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Whispers
Tuesday, September 17, 2019 by Jo Clifton
Two Council meetings Wednesday
Council has two meetings scheduled at 1 p.m. Wednesday. According to a post by Mayor Steve Adler on the City Council Message Board, Council will begin with its work session, with a briefing on the new Land Development Code and a special called meeting with four items related to homelessness. It isn’t clear which agenda Council will consider first, but since there are two dueling proposals related to camping, as well as changes to the law to reinstate the prohibition on camping in some areas, that could take a good deal of time and argument. A majority of Council as well as City Manager Spencer Cronk and representatives from Capital Metro have gone with a contingent from the Austin Chamber of Commerce to Minneapolis-St. Paul on their yearly intercity trip. With those Council members enjoying cooler weather and attending lots of briefings, as well as a soccer game, in the Twin Cities, Council moved its usual Tuesday work session to Wednesday. According to Twitter, the group attended panel discussions on regional prosperity, transit and workforce development in the Twin Cities. The chamber is also talking up the Major League Soccer experience in Minneapolis-St. Paul, with one panel on the “community benefits of MLS.”
Tuesday, September 17, 2019 by Elizabeth Pagano
Meet Watershed’s future
The city of Austin is very close to picking a new director for the Watershed Protection Department and everyone is invited to meet the finalists for the job at two public forums. The first forum will be held Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. at Town Lake Center, 721 Barton Springs Road, and the second on Sept. 20 at 2 p.m. at Hornsby Bend Auditorium, 2210 S. FM 973. More information and bios of the three finalists can be found here.
Tuesday, September 17, 2019 by Tai Moses
Austin High announces all-faculty performance
Oh, to have been a fly on the wall at the faculty meeting where this idea was hatched: 30 Austin High School faculty members will appear in a theater production of Robert Fulghum’s bestselling book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. Fulghum’s humorous, nostalgic book of essays, which was published 30 years ago, has become a classic that’s sold tens of millions of copies around the world. According to the AISD press announcement, “Kindergarten takes a funny, insightful, heartwarming look at what is profound in everyday life. It’s an evening of theatrical storytelling in revue format, with monologues, dialogues and multiple voice narration, enhanced through the use of live piano underscoring.” Catch a 7 p.m. show on Monday, Sept. 23; Tuesday, Sept. 24; and Monday, Sept. 30; and a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Sept. 29. Austin High School Performing Arts Center, 1715 W. Cesar Chavez St.
Monday, September 16, 2019 by Katherine Corley
Advocating increased access to care in Del Valle
On Wednesday night at Central Health’s first public hearing on its Fiscal Year 2020 budget, only one community member signed up to speak – Vanessa Fuentes, a resident of southeast Travis County. Fuentes, who works in community health advocacy, told the board of managers that she was there to speak in solidarity with her neighbors in Del Valle, who have long been asking for a health clinic. Discussing the health disparities within Travis County, she noted that many families are living in poverty in southeast Travis County. She requested that the board look at the current proposal of $1.15 million slated for the Del Valle Health Clinic through a lens of equity, and consider whether that is enough money to build, operate and administer health care services. She asked that the board prioritize and expedite the development of the Del Valle clinic. Later in the meeting, the board received an update on four to five service delivery options to increase access to care in Del Valle in the future. Proposed health care services will incorporate brick-and-mortar clinics, home visits, mobile technology, and other nontraditional models of care.
Monday, September 16, 2019 by Tai Moses
Garza discusses Del Valle’s grocery dilemma
Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza and city staffers will be hosting a roundtable on future plans for a grocery store in Southeast Austin. Residents of Del Valle have been trying to get a grocery store in their community for years; lacking a supermarket, residents must shop at convenience and dollar stores and drive long distances for fresh produce. Del Valle is included on the USDA’s map of food deserts. In 2016, Garza told KUT that she would consider offering economic incentives to get the community a supermarket. At the roundtable discussion, light refreshments will be served and Spanish translation will be available. Saturday, Sept. 28, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Del Valle Opportunity Center, 5301 Ross Road.
Monday, September 16, 2019 by Tai Moses
Library invites public to celebrate branch reopening
The Austin Public Library invites the community to celebrate the reopening of the Hampton Branch at Oak Hill, which has been closed since last year while undergoing a complete renovation. Librarygoers will notice a new roof, brand-new carpeting and a fresh coat of paint, upgraded computers and faster internet, a modernized heating system, and a new circulation desk and other furniture. One of the most dramatic renovations is a new Kalwall skylight, which floods the interior with natural light – the best kind of light to read by. There is also a newly designated quiet room for library customers who need more peace and quiet than the main room of the library can afford. The library reopens on Monday, Oct. 21, and the celebration is on Saturday, Oct. 26, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at the Hampton Branch at Oak Hill, 5125 Convict Hill Road. District 8 City Council Member Paige Ellis is expected to attend the event.
