Welcome to Barton Springs Conservancy!
Barton Springs is a natural treasure that is the heart and soul of Austin. The four underground springs supply cool, refreshing waters providing the community a beautiful space for year-round swimming. The three-acre pool offers locals and visitors a unique experience where they can be deeply immersed in nature and human community. Individuals from all different backgrounds develop a deep love for the Springs’ overwhelming beauty and its educational, recreational, historical, and cultural riches. Barton Springs Conservancy honors, preserves, and enhances the experience of Barton Springs for everyone through education and park improvements.
A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
On February 22, 2024, the Barton Springs Bathhouse Rehabilitation Groundbreaking was held for friends and supporters the celebrate the launch of this project to honor, preserve and enhance the Barton Springs experience by rehabilitating the bathhouse facility and improving the visitor education exhibits! When we launched this campaign in 2014, we quickly learned that Gratitude Changes Everything.
We are grateful to the 2006 Austin City Council (including Mayor Leffingwell and Sheryl Cole) which launched the Barton Springs Pool Master Planning process.
We are grateful to the 2008 Barton Springs Pool Master Plan for identifying the Bathhouse Rehabilitation project as a priority.
We are grateful to the Austin voters who approved 2012 bond funds for launching the rehabilitation project.
We are grateful to PARD and Public Works staff, and especially Director Kimberly McNeeley, for stewarding this project through the city’s “very thorough” process with professionalism, patience, and passion for this place.
We are grateful to the Barton Springs Conservancy board members, capital campaign chair (Luci Baines Johnson) and committee members, and and staff who put years of work to partner with the city on this project since our formation in 2014.
We are grateful to the Barton Springs stakeholders and members of the public who improved the design of this project through an extensive public engagement process of 14 community meetings and multiple surveys over the past 8 years that addressed legitimate community and staff desires for the project.
We are grateful to our past and present mayors and city council members who provided approvals, support, and generous funding to make sure this project moves forward. (Special thanks to Lee Leffingwell, Will Wynn, Steve Adler, and Kirk Watson.
And of course, we are especially grateful to our community supporters and donors who contributed generously to help raise $3,384,000 in private funds to help restore this historical and architectural treasure that (1) connects us to our past, (2) literally gathers us together as a community, and (3) helps tell the story of our environmental, cultural and historical values. In addition to the Moody Foundation which donated over $2 million to the project, we are especially grateful to Austin Parks Foundation, Kyndel and Laura Bennett, Genny Duncan, Luci Johnson and the LBJ Family Foundation, One Skye Foundation, Powell Foundation, Still Water Foundation, Susan Vaughan Foundation, and Tejemos Foundation (and many, many others) whose generosity helped get this project to the finish line.
In short, we would not be here today without the generous response and support from our entire community. So yes, gratitude changes everything!
For the Love of the Springs,
Michael Cannatti
Barton Springs Conservancy, President
“For the Love of the Springs” Campaign Video