The Quorum Report announced last week that Rep. Eddie Rodriguez had formed a committee to explore a run for the seat being vacated by Sen. Kirk Watson. The most important part of that announcement was the list of local Democratic stalwarts pledging support to Rodriguez. Especially important names include Reps. Donna Howard, Celia Israel and Gina Hinojosa, who will co-chair a committee “to advise and support Eddie as he approaches the SD 14 race.” Council Member Greg Casar announced Monday that he was taking the first step toward running for Watson’s seat with the appointment of Aimee Arrambide to serve as treasurer for that effort if he decides to run. Arrambide, the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, is serving as Casar’s treasurer only in a personal capacity, according to a press release from Casar’s campaign. Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt seems poised to announce her candidacy for the Watson seat as well. She told the Austin Monitor Monday that she is seriously considering running; however, as Travis County’s chief executive, she has a responsibility to make sure that leadership role does not stay vacant. Eckhardt said Travis County Attorney David Escamilla would advise the Commissioners Court today in executive session about its options if she decides to run for the Senate seat. It appears the commissioners would be able to appoint someone to serve in that seat temporarily until a new judge is elected in November. Casar’s seat would have to be filled through an election.

The instantly beloved grackle statue at City Hall was destroyed by fire early Monday morning. The Ganador art piece, made of recycled tires and created by Christy Stallop, was a temporary public art installation commissioned by Austin Art in Public Places’ 2019 TEMPO Project. Arson investigators say they have identified a suspect but have made no arrests in connection with the crime yet. The Austin Fire Department asks those who have any information about the fire to call the Arson Investigations office at (512) 974-0240 or Capital Area Crimestoppers at 1-800-893-TIPS (8477).

Texas Health and Human Services continues to monitor the coronavirus outbreak with a particular eye on preventing the spread of respiratory infection in the state’s long-term care facilities. David Kostroun, HHS deputy executive commissioner for Regulatory Services, said in a news release Monday, “While the risk of coronavirus infection in Texas remains low, we’re preparing for the potential spread of the virus within long-term care settings where older residents are particularly vulnerable to disease. We are taking simple but effective precautions and providing guidance to the facilities we regulate to help protect long-term care residents, employees and visitors from respiratory illness.” Strategies used to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 are generally the same as those used to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses like the flu. The release adds that the agency has asked nursing homes and assisted-living facilities to put up signs at the entrance asking visitors not to enter if they “have symptoms of any respiratory illness” and that HHS is “developing additional infection control guidance for licensed health care facilities, child care operations, and other regulated entities.”

Eastwoods Neighborhood Park was one of four Texas parks dubbed a Lone Star Legacy Park by the Texas Recreation and Park Society in a ceremony in Galveston on Feb. 27. To qualify for the honor, a park must be at least 50 years old and meet certain historic, natural or cultural criteria that make the park iconic. Eastwoods has a storied history; before becoming a public park, the site was known as Wheeler’s Grove and was one of the earliest known sites in the city where African Americans celebrated Juneteenth, the commemoration of the date in 1865 when news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached Texas. For a decade starting in 1964, Eastwoods was the original home of Eeyore’s Birthday Party, a colorful annual festival named after the A.A. Milne character. Eastwoods joins four other Austin parks that have also received the Lone Star Legacy designation: Parque Zaragoza, Pease, Zilker and Rosewood.

The city is inviting community members to a public hearing on the Rodeway Inn conversion, a project approved by Council back in November to purchase and repurpose the motel for those transitioning out of homelessness. The plan is to convert the motel at 2711 S. Interstate 35 into single-room-occupancy living quarters for those who have experienced chronic homelessness. According to the city, the project “will include onsite services such as substance abuse treatment, mental and physical health services, education and job training, housing assistance, 24-hour security, property management, and overall case management,” and will be paid for with $8 million in Community Development Block Grant funds. As required by law, the city must hold a public meeting to give interested community members a chance to comment on the project. Tuesday, March 10, 6:30 p.m., in the Boards and Commissions Room of Austin City Hall, 301 W. Second St.

As Austin works toward its climate plan goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the Office of Sustainability is focused on how to monitor the carbon and air quality impact of development on a more granular level. Phoebe Romero from the Office of Sustainability told the Environmental Commission at its Feb. 19 meeting that the department is looking to leverage its Carbon Impact Checklist Tool along with more localized air quality sensors. Romero told commissioners that Austin already has a regional monitoring network – the Capital Area Council of Governments monitors and provides analyses of air quality in Central Texas – but a more localized approach will allow for the identification of air quality trends within individual neighborhoods. Romero said that because UT Austin had a surplus of PurpleAir monitors, which measure particulate matter, the city was able to work with the university to set up neighborhood-level monitoring stations in Dove Springs and on Sixth and Seventh streets downtown. The idea is to identify which communities are most affected by the poor air quality that plagues Austin in the summer. “It’s sort of an emerging practice,” said Romero. “It’s still at a very exploratory level.” Identification is one piece of the puzzle; the other is reducing the city’s overall emissions, which come mainly from vehicles. “Transportation is one of our largest problems … if we have a sustainable transportation system, we reduce our carbon,” she explained. The second-largest source of emissions is from electricity use. Currently, the checklist is an advisory tool, but Romero said it has the potential to help the city and the development community better understand – and mitigate – the emissions impacts of major developments. At this point, she said that the immediate and pressing question for the city was how to plan for a more sustainable transport system. “That’s going to be an ‘It takes a village’ problem,” said Caitlin Admire with the Office of Sustainability.

