The Parks and Recreation Department has been conducting an extensive search to find the perfect candidate to fill an assistant director vacancy. With the search finally winnowed down to three finalists, the community is invited to meet the candidates and offer feedback at a virtual meet-and-greet that will also cover PARD’s hiring process and information about the candidates’ backgrounds. According to the announcement, the new assistant director “will serve on PARD’s executive team and plan, direct and manage the functions and programs of a multi-disciplinary parks and recreation system. This position is responsible for service operations, budgets, personnel, and management for museums and cultural programs, community recreation, centralized programs, and natural resources and programs.” Wednesday, April 20, 5:30-7 p.m. Register for the Zoom meeting.

The weather may feel like summer, but the calendar says spring, and that means it’s time for Deep Eddy Pool to close for its annual deep-clean. The pool closes Sunday, April 10, and reopens Monday, April 25. In the meantime, Austin has many other fine swimming pools where you can get relief from the heat; check AustinTexas.gov/Pools to find locations and hours of operation. Speaking of pools, the parks department’s Aquatic Division is working hard to fill all of its lifeguard vacancies in order to keep Austin’s treasured swimming pools open. Applicants starting at age 15 are now accepted and will receive training and certifications in CPR, first aid and water rescue. And that’s not all: According to PARD’s news release, “In addition to an hourly wage of $15 an hour and above, paid sick leave, a free bus pass, and flexible scheduling, the city is offering a $500 summer completion bonus for staff members that work from June through August.” Apply to be a lifeguard at LifeguardAustin.com.

This month’s installment of the Wild Neighbors Speaker Series has birds and spring on the brain. As spring is peak migration season in Central Texas, Travis Audubon Executive Director Nicole Netherton will reveal “the magic and perils of spring migration, including the many ways humans can help migratory birds survive their amazing journeys.” She will also “highlight some of the species you might be seeing and what you can expect to see in the coming weeks.” The webinar is open to advanced birders and beginning birding enthusiasts alike. Friday, April 22, noon-1 p.m. Register for the webinar here. Past episodes of the Wild Neighbors Speaker Series are archived on YouTube.

A new Capital Metro pilot program allows passengers to request a drop-off between regular bus stops after 9 p.m. According to the transit agency, the “Courtesy Stop pilot lets you select safe, well-lit spots to exit the bus closer to your destination. So, if you want to be dropped off directly at your apartment complex or at a MetroBus stop in between MetroRapid stations, we can make that happen.” Courtesy Stops “are left to the discretion of bus operators, who may decline a stop if they determine the requested location is unsafe for someone to exit the bus.” Read more about the pilot including when and how to request a stop here.

By this summer, Project Connect is expected to attain the milestone of 30 percent design. Two community meetings held last week revealed more details on the design of the Orange and Blue lines. Those who missed the meeting may review the materials on a virtual open house through April 29 that is split into four themes: connectivity; traffic and transportation; environmental review and anti-displacement strategies; and investments. A virtual working group meeting on Wednesday, April 6, will focus on the Orange Line and South Congress Avenue, and a workshop on Monday, April 11, hosted by Council members Leslie Pool and Chito Vela, will focus on Crestview Station.

The city of Austin is looking for feedback on its rental registration program. In 2013, after a lengthy process, the city adopted (and then promptly revised) a rental registry designed to keep track of “repeat offender” landlords who were bad actors in the city. Under the Repeat Offender Program, properties with a history of code violations register with the Code Department and submit to an annual inspection. In 2020, a city audit found that the program was ineffective and recommended that changes be made. Since the beginning of this year, the Code Department has been holding some conversations about what those changes would look like, and now the department has opened a public input survey, with plans to present proposed changes in October. The survey, which will remain open through June, is an opportunity to weigh in on the current program and make suggestions on what the revamped program might look like.

