Kathy Miller, the former interim CEO of Waterloo Greenway Conservancy who guided the opening of Waterloo Park last summer, is taking the reins at Hill Country Conservancy. Miller succeeds George Cofer, who founded HCC and had stepped in temporarily to lead the organization during its extensive CEO search. Miller is no newcomer to the nonprofit world: She was previously president of the Texas Freedom Network and before that served as communications director for the Texas Council on Family Violence. “Every once in a while, an opportunity comes along that’s too good to pass up. For me, that’s this role with Hill Country Conservancy. I could not be more grateful to the board for its trust in me,” Miller said in a press release announcing her hire. “I recognize I have some big shoes to fill following George. What he has done for conservation and environmental stewardship, and for this community, is incredible. It’s my privilege and responsibility to advance this legacy, and I am excited to apply my experience and skills to serve the organization’s extraordinary mission.”

This Saturday, Austin will hold its first Poetry in the Park at Republic Square. The event, which is hosted by the Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation, will feature poet Ed Roberson reading from his new collection. Open mic sign-up begins at 11:30 a.m., with room for 20 open-mic participants. The poetry kicks off at noon underneath the oak trees in the park, which is located at 422 Guadalupe St.

Two meetings this week give community members a chance to find out about the latest developments with Project Connect’s Blue and Orange light rail lines and to see “how designs of the routes are incorporating community feedback,” according to a notice from the Transportation Department. “Breakout sessions will delve into environmental considerations, how transit services will connect communities, traffic impacts and anti-displacement efforts.” Sounds like a full agenda. Both meetings will be held live on Zoom. Register here to attend the meeting on Tuesday, March 29, at 5:30 p.m. Register here to attend the meeting on Thursday, March 31, at noon. If you want to catch up on previous presentations and community meetings, those materials are available for review in the Project Connect Public Engagement Library.

The Texas Department of Transportation is holding a series of community meetings to solicit feedback about the $4.9 billion redesign of Interstate 35 through Central Austin, called the Capital Express Central project. The next meeting focuses on “options for widened bridges over the highway as well as bicycle and pedestrian bridges and intersection options at Airport Boulevard and Riverside Drive.” The meeting – the first since TxDOT made some significant design changes in response to feedback from city officials and community members – promises to be a vigorous exchange of ideas and opinions. Tuesday, April 12, 4-6 p.m., Huston-Tillotson University’s Davage-Durden Student Union. RSVP here.

Beginning April 11, Robert Goode will take the helm of Austin’s water utility. After 15 years as the head of Austin Water, Greg Meszaros resigned in February after a citywide boil-water notice was issued due to employee error. For Goode, it will be a return to the city, where he formerly served as an assistant city manager. Most recently, according to a press release from the city, Goode worked as vice president and senior program manager for Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam. “He has directed transportation and infrastructure planning departments at large entities such as the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, city of Austin, city of Fort Worth, Travis County and city of Olympia, Wash.” Meszaros’ last day in office will be April 8, though he will remain on hand to assist during the transition.

The Austin Police Department is seeking to partner with licensed mental health professionals to offer them additional training in counseling trauma victims. The department is allotting $50,000 to provide training in EMDR, or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, which has been shown to help survivors of traumatic events and those suffering from PTSD. Selected counselors will receive two weekends of EMDR training free of charge in exchange for providing 50 pro bono counseling sessions for survivors referred by APD Victim Services. The announcement specifies that “APD is specifically looking for mental health counselors that are interested in a partnership to better serve the larger Austin area community. Counselors who have experience working with a variety of clients and communities are encouraged to apply for this training program.” The deadline to apply is April 25. Find more details about eligibility and the application process here.

A new initiative from the Economic Development Department aims to support local businesses, nonprofits and creative professionals living in the Austin-Round Rock area who have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Community Navigator Program “offers critical assistance like one-on-one coaching, business classes, technical support, and application assistance for grants and resources,” according to the announcement from the EDD. Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, EDD director, said, “I encourage all local business owners, nonprofit leaders and creative professionals to register for no-cost assistance from our diverse Community Navigator partners including business coaching and help applying for grants.” The program is funded with $500,000 from Austin’s share of federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars.

A new monthlong campaign from Hill Country Alliance celebrates “all things water, from our region’s iconic rivers and swimming holes to the groundwater beneath our feet to the very infrastructure bringing water to your sink.” The inaugural Spring Water Revival, taking place throughout the month of April, features education, activities, events, news and imagery all focused on Hill Country’s most precious resource: water. Find a master calendar of events, along with information on regional water conservation efforts and ways for residents and communities to get involved, at SpringWaterRevival.org.

Effective immediately, all sworn police, fire and EMS employees will get up to six weeks of paid parental leave. These workers will now enjoy the same benefit that non-sworn employees, who make up the majority of city staff, have had since 2013, when Austin became the first Texas city to adopt the policy. City Manager Spencer Cronk announced in a press release that the decision to grant the leave “is consistent with our commitment to fostering a healthy, safe, respectful, and productive work environment for all employees and their families.” The three leaders of the police, fire and EMS associations welcomed the move, releasing a joint statement that said, “Extending parental leave to police, fire and EMS personnel is sorely needed, very appreciated by your public safety workers, and demonstrates that our Council, city manager, city Human Resource Department and the community truly care about the well-being of their public safety employees.”

After two years of reduced hours and capacity courtesy of Covid-19, the Austin Public Library is back, baby. Starting Monday, March 28, the library will be expanding its open hours for all branches. APL Director Roosevelt Weeks said in a news release, “We know that the community has missed being able to more easily visit their neighborhood libraries over the past two years. Your libraries have missed you as well. We are excited to be able to expand access to our locations to ensure that more people in our community are able to safely access information and resources.” With the expanded hours comes the return of in-person events and programming at the libraries. Also effective March 28, Recycled Reads will be adding Wednesday to its list of open days. Find a complete list of branch hours of operation here.

Who doesn’t feel great to proudly sport an “I Voted” sticker after casting a ballot? Sure, the design’s a little tired, but it’s the thought that counts. Now the Travis County Clerk’s Office is doing something about that tired design by launching the county’s very first  “I Voted” sticker design contest. The winning design for the contest, which is open to all students attending colleges in Travis County, will become the official “I Voted” sticker for the November 2022 election. County Clerk Rebecca Guerrero explained that the clerk’s office “is excited to bring Travis County voters a limited edition ‘I Voted’ sticker and to engage with college students in the electoral process.” The winner will be chosen “based on the theme, uniqueness of the design and artistry.” The deadline to submit a design is 5 p.m. on Friday, April 22. Find contest rules, entry form and design template here.

The owner of 200 S. Congress, a 0.57-acre property on the southwest side of the Ann Richards Congress Avenue Bridge, is seeking some changes to zoning that will allow indoor entertainment and a restaurant in the building. But owners of the Statesman property across the street as well as the Yeti building next door have filed a valid petition against the changes. Apparently, the major reason for their objection is that the smaller tract’s owners want to remove access restrictions to their building that require them to use the driveway of the adjacent Hyatt Regency. The Transportation Department has requested a postponement from this week’s agenda in order to consult with the applicant, who is represented by Leah Bojo of the Drenner Group. Richard Suttle, who represents both the Statesman and Yeti properties, requested a postponement when the matter was scheduled on an earlier agenda, and that was granted. A staff report says that removal of the access restrictions could increase traffic to Barton Springs Road and might interfere with a plan to develop Nightwing Plaza, the spot with the bat sculpture. It is possible that the parties will work this out before Thursday, but it seems more likely that the matter will be postponed once more.