Summer Great Hills Park Volunteer Committee Meeting Minutes August 17, 2025
Mark Johnson called the meeting to order. Mark Johnson, Marie Laing, Rodney Peschel, Ralph Marston, Chris Thompson, and Tom Meserole attended. Tom Meserole was approved to be the acting secretary to record the meeting minutes.
The minutes from the last meeting were approved without revision. The Treasurer’s report was presented and approved without revision.
Wildfire mitigation was the first topic of discussion. It was agreed that the May 31st dead-and-down brush cleanup project was a big success. Some relevant statistics:
- There were at least 67 volunteers, including Mark Duchen, Austin City Councilman for District 10, plus members of his staff, and several from Austin Parks Foundation (APF). The GHP community provided at least 55, and there were reports of additional volunteers joining after the initial informal count.
- 2700 pounds of brush was collected from areas within about a quarter of a mile of the Floral Park trailhead. The brush was hauled manually and stacked near Floral Park Drive. A contractor engaged by APF collected and removed the brush a couple of days later.
- The cost for the contractor to haul away the brush piles was $2550, paid by APF.
We agreed that additional similar activities should be planned and scheduled, perhaps on a yearly basis. A balance needs to be struck between keeping up progress and the enthusiasm to pull together many volunteers. Many ideas were discussed on the best way to accomplish this. Examples included using one of the two annual “It’s My Park Days;” arranging something with the office at UT that coordinates volunteer projects (a large number of young and strong volunteers can accomplish a lot!). It was suggested that future dates be aimed for the cooler months; we got a bit lucky with the weather on May 31st in that the temperature was in the low 80s. No formal action for next steps was approved.
Mark has spoken to APF about their support and was advised that by default expenses for any more projects including brush removal would have to be paid by our volunteer committee, though we can of course work to raise funds through grants or donations. Additional discussion was how to attract more volunteers, engaging a wildfire expert to identify areas that most need immediate attention, working closely with Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) to include additional projects in their budget for Great Hills Park, and many others.
There is one Eagle Scout Projects being planned and managed by Bruno, Rafi, and their Trails Committee members. The GHP committee has received a query from an additional Eagle Scout candidate who is looking for ideas for a project to be performed at the park. One proposed idea is to make an inventory of significant trees. Mark will seek additional ideas via email.
The Its My Park Day (IMPD) is planned for November 1st. Neither a project leader nor firm plans have been identified at this time. Project proposals may be submitted to Austin Parks Foundation between September 2nd and September 19th. Mark will work to drum up interest and a project leader via email.
No issues have been brought up with the Committee Bylaws that were approved at the January meeting.
Additional volunteers are needed to fill out some committee leader positions: Secretary, Gardening, IMPD, Kiosk at playscape, and Parent’s Group. Of these, the most important is Secretary, because the Secretary is one of three officers of the GHP Committee who votes on the disbursement of committee funds.
Marie reported that some stone work is needed near the big sign on Sierra Oaks. She also reported that some brush piles are building up near the playscape. We need to figure out how to arrange collection and removal. PARD used to do this on a periodic basis.
Rodney pointed out that there is a large tree laying across the dam near the Taylor Draper trailhead. It creates a safety hazard for anyone attempting to cross the stream on the top of the dam. What would happen to it at high water is unknown. Suggestions were made to report the situation to Austin 3-1-1, pointing out that it is a safety hazard.
Committee Reports
Signs – Tom Meserole: additional signs were purchased for the July Fourth event; no other signs need to be purchased at this time.
Flag Pole – Chris Thompson agreed to continue to be the leader. The mechanism to raise and lower the flag could be improved. He is working with Mark to address it, and Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) will be involved as needed. There was a brief discussion about to tighten up the process to be notified and handle half-staff situations.
Swift Towers – Tom Meserole cleaned the towers in the spring and found eggshells in both towers. Bruno and his team painted both towers in May.
Kiosk Reports: Floral Park – Tom Meserole reported no Issues; Taylor Draper – Rodney Peschel reported the kiosk roof needs to be replaced.
Communications – Ralph Marston requested the committee investigate using a commercial server company rather than his personal one to host the park’s website. This would also include maintenance and administration, which requires some expertise. Mark agreed to work with Ralph to see what the cost would be and identify potential hosting companies.
No other committee reports were presented.
Meeting adjourned and minutes respectfully submitted by Tom Meserole.