over 3-10 years to allow organizational capacity and funding to expand.

POMA FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

NO! The Butler Trail and the surrounding parkland belong to the City and our community. We are phasing into our maintenance and operations role, but the City will always be the owner of the space and have operations within it. TTC will supplement their work and maintain and operate TTC-built infrastructure.

The city is not making payments to The Trail Conservancy. TTC’s intent with the partnership is to relieve PARD of most of the costs of maintaining and improving the Trail and adjacent parkland so PARD can use that money elsewhere. TTC’s sole mission is to protect, enhance, and connect the Trail for the benefit of all, and 100% of the money we raise or generate is dedicated to that mission.

TTC will never close the Trail and never fully close the park. Our agreement allows us to fence and partially close sections of the park (not more than 50% of any park feature area) to generate revenue for fundraising events. That revenue is restricted to funding park maintenance and operations. 

We are currently undergoing a comprehensive signage plan to identify signage needs along the Trail, including replacing the outdated mile markers that are no longer accurate (due to the Holly realignment of the Trail), interpretive signage, and wayfinding signage. We are undergoing extensive community engagement in this process, as we do with all of our capital projects, and working alongside PARD’s signage committee to ensure that all signage meets City requirements.

There are no plans to move or pave the Butler Trail. In March 2024, the Austin City Council passed a resolution that amended a city code to allow the Butler Trail to remain within the setbacks applicable to Lady Bird Lake. This resolution allowed the Butler to remain in its current location while complying with the recommendations from the 2015 Butler Trail Urban Forestry and Natural Areas Management Guidelines maintenance standards listed in the POMA.  

The Butler Trail Safety & Mobility Study, developed in partnership with PARD and the Watershed Protection Department, only suggests using materials other than crushed granite in areas where the Trail requires stabilization. Some suggested options TTC is looking into using in the future include adding a binder to the surface (similar to the Violet Crown Trail) to keep decomposed granite from washing into the lake every time it rains or adding geoblocks to the edges to keep the Trail from naturally widening with increased use.

We encourage Trail users to report any issues to 3-1-1. The City routes the maintenance reports to our Park Operations Team. You can also contact us at  maintenance@thetrailconservancy.org with any feedback or concerns about maintenance along the Trail.

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The Trail Conservancy is a non-profit, tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Tax ID: 87-0699956.