Friday, September 13, 2019 by Tai Moses
MHFC recognizes healthy workplaces and schools
Thirty-five workplaces and 101 schools will be recognized by the Mayor’s Health & Fitness Council for their comprehensive wellness programs and school health efforts. Mayor Steve Adler and the MHFC will also present the first-ever Neighborhood Health Champion Award to, according to the press release, “an individual making a positive impact on their neighborhood’s health.” The awards include six Mayor’s Healthiest Workplace Award winners and four Mayor’s Healthiest School Award winners. The awards will be announced at a ceremony at City Hall on Friday morning. The press release explains that the “awards and certifications highlight organizations that have implemented best practices to create workplace or school environments that promote health and well-being.” Friday, Sept. 13, 9-11 a.m., at Austin City Hall.
Friday, September 13, 2019 by Tai Moses
Historic preservation focus of discussion
In a talk titled “Old Buildings in a Changing Austin: Historic Preservation, Density and Affordability,” Dr. Mike Powe from the National Trust for Historic Preservation will discuss “how older, smaller, mixed-age buildings in Austin relate to housing affordability and economic vitality as our city grows.” Powe’s talk will focus on the role of historic preservation in Austin “where a booming economy is spurring calls for higher-density development and production of housing on a much larger scale.” Wednesday, Sept. 25, 7-8:30 p.m., Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, 600 River St. Find more information about the Imagine Austin speaker series here.
Thursday, September 12, 2019 by Tai Moses
Don’t howl at the rules
In an attempt to ensure that the popular lunar event remains safe and family-friendly, Parks and Recreation is continuing to put limits on the number of attendees at Barton Springs Howl at the Moon, also known as Full Moon Swim. Howling at the full moon at Barton Springs is a weird and wild community tradition that started small but has grown to top 2,500 people in the summertime. PARD began to rein in the event in 2017 with new guidelines for attendance. In keeping with the new rules, at the next event this Friday, Sept. 13, attendance will be limited to 750 people after 8:30 p.m and attendees must pay the Barton Springs Pool entrance fee. Howl away, but don’t be rowdy.
Thursday, September 12, 2019 by Tai Moses
Liz Carpenter Fountain closing for repairs
The Parks and Recreation Department is temporarily closing the Liz Carpenter Fountain, whose colorful nightly light show is a popular tourist attraction and selfie backdrop. The fountain, at 1000 Barton Springs Road, will be closed for electrical improvements and upgraded fountain spray nozzles from Sept. 16 through December 2019. It is scheduled to reopen in January 2020 along with the Alliance Children’s Garden.
Thursday, September 12, 2019 by Tai Moses
Celebrate Manor Road bikeway improvements
The city’s Transportation and Economic Development departments are throwing a party for the community to celebrate the recently completed bike lanes on Manor Road. The new bike lanes, from Clyde Littlefield Drive to Dean Keeton Street, provide a protected east-west route to and from Central Austin and into the UT campus as well as an upgraded crosswalk and sidewalk. The project was funded through the bikeways program of the 2016 Mobility Bond. The celebration includes free bicycle safety checks and lemonade, and discounted food and beverages and special offers from restaurants and businesses along Manor Road. Community members are encouraged to ride their bikes to the event and meet at the “M” Manor Bike Rack to hear special guest speakers. Friday, Sept. 13, 4-6 p.m., at the triangle between East Dean Keeton Street and Manor Road.
Wednesday, September 11, 2019 by Elizabeth Pagano
High-tech housing for the homeless
Among the 300 homes planned for the next expansion of the Community First! Village for those previously experiencing homelessness will be six units made by Austin-based, 3D-printed home builders Icon Technology. The tech startup also “printed” a new 500-square-foot welcome center for the Northeast Austin village that uses tiny homes to provide residences for the formerly homeless, who also work there and help maintain the grounds. The new homes were funded in part by Cielo Property Group, which has invested in Icon and pledged $1 million to help provide housing to the city’s homeless population. Like traditional construction homes built in Austin, the Icon homes will need to receive a building permit from the city. The city’s first permit for a 3D-printed home was issued at last year’s South by Southwest, as part of a high-profile public bow for the company.