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Whispers
Friday, May 31, 2019 by Chad Swiatecki
Loss at COTA
Any chances for the Circuit of the Americas to receive an expected $25.9 million in state money were lost as of Monday when the Texas Legislature ended its 2019 session. The racetrack and event facility in Southeast Austin came at risk of losing the funding from a state fund for large events when it missed a September deadline to submit a plan for preventing human trafficking, a required part of its annual application for the funds. That money is generally thought to be used by the track to pay the licensing fee for the Formula 1 race each fall, one of the largest tourist and athletic events in the state. There had been some chance of a funding approval by attaching language to another bill, which passed the House but didn’t make it out of the Senate. COTA officials told Autoweek they plan to keep the race coming to Austin well beyond the current contract that runs through 2021.
Friday, May 31, 2019 by Tai Moses
Teacher heads to the Arctic to bring climate science home
High school teacher David Walker is on his way to the Arctic with a mission. Walker, who teaches science at Austin’s Liberal Arts and Science Academy, is one of 12 teachers selected through a nationwide search to join a team of polar researchers studying the effects of thawing permafrost on climate change. But Walker’s real mission is to connect his field research on climate change with his classroom and community back home in the hopes of promoting greater climate science literacy in Austin. Walker will be posting regularly on online journals, message boards, videos and social media like Twitter and Instagram to stay connected to his students and anyone else who would like to follow his adventures on the frozen tundra. Learn more about the expedition and how to stay updated here and follow Walker on Twitter @mrwalkerlasa.
Thursday, May 30, 2019 by Chad Swiatecki
Smart city, activate!
Members of Austin CityUP and other smart cities-focused efforts are encouraged to take part in next week’s office hours for the Dubai Smart City Accelerator. The global accelerator that is focused on sectors such as open city data, urban automation and mobility, smart government and sustainable cities will meet with Austin-based startups from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., June 3 at the WeWork office at 600 Congress Ave. Those interested in attending need to apply beforehand. Visitors will get an initial meeting of up to 30 minutes with the accelerator team, which will lead to 10 companies from all over the world taking part in the three-month program that includes seed funding, office space in Dubai and access to a global network of investors and corporate partners.
Thursday, May 30, 2019 by Chad Swiatecki
A venue to talk venues
The public is invited to next Saturday’s joint meeting of the Arts and Music commissions, which is also serving as a community forum for ideas on how the city should spend $12 million in bond money for creative spaces. The meeting will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on June 8 at the Asian American Resource Center on Cameron Road, with extra parking available at the 1520 Rutherford Lane campus. The session will be used to shape a recommendation to City Council and the city manager’s office on how to use the money toward facilities – new or existing – to support local arts and music organizations. Those who attend are asked to offer their feedback as an answer to the question, “Given the purpose of the bond funds and the parameters relating to the use of these bond funds, what would ‘success’ for the community look like?” An online survey for those unable to attend will be open until Friday.
Thursday, May 30, 2019 by Tai Moses
Construction for New Blazier kicks off with groundbreaking ceremony
Construction is set to begin this summer on the New Blazier Relief School, one of the campus modernization projects that is part of the 2017 AISD Bond Program. The new school will help relieve overcrowding at Blazier Elementary by building a facility designed to house fourth, fifth and sixth graders. To celebrate, the school is holding a groundbreaking ceremony featuring remarks from Blazier Principal Leti Peña-Wilk, AISD Superintendent Paul Cruz and AISD trustees. The district urges guests to arrive at 9 a.m., park their cars at Blazier Elementary and take a short walk with the community to the groundbreaking site. Tuesday, June 4, 9 a.m., Blazier Elementary School, 8601 Vertex Blvd.
Thursday, May 30, 2019 by Tai Moses
City wants ideas for Dove Springs health center
Austin’s Dove Springs neighborhood is getting a new public health center and the city wants the community’s input about what they want to see. Bring your ideas, opinions and dreams to a community meeting on Thursday, June 13, from 6:30-8 p.m., at Mendez Middle School, 5106 Village Square Drive. There will be snacks and refreshments on hand and Spanish interpretation available.
Wednesday, May 29, 2019 by Tai Moses
AISD offers free shuttle to graduation ceremonies
It’s high school graduation season and AISD has hatched a plan to help relieve the horrible traffic congestion that often attends such events, not to mention the stress of searching for a parking space. The district is offering a free shuttle service to take family and friends from their graduate’s school to the Frank Erwin Center at 1701 Red River St., where the ceremonies take place. Graduations started yesterday and continue through Friday – see the full schedule here and the schedule of shuttle pickup times here. If you’re meeting friends or family before the ceremony, AISD suggests using the highly visible Bevo statue (also a time-honored photo op) as a meeting spot.
