AISD Food Service will be providing free curbside meal packs at eight district polling sites on Election Day, Nov. 3, in addition to its regular weekly meal distribution. The sites will serve the free meals from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m., or until all meals have been distributed. The eight polling sites are Davis and Zilker elementary schools; Bailey, Bedichek, O. Henry and Small middle schools; Navarro Early College High School; and the AISD Performing Arts Center. While Langford and Pleasant Hill elementary schools are also being used as polling sites, AISD will not have a meal service at those locations on Election Day. According to the district’s announcement, “Meals are free for any child under 19, or those over 19 who utilize special education resources or who are enrolled in school to complete the requirements for a high school diploma. Parents or caregivers may receive meals without children present by providing documentation (e.g., birth certificate, student ID card, report card, attendance record) at the point of meal service.”

After receiving more than 185 sign-ups for two community engagement meetings about the future of the Hancock Golf Course, the Parks and Recreation Department postponed the meetings scheduled for Monday and Thursday nights. According to a press release from PARD, “In order to maintain a mutually respectful environment that cultivates and supports inclusive public engagement and honest dialogue between and among participants and city representatives, PARD will be adding additional options for participation, focusing on small group meetings. PARD will reach out to neighborhood and community groups to schedule online meetings regarding the course operation proposal.” The large number of potential attendees, coupled with news about last week’s meeting of the Hancock Neighborhood Association, indicates that neighbors will not easily agree to turning Hancock over to private developers, as PARD proposes. At the Hancock Neighborhood Association meeting, the group’s parks committee put forth a proposal for half park, half privatization, which was “shot down three to one,” according to Adam Sparks, a spokesperson for the Hancock Conservancy, which is dedicated to turning the property into public parkland. Sparks told the Austin Monitor that his group was “incredibly happy that PARD heard the voices of Austinites who want to have more of a say in the future of Hancock Golf Course. We’ve been blown away by the support of the local Austin community. It seems like momentum is now on our side.” Sparks said his group has a lot of leads on raising money for a public-private partnership. The Hancock Conservancy will be hosting a community engagement meeting with the Hancock Neighborhood Association and planning a vote on a pro-park resolution on Nov. 18. View the responses PARD received about its proposal.

This whisper has been corrected since publication. Though Hancock Neighborhood Association and Hancock Conservancy may hold meetings on the issue in the future, they will not be holding an outreach meeting together in the near future.

A new report released by the Austin Chamber of Commerce finds that the city grew by 16 percent between 2010 and 2019, adding a total of 355,902 residents. The report also touches on trends “like where people move when they leave Austin or what counties within the Austin metro area people move between,” finding that “Travis and Williamson counties accounted for the most moves in the region,” according to the Austin Transportation Department. Looking at transit trends (albeit pre-pandemic), the report found that a huge majority – 74 percent – of residents are still driving alone to work while 26 percent used alternative modes of transportation like bicycling, carpooling, taking public transit or walking. The Transportation Department notes that while in all likelihood many people will continue to work remotely from home, “as more people continue to move to Austin, it remains critical to provide different options for people to efficiently get where they need to go.” The department’s goal is to achieve 50/50 mode share by 2039 – half the population driving alone to work and half using some other mode. “If we achieve the mobility goals set in the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan, we can maintain approximately the same number of cars that are on the road today, while almost doubling in population.”

From urban trails to protected bike lanes to neighborhood bikeways, there are more ways to ride your bike around Austin than ever before. For those interested in cycling to and from their destinations, SmartTrips Austin has created customized DIY ride guides to make getting around by bike more enjoyable and stress-free. We looked at the DIY guide for South Central parks, which features a short video as well as a digital map. The ride guide, which includes turn-by-turn directions, tells you how long the ride is, where it begins and ends, and how difficult or easy you can expect the route to be. Find more DIY ride guides at SmartTripsAustin.org.