Austin ISD is inviting fifth- through 12th-graders of all experience levels to audition for the district’s free Summer Theatre Series program. The program, which runs from June 6-July 25, features The Addams Family, which is a musical production; Alice in Wonderland, a black box studio production, and the new weeklong Rising Stars program, an “educational theater camp that offers workshops in acting, dance and voice,” according to AISD. All rehearsals are at the AISD Performing Arts Center. All aspiring actors must register by April 13 and video auditions need to be submitted by April 15. There will be an audition workshop and Q&A session on Monday, April 11. Find audition materials and more information on the 2022 Austin ISD Summer Theatre Series here.

The Dougherty Arts Center is slated to move out of the naval center and into a brand-new facility built to its specifications at Butler Shores Park. The DAC project team received City Council approval for the building’s location last spring. Since then, team members have made “significant progress in designing a facility that will meet the needs of both PARD and the Austin arts community,” according to a parks department news release. At an upcoming public meeting, community members will have the opportunity to see the “current status of the facility design and information on the Art in Public Places opportunities that will be made available through this bond-funded project.” Monday, April 25, 7 p.m. Register for the Zoom meeting. The meeting will also be streamed on Facebook Live.

For many people April 1 is April Fools’ Day. But it’s also the day Austin ISD has designated a school holiday as a way to honor Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. Teachers and staff will be volunteering their time to participate in a districtwide organized day of service, and the district encourages families to reach out to their schools to find out how they too can pitch in. Each campus will have its own projects planned for students and staff in addition to an organized event at Central Texas Food Bank, where volunteers will be “cleaning, sorting, boxing, and preparing donated food and non-food items.” 9 a.m-noon, Friday, April 1, Central Texas Food Bank, 6500 Metropolis Dr.

Austin Public Health is now administering additional Covid boosters for some Austinites. If it has been at least four months since the first booster, a second booster dose is available for adults 50 years or older and for certain immunocompromised individuals. “Vaccines are safe, effective and FREE. I encourage everyone who is a part of this newly eligible group to get up to date with their Covid-19 vaccines as soon as possible,” Austin Public Health Director Adrienne Sturrup said in a statement to the press. “Boosters are available at all Austin Public Health vaccination sites, as well as your doctor’s office and pharmacy.” According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, almost 73 percent of the eligible population in Travis County is now fully vaccinated against Covid. Find more information about qualifying for boosters and how to obtain a booster through Austin Public Health on the city’s website or by calling 311.

After a rough start to the week, Austin airport authorities are looking for solutions and warning of busy travel days ahead. Though operations have returned to normal, the airport is expecting an estimated 28,000 passengers a day through Monday, and anticipates setting a new record for total passengers this year. In 2019, that record was set at 17.3 million passengers. This year, passengers are expected to hit 20 million. With all that in mind, airport leadership met with the Transportation Security Administration to talk about passenger wait times and “continues to partner with TSA to improve passenger flow and TSA staffing levels,” according to a news release. “Airport leadership has also met with the Consolidated Rental Car Facility operator and has requested an after-action report to thoroughly understand the cause of Monday morning’s traffic back-up and to identify solutions to prevent it from reoccurring.” Finally, a jet fuel shortage alert issued Monday has been lifted, with normal fueling operations taking place as of Wednesday afternoon. The press release explains, “AUS airlines did not experience any canceled, diverted or delayed flights due to this alert. Airlines are no longer being requested to fly in with extra fuel now that the on-site storage has reached a 2-day supply. However, most airports average a 5-7-day fuel supply.”

The Parks and Recreation Department is asking the community to weigh in on a proposed name change for Pan American Neighborhood Park. The park’s new name, if all are in favor, would be Tony Castillo Pan American Neighborhood Park. Augustine “Tony” Castillo was a longtime East Austin coach who “served the community at Pan Am Park for 65 years,” according to a news release from the parks department. Community members will have a chance to learn more about Castillo and the renaming process at two upcoming meetings. Register for a virtual meeting on Thursday, April 28, at 7 p.m. or attend an in-person meeting on Saturday, April 30, at 10:30 a.m., at A.B. Cantu Pan American Recreation Center, 2100 E. Third St. You may also leave input on a community survey (in Spanish) now through June 4.