Wednesday, May 29, 2019 by Tai Moses
Learn to DIY at a Fix-It Clinic
Ever wish you had the skills to repair that broken toaster sitting on the kitchen counter or mend the holes in your child’s jeans? The Fix-It Clinics offered by Austin Resource Recovery are designed to teach you the knack of DIY, with the help of volunteer coaches who are dedicated to spreading the gospel of repair and reuse. Repairing things – instead of throwing them away and buying new ones – keeps items out of the landfill and breaks the cycle of consumption. The next clinic is Saturday, July 13, noon to 3 p.m. at Recycled Reads Bookstore, Austin Public Library, 5335 Burnet Road. Register early and reserve your place, since the clinics fill up fast. You can bring your broken items, but the limit is two items per person, so look around your home and choose wisely.
Wednesday, May 29, 2019 by Elizabeth Pagano
Bastrop draft code ready for review
The city of Bastrop announced Tuesday that a draft land use code is now available for public review and comment. A Planning and Zoning meeting will launch the public review process today at Bastrop City Hall, starting at 6 p.m. In stark contrast to Austin’s own code rewrite, Bastrop’s code rewrite was launched in August 2018 and the draft code is 137 pages. In addition to today’s meeting, the city has also scheduled a Pop-Up Street Project, which will be held on Bastrop’s Main Street on Saturday, June 8, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. According to a press release, “The event will highlight what future development could look like based on the new land-use regulations, while providing a preview for the new streetscape to come as part of the Main Street rehabilitation project.” In addition, an open house will be held on June 26 at the Bastrop Opera House, with city staff on hand to answer questions about the code from 3:30 to 5 p.m. for developers, and 6:30 to 8 p.m. for the general public. For up-to-date info on the project, visit the Building Bastrop website. The public review process will close on Thursday, June 27.
Tuesday, May 28, 2019 by Elizabeth Pagano
Violet Crown Trail celebrates milestone
Hill Country Conservancy and REI will be celebrating the grand opening of the Violet Crown Trail’s Slaughter Trailhead this upcoming Saturday. Significantly, the new trailhead represents the completion of Phase One of the Trail, which has been in the works since 2006 and under construction since 2014. Once finished, the 30-mile trail will stretch from Zilker Park, past the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center to the Onion Creek Management Unit. Saturday’s celebration starts at 8:00 with remarks from District 8 Council Member Paige Ellis and Hill Country Conservancy CEO George Cofer, followed by a 5K run and 1K walk and a party. Details about the event are available online here.
Tuesday, May 28, 2019 by Elizabeth Pagano
Happy sine die
The Texas Senate adjourned sine die Monday, officially concluding the 2019 Texas legislative session and leaving the rest of us to catch up on the fallout. The Texas Tribune has compiled a list of bills and their fates here. And the Monitor will continue to monitor the impact those bills will have on the city.
Tuesday, May 28, 2019 by Elizabeth Pagano
CTRMA celebrates 45 SW opening
The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority celebrated the pending completion of the State Highway 45 SW toll road Saturday. The road – a 3.6 mile stretch connecting MoPac Expressway to FM 1626 – is expected to open on Saturday, June 1. Covering environmentally sensitive terrain, it has been a source of debate for years. A press release from CTRMA touted “the innovative and environmentally sensitive roadway” and says it is a path that “provides a multimodal travel option for the community, will feature trailheads at MoPac and Bliss Spillar Road and an area known as the ‘Hill Country Classroom,’ a shaded section of the trail where cyclists and pedestrians may rest while viewing educational signage.” MoPac, Bliss Spillar Road and FM 1626 will all serve as points of access on 45 SW. The road will use electronic tolling, with the cost to travel the full length of the road at $1 for electronic tag holders and $1.50 for Pay by Mail customers. The Mobility Authority is offering a “toll-free period” through June 30, where drivers who have an active electronic tag may travel the road for free. A “Grand Opening Jubilee” held Saturday to celebrate the road’s impending completion was attended by about 400 members of the community. Speakers included Mobility Authority executive director Mike Heiligenstein, Mobility Authority Chairman Ray Wilkerson, Texas Department of Transportation engineer Terry McCoy, Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty, Hays County Commissioner Mark Jones and state Rep. Vikki Goodwin. “This project is why I ran for office in the first place,” Daugherty said. “I am so proud to be a part of this occasion. It was Hays and Travis counties that bonded together to make this project possible. And that is what government needs to be doing for its people.”
This whisper has been updated to correct the date of the jubilee.