The Austin Police Department has announced it will not be releasing the Critical Incident Community Briefing video for an officer-involved shooting. The shooting took place on Aug. 25 at the 6100 block of Manor Road. Officers attempting to serve a warrant were shot at by the suspect and returned fire. A release by the department explained that “a federal judge assigned to the officer-involved shooting case involving Austin Police Department officers working with the U.S. Marshal’s Service Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, issued a Protective Order that prohibits release of information related to the case until the conclusion of the criminal prosecution.” As a result, though it was produced in accordance with APD policy, the video will not be released.

With five days left of early voting, just about half of Travis County registered voters have cast ballots for the Nov. 3 election. A report from the Travis County Clerk’s Office showed 16,519 ballots cast Saturday and 10,114 on Sunday. That brings the total number of early votes to 427,071, with 56,057 of those mailed in. That’s 49.94 percent of all registered voters in the county. (For context, the total turnout record in Travis County was 66 percent, set in 2008.) Statewide, numbers continue to be similarly impressive. The Texas Tribune reported that, through Oct. 24, 42.4 percent of registered voters in Texas had already voted – that’s 7,184,300 people. Early voting will continue through Oct. 30, with extended voting hours on Oct. 28, 29 and 30. A map of early voting locations, with real-time wait times, can be found on the Travis County Clerk’s site.

The Equity Office has opened the application process for the city’s Reimagining Public Safety Grant Fund. Funding for the grants comes from the realignment of the Austin Police Department budget. According to the announcement, the grants “will provide flexible resources for local, community-based organizations to support community engagement projects that are focused on the reimagining of public safety in Austin.” Chief Equity Officer Brion Oaks explained, “The work of racial equity is to critically examine the role our systems play in the quality of life of our communities of color and other vulnerable communities. Nowhere is that more important than in the city’s approach to and definition of public safety.” Find info about eligibility requirements and supported activities on the grant dashboard. Awards of up to $20,000 will be considered with a program cap of $200,000. Apply online by Nov. 6. The awards will be announced on Nov. 23.

As the Austin Monitor reported last week, the Austin Parks and Recreation Department is considering leasing the Hancock Golf Course to a private concession, while the Hancock Conservancy is pushing for the property to be turned into public parkland. The parks department has scheduled two virtual public meetings – Monday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m. and Thursday, Oct. 29, at 5 p.m. – to allow community members to weigh in on the future of the nine-hole course. Both meetings will follow the same agenda: PARD will “review feedback from the February 29 meeting and following survey, discuss the request for proposals process, and share additional opportunities for community input.” Register for either meeting here.

Across the city, community members are having discussions about reimagining public safety in Austin. District 2 residents are invited to join Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza for a virtual community conversation on Wednesday, Oct. 28, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sign up here to participate. There are several other ways to share your thoughts and opinions on the future of public safety. Take this short survey on police reform. Share your ideas on a SpeakUpAustin forum. Or host your own virtual listening session with friends, family and neighbors – this kit will provide all the materials you need. And read up to learn what the city is doing to reform Austin’s police department.

The George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center is turning 40 this Saturday, and like many 40-year-olds, the museum wants to party. The cultural facility’s 40th anniversary celebration – which begins at 3 p.m. and will be livestreamed on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and carvermuseumatx.org – features “musical performances by EimaraL Sol and Distinguished Soundz plus dancers, DJs, and guest appearances from community leaders, artists, and educators.  The celebration will also honor community members who have committed themselves to the growth and development of Austin’s African American community.” RSVP on Eventbrite.

Austin urban forestry nonprofit TreeFolks is launching a new fundraising campaign with an earthy goal – to plant 1 million trees throughout Central Texas as part of the local solution to the climate crisis. The initiative, called Keep Austin Rooted, also hopes to help reverse the trend of tree canopy loss in Austin, to help keep the city cooler. For each $3 contributed, the organization will plant one Texas native tree. To celebrate the campaign launch, the city will officially declare Friday, Nov. 6, as Keep Austin Rooted Day. City Council Member Alison Alter plans to announce the proclamation at the Oct. 29 Council meeting. Learn more about the campaign at TreeFolks.org.