From left: Austin Public Works Assistant Director Eric Bailey, Austin City Council Member Jimmy Flannigan and ATD Director Robert Spillar masked up to break ground on the Anderson Mill Road project.

The Austin Transportation Department has kicked off construction on a project funded by the 2016 mobility bond, on Anderson Mill Road between U.S. Highway 183 and Spicewood Parkway. The $8 million Regional Mobility project is “designed to reduce congestion and enhance safety for all road users, including people riding bikes, walking, driving cars, and accessing transit in the area. The project began as a grassroots, community-led effort to address safety and mobility issues along Anderson Mill Road,” according to a news release from Transportation. The road will be getting a new center left-turn lane, a raised median near U.S. 183 and shared-use paths on both sides of the road for pedestrians and cyclists. Get more details on the project fact sheet.

Barton Creek and Bull Creek greenbelts will once again be open starting next Saturday, Aug. 8. That’s welcome news for those feeling the lack of swimming options in the dead of summer. However, those hoping to hit the greenbelt should be aware of the new process for accessing Barton Creek. As part of a five-month pilot program from the Parks and Recreation Department, Barton Creek Greenbelt will require advance reservations for Thursday through Sunday visits. Those reservations can be made online or by leaving a voicemail at 512-974-6797. A news release from the parks department explains the reason for the pilot, which will be used to determine future management strategies and funding needs for the park. “As one of the formally recognized 2020 Leave No Trace Hot Spots, environmental impacts at Barton Creek Greenbelt have reached a critical level and continue to worsen. With increased traffic to the greenbelt, litter (including pet waste), erosion, trail damage, water quality issues, and injuries continue to rise,” reads the release. “Neighborhoods surrounding the residential entrances are particularly impacted by heavy traffic, public intoxication and trash.”

Austin Public Health has partnered with the Texas Military Department and Texas Division of Emergency Management to open a free walk-up Covid-19 testing site at Del Valle Middle School at 5500 Ross Drive, operating for two weeks from Aug. 3-16, 10 a.m-4 p.m. every day. The site will have the capacity to test 800 people a day, first come, first served. Del Valle residents do not need an appointment or referral. TDEM and APH have also partnered with the city of Pflugerville to open a walk-up testing site at The Pfield in Pflugerville, 1440 W. Pecan St., Monday, Aug. 3, to Saturday, Aug. 8., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily. The Pfield site can test 300 people a day on a first-come, first-served basis. APH reminds the community, “People who have been in close contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19, who have symptoms of Covid-19, or are an older adult or a person of any age with certain underlying medical conditions, including chronic diseases, an immunocompromised state, or obesity should get a Covid-19 test.”

Austin’s birthday party – a commemoration of the 181st year since the Republic of Texas auctioned the first lots in Austin – has taken place at Republic Square for the last two years. This year, the Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation is moving the free event online while endeavoring to keep it as interactive and festive as possible. Community members are invited to submit a video of their birthday wishes to the city that “should be as creative as possible while keeping to the family-friendly tone of the event.” Partygoers have the option to purchase a curated picnic lunch from Republic Square’s new Salt & Time cafe or a “birthday party kit” from Toy Joy. The highlight of the event is a livestreamed concert featuring a lineup of local artists curated by Jonathan “Chaka” Mahone of Riders Against the Storm. For more details visit RepublicSquare.org. Saturday, Aug. 15, 6-8 p.m.

Two popular Rainey Street bars – Bungalow and Container Bar – will be demolished after having their fate delayed by months of postponements from the Historic Landmark Commission, which was reluctant to replace the old neighborhood homes with a 53-floor high-rise. At its July 27 meeting, the commission released a permit for demolition along with a request for a documentation package. Although the commission had little choice, as the property didn’t meet the threshold required for historic designation, the vote tally was 8-2 in support of demolition, with commissioners Mathew Jacob and Beth Valenzuela opposing the motion. Even without the vote, Historic Preservation Officer Kalan Contreras told commissioners that staff would have been obliged to release a demolition permit the following day. City timelines dictate how long a decision may be withheld on an application for demolition; the timeline for the two Rainey Street properties was set to expire the day of the commission meeting.

AISD has launched the second short survey of the summer to find out how families feel about physically sending their kids back to school for face-to-face instruction. As the district endeavors to keep parents informed about what’s involved in the school reopening process, “answering this survey will assist that effort by helping us understand what you think is best for your child.” Each student requires a separate survey and the survey closes Monday, Aug. 3. If you received the survey in an email, use that link; if not, start the survey here. To give families the best possible information about the reopening process, AISD has also begun livestreaming interviews (in English and Spanish) between Superintendent Paul Cruz and different subject matter experts. The videos may be viewed on Facebook or YouTube.

