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Whispers
Wednesday, June 12, 2019 by Tai Moses
Traffic signal boxes get colorful new coats
Austin Transportation has contracted with Houston-based UP Art Studio to create the Artbox Program and bring color and design to Austin’s intersections. Four participating neighborhoods voted for a local artist to design a traffic signal box in a major intersection. As Christina Willingham, Austin Transportation’s Smart Mobility division manager, said, “Streets are not just spaces we travel through, but places woven into the fabric of communities.” With input from the communities, the artists helped each neighborhood “express its special character.” Check out the results at these four intersections:
- Rundberg Lane at Little Walnut Creek Library, by Bydee
- Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Guadalupe Street, by Emily Ding
- East Stassney Lane and Jacaranda Drive, by Niz
- Arroyo Seco and West Koenig Lane, by Helena Martin
Tuesday, June 11, 2019 by Tai Moses
Graduates get diplomas – and voter registration cards
According to the Texas Observer, nearly two-thirds of high schools in Texas ignore a 30-year-old state law mandating that high school seniors who are 18 years old be given the opportunity to register to vote. That makes AISD’s partnership with the Travis County Tax Office even more laudable. On Graduation Night, district seniors were offered voter registration applications while they waited to walk the stage to receive their diplomas. In a record for the three-year-old program, 591 seniors from 14 schools registered to vote. Said AISD Superintendent Paul Cruz in a press release, “We are proud to offer our graduates an opportunity to continue engaging in our community after they graduate. Part of preparing students for college, career and life includes being active participants in our local community.” Travis County Voter Registrar Bruce Elfant weighed in, saying, “We are so proud of the graduates who registered to vote, of our great partnership with Austin ISD and of our volunteer deputy registrars who gave their free time to register the graduates. We know students who register and vote when they turn 18 are much more likely to become lifelong voters.”
Tuesday, June 11, 2019 by Ryan Thornton
Temporary shelters to treat symptoms of city’s lack of housing
City Council passed a resolution Thursday directing City Manager Spencer Cronk to identify land and materials in coming weeks for a temporary, housing-focused shelter project to yield between 50 and 100 beds while the city is securing more beds in permanent shelters as well as more affordable and supportive housing supply. The 2019 count by the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition found that the total number of people experiencing homelessness in Austin is higher than it’s been in nearly a decade and that there are now almost as many people sleeping on the streets as sleeping in shelters. Volunteers counted 1,169 individuals sleeping in shelters and another 1,086 sleeping on the streets in the early hours of Jan. 26. The city is awaiting the opening of the Salvation Army’s $12 million Rathgeber Center in East Austin later this summer to open up 212 beds to Austin’s homeless. At the same time, the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless downtown is in the process of reducing its total beds from 190 to 130 by the end of the year. Thursday’s resolution directs Cronk to propose a land parcel for the pilot to Council no later than June 20.
Tuesday, June 11, 2019 by Tai Moses
Airport opens outdoor patio for passengers
Travelers passing through the Austin airport can now enjoy some fresh air and sunlight even after going through the security checkpoint. A new outdoor patio has just opened and is available to ticketed passengers who want to escape the relentless air conditioning and boarding announcements. With a view of the 9,000-foot east runway, the nonsmoking patio has covered seating and is a prime spot for watching flights arrive and depart. The patio, which is on the mezzanine level between gates 1 and 2, can be accessed via two staircases or an elevator and is open 24 hours.
Tuesday, June 11, 2019 by Tai Moses
Tovo holds Scooter Summit
We know what you’re thinking: Where can I go on a Saturday to eat tacos, drink coffee and test out some scooters? Since this is Austin, we have the answer: The 2019 Scooter Summit, sponsored by District 9 Council Member Kathie Tovo, with the help of the Austin Transportation Department. The event is a chance to learn a bit about scooter safety – bring your own helmet. Tacos and coffee are complimentary; scooters may not be. (This event is not for kids: You have to be over 18 to ride a scooter.) Saturday, June 22, 10 a.m.-noon, Electric Drive, 111 Sandra Muraida Way.
Monday, June 10, 2019 by Ryan Thornton
Distributing affordability in the decade to come
City Council approved a resolution at Thursday’s meeting setting its geographical targets for the 60,000 income-restricted units (households earning 80 percent of median family area income and below) written into the 2017 Strategic Housing Blueprint. The plan sets a goal of adding at least 135,000 new residential units to the city by 2027, with a quarter of the affordable units built within a quarter-mile of high-frequency transit. Thursday’s geographic goals lay out the location of those income-restricted units both by corridor and by Council district. City staffers predict that only 17,654 of the 60,000 units will be built along the 17 major corridors identified in the resolution. The corridors set to receive the most units are William Cannon Drive and Slaughter Lane, with Guadalupe Street and South Lamar Boulevard getting far fewer than any of the other 15 corridors. By Council district, West Austin’s districts 6 and 10 combined will get just under 30 percent of the total affordable units with districts 1 and 8 not far behind. At the other end of the spectrum, District 9, whose representative Council Member Kathie Tovo has long held is already burdened with density, shall see only 3,635 of those units while District 4, also relatively small and central, will hold only 3,105 new affordable units.