If you’d like to check out the state of Austin’s urban forest, the city’s Community Tree Report should be your first destination. A comprehensive and nicely packaged review of tree stewardship activities, the report includes an overview of tree planting efforts by the city as well as local nonprofit and community partners, a map of projects, lists of funding investments and sources, observations by staff on the data in the report, and a vision of where the city hopes its urban forest to be in 2034. The report begins with a letter from city urban forester Emily King, in which she says, “I am grateful to live in a city which not only recognizes the intrinsic value of the urban forest ecosystem but also passionately cultivates it.” So when you finish perusing the report, you know what to do: Get out and plant a tree, for the future.

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics recently named the Barton Creek Greenbelt one of 14 “Hot Spots” around the nation. Hot Spots are “popular and beautiful outdoor areas that are heavily used and have visitor-created impacts, such as litter, impacts of pet waste and trail damage,” according to the Austin Parks and Recreation Department. LeAnn Ishcomer, who manages PARD’s park ranger program, said, “The Barton Creek Greenbelt is beloved and the Hot Spot designation will help to shed light on the unintended side effects of its popularity.” The parks department is partnering with local organizations to raise community awareness about the negative pressures that can affect natural areas and to offer solutions in the form of a series of Leave No Trace events from March 6-9. From bird and salamander walks to greenbelt cleanups and rock climbing, park visitors will learn how to leave no trace on their favorite places. Space is limited and registration is required.

The 16th annual People’s Gallery Exhibition, featuring over 140 works of painting, sculpture, drawing and other media, will have its opening reception March 6 at Austin City Hall. The People’s Gallery is a free showcase of Austin-area artists intended “to encourage public dialogue, understanding, and enjoyment of visual art,” according to the city. The exhibition is organized by the Cultural Arts Division of the Economic Development Department, which puts out a call to galleries, museums, independent artists and arts organizations each year. This year’s call drew 1,300 artworks by more than 330 artists. The opening reception, which includes live music and light refreshments, is Friday, March 6, 6-9 p.m., at Austin City Hall, 301 W. Second St. Mayor Steve Adler and others will deliver brief remarks at 6:30 p.m. The exhibition will be open to the public through Jan. 1, 2021.

Council Member Greg Casar told the Austin Monitor Wednesday that he is still thinking about whether to run for the seat being vacated by longtime Austin Sen. Kirk Watson. One local attorney raised a question about Casar’s eligibility over the weekend, leading the Monitor to question whether the Texas Constitution might prevent Casar from running. After all, the chair of the Texas Democratic Party had told Eagle Pass Mayor Ramsey English Cantu that he could not run because he was still a mayor. That changed, however, when a federal judge ruled in January that Cantu could indeed run for the Texas House District 74 seat. Other likely candidates include state Rep. Eddie Rodriguez and Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt, although neither has made a definitive statement about the race. Local reps Sheryl Cole, Celia Israel, Gina Hinojosa and Donna Howard have all said they would not join the race. Watch for more news on this next week after the March 3 primary.

At its March meeting, the Library Commission will vote on a recommendation to eliminate late-fee fines from Austin’s public libraries. “We see this as an equity and accessibility issue,” said Chair Catherine Hanna. The Austin Public Library stopped charging fees on overdue materials checked out for kids in 2018. Hanna explained to the commission that the working group formed in January to study eradicating fees for adults is still ironing out details in order to bring a recommendation to the floor. One of the changes the group is considering is eliminating library card fees for non-residents who live in Austin’s limited jurisdiction or extraterritorial jurisdiction. Fees for transfer books that are not picked up, lost books and damaged materials are not currently on the list for a fee waiver. “People would not be getting (off) scot-free,” said Commissioner Steven Self. Commissioner JC Dwyer noted that the dollar figure associated with the amount of materials lost – in large part due to unreturned overdue books – is in excess of $5 million. Library Director Roosevelt Weeks confirmed the figure. While removing late fees will increase access to libraries for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, those who have already received late fees will still need to pay them. “We cannot forgive fines. Once they’re there, they’re there,” said Weeks.

Austin Parks Foundation’s biggest event of the year, It’s My Park Day, or Día de Mi Parque, is right around the corner on Saturday, March 7. If you haven’t registered to volunteer, there’s still time: Organizers are adding new projects every day to this citywide bonanza of park improvement projects. You can help restore native plant habitat or create a pollinator garden, mulch heritage trees, pass out tools and supplies, plant young trees, weed flower beds, construct benches, pick up litter, paint fencing, remove invasive plants – and that’s just a small sampling of the hundreds of projects that need volunteers, located in just about every community that has a park or a greenbelt. Peruse the listings on the volunteer registration page and sign up for the project that fits your interests and abilities. One thing you can be sure of – there’s something for everyone.