To celebrate the grand reopening of Kingsbury Commons next year, the Pease Park Conservancy is working to bring a renowned art installation to the park. The Blue Trees, by Konstantin Dimopoulos, “highlights ecological issues, while also transforming the environment and trees into a magical piece of art that people experience.” The installation is planned for spring 2021 as a highlight of the celebration, which will include ongoing educational opportunities and a family day. The Blue Trees has appeared all over the world, from California and Tennessee to Canada and Germany. The colorant that turns the trees such an otherworldly shade of blue is a natural pigment that fades over time and is not harmful to the trees or wildlife. The conservancy is asking community members to fill out a quick questionnaire (with only one question) asking if they support efforts to bring The Blue Trees to Austin.

Today City Council will meet for the fourth time this week. The meeting, which will cover zoning and public hearings (including the hearing on this year’s budget) promises to be a long one, with 591 people signed up to speak. In an effort to organize the meeting, Mayor Steve Adler has posted a schedule on the City Council Message Board. For those who don’t feel like clicking through, here is that schedule:

10 a.m.-noon: Batch 1: Public Hearing Speakers, beginning with Speakers on #70; then discussion and vote on #70.
Noon-1 p.m.: Lunch
1-2 p.m.: Exec Session (Nov. 2020 election)
2-3 p.m.: Batch 2: Zoning speakers
3-5 p.m.: Batch 3: Public Hearing speakers
5-6 p.m.: Dinner
6-8 p.m.: Batch 4: Public Hearing speakers
8-10 p.m.: Batch 5: Public Hearing speakers

On July 28, the Travis County Commissioners Court unanimously approved a resolution for county operations to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2030 and for the community to reach the same goal by 2050. “This is an action many local governments have already taken,” said Commissioner Brigid Shea, who sponsored the resolution. Indeed, the city of Austin has a goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. In order to shave two decades off of Austin’s timeline, Shea suggested that county staff investigate hiring an outside consultant to guide the county in its greenhouse gas reduction efforts, which, she emphasized, is the only portion of the resolution with a fiscal impact. Prior to engaging the consultant, the commission tasked the Travis County Green Steering Committee with developing community-level emissions goals, milestones and strategies and returning this list to the Commissioners Court in April 2021. This resolution comes on the heels of the commissioners approving the county’s first climate action plan. Commissioner Jeff Travillion commended his colleagues on making combating climate change a priority, saying this is a significant step toward improving the county’s ecological footprint. “These things don’t happen organically,” he said.

Soaring temperatures and a lack of rainfall in Central Texas produces the prime conditions for wildfires. In an effort to minimize the risk and keep Austin from going up in flames, the Parks and Recreation Department has enacted a restriction on burning, “effective immediately and until further notice.” The burn ban “prohibits the building of fires and grilling in all city of Austin parks, greenbelts and preserves … this includes the use of wood or charcoal BBQ pits/grills/smokers. Propane stoves are allowed in designated picnic areas only.” The burn ban will be enforced by APD’s Park Police and PARD’s Park Rangers. Those who violate the ban may find themselves paying a fine of $300-$500. “The department will continue to evaluate fire conditions and will lift the ban as soon as it is safe to do so.”

While we’re waiting for a plague of locusts or a rain of frogs to complete the apocalyptic ambience, Austin Public Health wants everyone to know it has identified the year’s first likely case of West Nile virus, in a resident of northern Travis County. West Nile, for those who don’t know, is “the most common mosquito-borne disease in the United States and is typically spread to people by the bite of an infected mosquito.” You can’t get it through a cough or a sneeze or by touching an animal. Twenty percent of the people who are infected with West Nile virus develop mild flu-like symptoms, while the other 80 percent don’t even know they’ve got it. Like most things, the virus is more serious in people over 50. Janet Pichette, APH chief epidemiologist, said, “The first probable human case of West Nile Virus disease serves as a reminder to take precautions to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes, which can then bite and infect people in our community. Like many other diseases, we have the power to prevent West Nile Virus by draining standing water, limiting time spent outdoors, and wearing appropriate clothing and DEET when outdoors.” Find more information about West Nile virus and how to prevent it here.

Austin’s most philanthropic businesses got some well-deserved accolades from the Austin Chamber of Commerce, which bestowed the annual Austin Gives Generous Business Awards on a group of big-hearted businesses. The Austin Gives program “recognizes businesses that have pledged 1 percent or more of pre-tax earnings – such as volunteer time, products, services and financial contributions – to the local community.” The nominees are separated into categories based on the size of the company. Bloom Communications was honored as the most generous small business; behemoth banking corporation Bank of America was recognized as the most generous extra-large business; A+ Federal Credit Union earned the distinction of being the most generous large business; and PIMCO won the award in the medium business category. This year, the awards also recognized employee engagement, with SourceDay winning in the small business category and Silicon Labs taking the ribbon in the large business category. The Volunteer of the Year award went to Raquel Valdez, while Earl Maxwell, CEO of St. David’s Foundation, was given the Bobby Jenkins Philanthropic Leadership Award, which goes to “a business leader who exemplifies a commitment to philanthropy and promotes the welfare and well being of others.”