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.

Last week, after hearing from angry neighbors of the Austin Community Landfill, which is owned by Waste Management, Council unanimously rejected a proposed emergency contract with the company for the pickup, transport and disposal of materials from city facilities to that landfill and told Austin Resource Recovery to figure out another solution. The current contract, which is with Waste Management, expires on Saturday. Responding to a request for information from the Austin Monitor about how ARR is going to deal with the city waste stream, a city spokesperson sent the following statement: “The city is working to provide comprehensive cost-efficient waste disposal and recycling services to all city of Austin departments. The current contract for these services expires at the end of February and a solicitation for a replacement contract is being finalized and will be published soon.” Attorney Michael Whellan, who represents Texas Disposal Systems, said Tuesday that his client “is prepared to provide the same level of services currently provided and at the same rates … until the city puts the city facilities contract out for formal bid. And TDS knows others may be offering the very same thing … it doesn’t matter … the city has options to bridge this period between the formal termination of a contract that disposed of city waste at the Austin Community Landfill and the start of a new contract that has gone through an open bidding process.” Whellan said TDS would allow other haulers to bring city waste material to its landfill at the going rate even if TDS is not picking up the waste.

One week before the Texas primary voting day, the Travis County Clerk’s elections website is riddled with broken links and outdated voting information. Speaking to the Commissioners Court during public comment Tuesday, Arthur Graves said the site’s various flaws could have an impact on the voting process. For starters, Graves said the site features countless links all indicating that the previous Hart eSlate voting machines are still in use. Typing eSlate into the search bar on the clerk’s website produces tons of relevant results. On the other hand, searching for the current voting system, ExpressVote by Election Systems and Software, produces only one page about senior voters and voters with special needs. “Mind you,” Graves said, “Tuesday isn’t the first election that we’ve had (the new system).” Other website issues include broken links on the Misdemeanor Records Division and Civil Division pages that Graves said have “been broken for months, if not years.” Downloading the page of elected officials from the elections page sidebar, he noted that links to positions such as county attorney and county clerk are also broken, “along with dozens of others.” According to Graves, this is all following a very long period where the only active link on the site’s Candidate and Political Party Information page was that of the Democratic Party. Finally, he said, after calling party chairs directly, the issue was immediately resolved. “I think we can do better.”

As more Austinites use their bicycles to get around town and avoid traffic snarls, the Austin Transportation Department has recognized the importance of providing secure, convenient bicycle parking. Now the Active Transportation and Street Design Division of the department is offering to install free bike parking – racks or corrals – in selected public rights of way in order to “free up valuable sidewalk space, enhance the visibility and attractiveness of storefronts and provide an amenity to customers and tenants,” according to a city news release. Businesses, residents, and property owners and managers are invited to obtain an application online (PDF) and the requested locations “will be evaluated based upon available right of way space, bicycle parking demand and availability of nearby bicycle parking.”

Photo from the Austin History Center, PICA 09283

The Fannie Davis Gazebo at Vic Mathias Shores at Town Lake Metro Park has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The historic gazebo exists thanks to the efforts of a group of visionary women – the Austin Chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction, an advocacy group for women working in the construction industry. The project was organized and funded in the mid-1960s by Austin NAWIC and designed in 1969 by the architect husband of an Austin NAWIC member. According to Austin Parks and Recreation, “Almost 100 contractors and suppliers enthusiastically supported the gazebo project with donations of materials and labor” to create the first public structure on the south shore of what was then known as Town Lake. In 1984, the structure was named for Fannie Davis, a founding member of Austin NAWIC. Gregory W. Smith, National Register coordinator with the Texas Historical Commission, called the gazebo “one of Austin’s modern architectural gems, hidden in plain sight.”

Tomorrow the Salvation Army is expected to open the doors of the Rathgeber Center for families in Austin who are experiencing homelessness. The $12 million shelter, which is located in East Austin, will offer 212 beds and was created to help a portion of the city’s homeless community that frequently has few options at shelters that don’t allow both men and women on-site. Last year the city worked to find $1 million in funding to help open the center and pay for some if its estimated $4.9 million in annual operating costs, though Council members have said the city is unlikely to make additional contributions. The Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation donated $100,000 and helped raise another $300,000 toward the center’s operating budget.

