Though its facilities remain closed to the public in the hottest months of summer thanks to the ongoing pandemic, East Austin’s renovated Govalle Pool is ready to roll whenever we are — and with these much-needed and long-awaited upgrades completed earlier this year after breaking ground back in 2018, it’s time to extend the same courtesy to the surrounding facilities at Govalle Neighborhood Park.
A view of the Govalle Park facilities from Bolm Road, with Boggy Creek visible on the right.
Next month, the Austin Parks Foundation, working with the City of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department, will kick off the first stage of community engagement to gather information and guide plans for further improvements at the park with a focus on upgrading its playground equipment — which the city has recently identified as a major priority for replacement, citing safety and ADA-related access concerns.
Due to the current pandemic situation, the first engagement meeting presenting more info about the project’s goals will be held online on September 16. There’s reportedly a strong desire in the community for improved play facilities and other recreational amenities here, since the park is a popular destination for families and other residents of the surrounding Govalle and Johnston Terrace neighborhoods. The current version of the plan also includes a new multipurpose field area north of Govalle Pool:
APF will work with the community to identify other amenities or improvements in the park to help prioritize the community’s goals and seize on the existing project outreach and engagement to gather their feedback more broadly.
— Austin Parks Foundation, Govalle Park Project Information
Located at 5200 Bolm Road, Govalle Park comprises 26 acres of green space along the East Boggy Creek Greenbelt and includes access to the Southern Walnut Creek Trail, athletic fields, the ready-to-fix-up playground, and its newly fixed-up pool. The site was purchased by the city in 1946, but first mentioned in the Austin American-Statesman as a location for Juneteenth celebrations among the city’s black community in 1898 — though it’s not entirely clear if the locations are the same.
![](https://towers.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/govalle_park_1992_clippings.jpg)
Separate clippings from the Austin American-Statesman in 1992 discussing conditions at Govalle Neighborhood Park. Image: Austin History Center
The park, like most of East Austin’s civic infrastructure, suffered municipal neglect for most of its life, with conditions so poor the facility was described as essentially abandoned in 1992. Additional community frustration mounted in the 1990s over nearby industrial sites including a fuel storage tank farm implicated in groundwater contamination beneath the parkland, with remediation still ongoing into the 2000s.
![](https://towers.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/Austin_American_Statesman_Sun__Jul_20__1997_-scaled.jpg)
A July 1997 clipping from the Austin American-Statesman discussing the legacy of the 52-acre East Austin tank farm implicated in the pollution of Govalle Neighborhood Park and its surrounding area. Image: Austin History Center
Considering this historical context, the needs of residents in the neighborhoods immediately surrounding the park are obviously the first priority in the Parks Foundation’s engagement process — but if you’re an East Austin resident or even just a user of Govalle Park, your perspective would be appreciated as the city prepares to give this East Austin amenity the attention it deserves at long last.
Govalle neighborhood homes for sale
-
$369,900
2220 Webberville RD #202
Austin, TX -
$389,000
2220 Webberville RD #318
Austin, TX -
$815,000
603 Vermont RD
Austin, TX -
$898,000
720 Pedernales ST #A
Austin, TX -
$1,350,000
3705 Govalle Ave #1
Austin, TX -
$460,000
3101 Govalle Ave #220
Austin, TX -
$599,000
908 Tillery ST
Austin, TX -
$675,000
3009 Garwood ST #1
Austin, TX -
$1,400,000
602 Allen ST
Austin, TX -
$899,000
3303 Kay DR
Austin, TX -
$689,000
1008 Muse LN #14
Austin, TX -
$1,100,000
3600 Govalle Ave
Austin, TX -
$625,000
1128 Gunter ST #D
Austin, TX -
$700,000
2613 Zaragosa ST #1
Austin, TX -
$1,299,900
3310 Kay ST
Austin, TX -
$499,000
502 Tillery ST #2
Austin, TX -
$475,000
1120 1/2 Tillery ST
Austin, TX -
$249,900
2813.5 Rio Grande ST S #101
Austin, TX -
$1,499,888
2809 Prado ST
Austin, TX -
$429,900
3312 Bengston ST
Austin, TX -
$799,000
502 Tillery ST #1
Austin, TX -
$499,999
3206 Goodwin Ave
Austin, TX -
$995,000
913 Mansell Ave #1
Austin, TX -
$550,000
MLS # 8539366
Austin, TX -
$782,500
203 Tillery SQ
Austin, TX
-
Lot Size5,838 sqft
Home Size665 sqft
Beds1 Bed
Baths1 Bath
-
Lot Size5,838 sqft
Home Size682 sqft
Beds1 Bed
Baths1 Bath
-
Lot Size12,607 sqft
Home Size2,747 sqft
Beds4 Beds
Baths2 Baths
-
Lot Size3,437 sqft
Home Size1,944 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths2.5 Baths
-
Lot Size4,683 sqft
Home Size2,359 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths3 Baths
-
Lot Size1,220 sqft
Home Size800 sqft
Beds1 Bed
Baths1 Bath
-
Lot Size7,170 sqft
Home Size2,000 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths3 Baths
-
Lot Size6,861 sqft
Home Size1,090 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths2.5 Baths
-
Lot Size10,899 sqft
Home Size966 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths1 Bath
-
Lot Size7,205 sqft
Home Size1,724 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths2 Baths
-
Lot Size2,653 sqft
Home Size1,627 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths2.5 Baths
-
Lot Size7,236 sqft
Home Size1,870 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths3 Baths
-
Lot Size43,560 sqft
Home Size1,585 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths2.5 Baths
-
Lot Size3,246 sqft
Home Size1,100 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths2 Baths
-
Lot Size5,846 sqft
Home Size2,243 sqft
Beds4 Beds
Baths3.5 Baths
-
Lot Size5,798 sqft
Home Size866 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths2.5 Baths
-
Lot Size5,838 sqft
Home Size846 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths2 Baths
-
Lot Size872 sqft
Home Size516 sqft
Beds1 Bed
Baths1 Bath
-
Lot Size6,731 sqft
Home Size2,682 sqft
Beds5 Beds
Baths3.5 Baths
-
Lot Size5,794 sqft
Home Size810 sqft
Beds2 Beds
Baths1 Bath
-
Lot Size5,798 sqft
Home Size1,932 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths3.5 Baths
-
Lot Size5,663 sqft
Home Size1,353 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths1 Bath
-
Lot Size3,307 sqft
Home Size1,724 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths2.5 Baths
-
Lot Size6,578 sqft
Home Size1,120 sqft
Beds3 Beds
Baths1.5 Baths
-
Lot Size7,493 sqft
Home Size1,544 sqft
Beds4 Beds
Baths2 Baths
Leave a Reply