Monday, June 10, 2019 by Chad Swiatecki
Awards honor excellence in health care
Sen. Kirk Watson was among the honorees recognized last Thursday at the inaugural Health Leadership Awards presented by Dell Medical School at the University of Texas. Watson received the Public Service Health Leader award for his work in supporting the redesign of brain health initiatives at Austin State Hospital. His 10 Goals in 10 Years plan to improve health care in the Austin area was key in building support for the creation of the school. In addition to honoring local secondary students and teachers, the awards recognized Dana Saltalamachia, a health practitioner for Integral Care, for her work in increasing HIV and AIDS treatment for the area’s homeless population. Rhonda Mudhenk, chief operations officer for Lone Star Circle of Care, received the Transformational Health Leader award for promoting collaboration in improving care across the community. Susan Dawson, executive director of the E3 Alliance educational nonprofit, received the Community Volunteer Health Leader award for helping uninsured breast cancer patients receive access to treatment.
Monday, June 10, 2019 by Chad Swiatecki
Austin housing prices continue to climb
Austin is no stranger to the top spots of national lists of major cities in recent years, but a new analysis of overheated housing markets across the country puts the Austin/Round Rock area as fourth most likely to experience a housing crisis. The report from 24/7 Wall St. found that local home prices are 62 percent higher now compared to pre-recession peaks nearly 12 years ago. In raw numbers, the report found the current median home price is $302,000, compared to $186,250 in the third quarter of 2007. Those price increases are fueled in no small part by a 32.8 percent population growth, with concerns that the local median household income of $73,800 isn’t keeping pace with housing costs. As a state, Colorado looks most prone for a crisis. Greeley, Colorado, took the survey’s top spot, followed by the Denver/Aurora/Lakewood area in second place and Fort Collins coming in third.
Monday, June 10, 2019 by Tai Moses
Two town halls to discuss needs of veterans
Service members, veterans, family members and those who work with veterans are invited to attend one of two town halls to discuss the Veteran Community Needs Assessment. The town halls are hosted by the city’s Human Resources Department, which hopes to gather community input that will aid in creation of the city’s future Veteran Resource Center. The first town hall is Tuesday, June 11, 5:30-7 p.m. at Zilker Botanical Garden, 2220 Barton Springs Road. The second town hall is Wednesday, June 12, 6-8 p.m. at the Northwest Recreation Center, 2913 Northland Drive.
Friday, June 7, 2019 by Chad Swiatecki
City prepares to assess Austin’s creative class
Included in the 15 action steps in this week’s plan for the city to address sound compatibility issues was the news that there could soon be an update to 2014’s Austin Music Census, which showed the creative community is under increasing economic pressure due to affordability issues. The Economic Development Department is preparing a request for proposals for what’s being called a “music and entertainment industry assessment” that will gather data about a broader array of creative industry workers. Goals for the study include assessing the current state of Austin’s music industry, while learning more about job opportunities and experience requirements for musicians in other creative industries in Austin. The 2014 census helped to shape a number of policies contained in the Music and Creative Ecosystem Omnibus and other efforts to improve the economic stability of local artists and musicians.
Friday, June 7, 2019 by Tai Moses
Veronica Briseño named director of EDD
City Manager Spencer Cronk has announced that Veronica Briseño, who currently holds the post of interim homeless strategy officer, will assume the role of director of the Economic Development Department in late June. Briseño will remain working as interim HSO through July, when a new homeless strategy officer is expected to be hired. Over the past two decades, Briseño has held leadership roles in the Small and Minority Business Resources Department, the office of former Council Member Raul Alvarez and the city manager’s office. In the press release, Briseño said, “I look forward to working with the talented Economic Development staff and implementing goals that will focus on the importance of business recruitment, small business development, arts, music, and international relations – all of the factors that make Austin the most livable city we love.”
Friday, June 7, 2019 by Ryan Thornton
City eases move into new Workforce Solutions center
Council approved a $600,000, no-interest loan Thursday to Workforce Solutions Capital Area to help cover some of its short-term expansion costs. The organization has apparently been forced to cut some of its client services this fiscal year due to the financial constraints of making the move into the city’s largest career center, which will soon host over 200 staff members. The new 70,000-square-foot East Austin center is meant to be a flagship hub facilitating the work of the Master Community Workforce Plan to secure 10,000 middle-skill jobs for economically disadvantaged people by 2021. The new campus will feature three times as much conference room space for community conversations and more private rooms for individual consultations between clients and staff. Workforce Solutions is aiming to make its jump into the center in July.