Next week the Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation will unveil its new Writing on the Walls art installation featuring two permanent downtown murals. On March 4, internationally renowned artists Sandra Chevrier and Shepard Fairey will create a 12-story mural on the west side of the Line hotel downtown, while Austin artist Sadé Lawson will work on the northbound wall of South Lamar Boulevard near Sandra Muraida Way. The murals, which will take inspiration from the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote, are expected to be completed by March 11. Writing on the Walls will also feature community events throughout the week including a “meet the artists” session at the Line on March 6, the Murals and Mentors program setting up in Republic Square Park on March 7, and a paint party later that night at the Line with a DJ set by Fairey.

Screenshot from atxcensus2020.com.

“Everybody Counts” is both the motto and the mission of the city of Austin and Travis County’s new website, atxcensus2020.com, dedicated to the upcoming U.S. census. This chance to count every person living in the country comes only once every 10 years, and as the site says, if our community is not completely and accurately counted, “schools, neighborhoods, and vulnerable residents will lose funding.” Even an undercount as small as 1 percent could result in a loss of an estimated $300 million in federal funding in the state. The website spells out clearly and concisely why the census matters, how to accurately fill out the survey, and how to help spread the word in your neighborhood – or even work part-time as a census-taker – to ensure that everyone in Central Texas is counted.

Everything benefits from a thorough spring cleaning, and swimming pools are no exception. Parks and Recreation will be closing Barton Springs Pool from Feb. 29 to March 13 for its annual spring cleaning. The pool is scheduled to reopen on March 14. Workers plan to remove some gravel from the bottom of the pool in order to restore its natural depth. Access to the dog beach will be limited during this procedure to make room for the equipment. For early birds who simply must get in the water before starting their day, Deep Eddy Pool will open at 6 a.m. while Barton Springs Pool is closed.

Between local and national elections, 2020 is shaping up to be a big year, but there are lots of other important decisions coming up too. Join the Austin Monitor and Glasshouse Policy in the next event in our Advance Austin series – the 2020 civic forecast event. Learn more about the big topics ahead that will affect our city, from Project Connect and the Land Development Code to all the local and state elections, and how you can participate and have an impact. Guest speakers include Sharmila Mukherjee, Capital Metro’s vice president of planning, and Jessica Foreman, advocacy director for the League of Women Voters. Light refreshments provided by Tiff’s Treats and Waterloo Sparkling Water. Tuesday, March 3, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Capital Factory, 701 Brazos St., ACL, 16th floor. RSVP here.

The Austin metro area is one of the regions in the country most vulnerable to wildfire. Although there are many areas at risk, the environmentally sensitive Balcones Canyonlands Preserve is right smack in the middle of wildfire territory. Historically, the cedar-oak woodlands that dominate the preserve have not been susceptible to frequent fires and under most conditions do not burn readily. Nevertheless, the Austin Fire Department is concerned about the potential of a wildfire destroying sensitive habitat. To help reduce the risk of fire and protect the homes in the area as well the endangered golden-cheeked warblers who nest here, the department’s Wildfire Division is partnering with Travis Country and Travis Audubon to carve out a shaded fuel break along the preserve land. Already, the managing partners of the preserve have completed 12.6 miles of shaded fuel break, and this spring, another 0.45 miles will be added behind the Westminster Glen neighborhood. In these fuel breaks, which extend 60 feet into the preserve from property boundaries, the trees have been pruned and thinned to lessen the chance of a wildfire reaching the tree canopy. The project began Feb. 6 and is scheduled to finish this fall.

Imagine Austin envisions Austin as “a beacon of sustainability, social equity and economic opportunity; where diversity and creativity are celebrated; where community needs and values are recognized; where leadership comes from its citizens and where the necessities of life are affordable and accessible to all.” The city would like community members to help it realize this lofty vision by asking for their input at a series of workshops aimed at protecting the civil rights of all Austinites. All workshops are at 6:30 p.m. on the following days and locations:

• Wednesday, March 4, Austin Public Library Ruiz Branch, 1600 Grove Blvd.
• Friday, March 6, Turner Roberts Rec Center, 7201 Colony Loop Drive
• Wednesday, March 11, Carver Library, 1161 Angelina St.

If you’d like to weigh in on this important issue but can’t attend a workshop, complete the online survey. Find more information at SpeakUpAustin.org.