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ACL promoter invests in sprinkler system for Zilker Park
Updated: 5/11/2006 6:52:25 PM
By: Amy Hadley

The Austin City Limits Music Festival continues to be a phenomenal success that draws music fans from across the United States, despite the extremely dry conditions that turned the event into a Dust Bowl last year.

Capital Sports and Entertainment (CSE) and the city of Austin team up to make ACL happen every year. Now the dynamic duo hopes to make this year's festival a little more about pleasant by installing a sprinkler system in Zilker Park.

The three-phase, three-year project will run sprinklers and water fountains in the Zilker Park fields. Each year the parks department will complete a new phase. When it's done, the system will pump fresh water for the drinking fountains and water from Town Lake for the sprinklers.

"The city of Austin Parks and Recreation Department had been wanting to do this. When CSE learned of that and offered to pay for half of that, it made it possible for the department to go ahead and move forward with the project," parks department spokesperson Victor Ovalle said.

"With the dust problem from last year, we said, 'We're committed, we'll help with it, and we'll pay for half of it,'" Lisa Schickel of CSE said.

The overall budget is between $500,000 - $700,000 total. Capital Sports and Entertainment puts on the ACL music festival, and now is in the irrigation business, too.

"People travel from all over the world to it. So it's not something that we take lightly. We really care about the people that attend, we care about this event for the city, we care about Austin and we care about Zilker Park. So there was really no other question," Schickel said.

Phase one puts in the main irrigation system, phase two will be more pipes and sprinkler heads, and phase three will pump water from Town Lake for Austin's lawn, and all the events it hosts.

"An irrigation system will help maintain this turf throughout the entire year. The July 4th picnic and fireworks display draws over 100,000 people. The kite festival draws over 25,000 people. It's important to maintain this turf," Ovalle said.

Austin City Limits Music festival will pack Zilker Park September 15 - 17. News 8 Austin will announce the lineup of bands when it's released next Thursday, May 18.