Over the holidays, the Austin Monitor will join our readers in taking a little time off to enjoy the season. During these last weeks of 2019 and the first week of 2020, join us in looking back on the past year and forward to the next year. We will return to our regular content on Monday, Jan. 6, rested and ready to tackle all that the coming year holds. Until then, Happy Holidays from all of us to all of you!

City offices and municipal facilities will be closed Tuesday, Dec. 24, and Wednesday, Dec. 25, in observance of Christmas Eve and Christmas, and Wednesday, Jan. 1, in observance of New Year’s Day. Trash, recycling, compost and yard trimmings collection will “slide” one day forward if the your collection day falls on a holiday. In addition, recreation, cultural arts, nature and senior centers and museums will be closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, with shorter hours on New Year’s Eve. All pools will close at 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve and will be closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, except for Barton Springs Pool, which will remain open without lifeguards during regular hours. Austin public libraries will close at 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve and will be closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day except for the Central Library, which will be closed Dec. 24 and 25. For questions about city services or more specific information, call 311 or read this detailed list of holiday hours.

This whisper has been corrected, the Central Library will be open on December 26.

After your Christmas tree has given you the gift of filling your home with its piney scent, you can return the favor by ensuring that it stays out of the landfill and instead returns to the earth as mulch or compost. All you have to do is set your tree out on the curb on your regularly scheduled collection day, starting the day after Christmas. If you don’t have curbside service, you may drop your tree off at Zilker Metropolitan Park Polo Fields this weekend (Dec. 28-29) or next weekend (Jan. 4-5) between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. There are a few guidelines for recycling trees: If your tree is over 6 feet tall, it must be cut in half; trees sprayed with flocking, or artificial snow, will not be accepted; and all ornaments, decorations and lights must be removed, including the tree stand. Each year, the city provides curbside tree recycling for about 20,000 Christmas trees that are composted or turned into Dillo Dirt. If you’d like some of this Christmasy mulch, it will be available on a first-come, first-served basis on Thursday, Jan. 16. Find more information about Austin’s Christmas tree recycling program at AustinRecycles.com.

Earlier this year, the Cielo Property group donated and relocated the home of the first African American disc jockey, Albert Lavada Durst – also known as “Dr. Hepcat” – from 1608 E. Fourth St. to 1906 E. 21st St. This initiative not only gave housing to an East Austin resident who was left homeless after her own house burned down, it also rescued the house itself. According to Historic Preservation Officer Steve Sadowsky, the home was in dire shape and was being used as a drug house in its former location. On its new lot, the house is being restored to reflect its 1920s-era working-class bungalow architecture. Sadowsky told the Historic Landmark Commission at the Dec. 16 meeting that the home has “tremendous significance.” According to the staff report, “This house reflects a wealth of history in Austin and should be preserved at any cost.” Commissioner Ben Heimsath said that relocating the home was “not ideal,” but in this case, was a “good compromise” and that its association with Lavada Durst “makes this house worthy of preservation.” The commission voted unanimously to initiate the historic zoning process.

The Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department hosted a series of meetings on Dec. 3 for developers and community leaders to discuss expanding city programs and policies that would incentivize affordable housing construction in the city. Community members may view the entire presentation online. The meetings were following up on a community dialogue that began in December 2018, when NHCD invited developers and community leaders “to provide input on revamping and streamlining the Affordable Housing Development Assistance process.” The result was that NHCD has made “significant progress for affordable housing construction,” said James May, NHCD community development manager.

When D.R. Horton Homes discovered a 19th-century blockhouse at 1208 E. Howard Lane, the Historic Landmark Commission got excited. Homes of that vintage are rare in Central Texas, and this one was a serendipitous find. The structure, part of the Dessau community of German settlers, was covered by over a century of stucco and walls from homeowners who had built and modified a larger home around the original footprint. The commission commended the homebuilder’s willingness to preserve the structure and unanimously recommended a permit for partial demolition. Once the structure is uncovered, the builders will provide any necessary rehabilitation and then fence off the structure for protection. The blockhouse is located where the developer plans to put a pocket park for the subdivision. Commissioner Ben Heimsath recommended going beyond just preservation and instead activating the space. “It could be a small meeting room or a community space,” he said, warning that if the cultural resource were left vacant it could become a magnet for vandals and squatters.

Activist and attorney Pooja Sethi has announced that she intends to unseat incumbent District 10 Council Member Alison Alter in November 2020. Sethi is an immigration lawyer who touts her Democratic Party credentials, including being named 2019 Activist of the Year by the Travis County Democratic Party. She is also a member of the city’s Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission. Her campaign treasurer is Ravi Vemulapalli, listed online as president of Veteran Solar. Alter named her husband, university professor Jeremi Suri, as her treasurer. In 2016, Alter defeated incumbent Council Member Sheri Gallo for the District 10 seat.

The Ending Community Homelessness Coalition is still seeking volunteers to help conduct its Point in Time Count, a yearly census of the homeless population in Austin and Travis County. ECHO has already recruited 350 volunteers; another 450 are still needed. With the help of an efficient new digital survey system, teams of PIT volunteers will fan out into the community on the early morning of Jan. 25 to count all those who slept outside the night before. Volunteers will also distribute care packages of snacks, toiletries, warm socks and hats. Before being assigned to a team, all volunteers will attend a mandatory training, in person or online. PIT Count volunteer coordinator Axton Nichols said, “We’re excited by the level of community support we’ve seen so far. But we’ll need even more volunteers to make the PIT Count truly successful.” Sign up to participate at ECHO’s website, austinecho.org/PIT.

The mercury is dropping, with nighttime temperatures expected to dip into the low 30s, and that means the city’s cold weather shelters have been activated. Single adult men and women may go to the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless by 5:15 p.m to get overnight shelter. Families may report to the Salvation Army on East Eighth Street by 8 p.m. More information is available from the shelter hotline at (512) 305-4233.

If you see smoke billowing from the general area of Reimers Ranch Park in Dripping Springs, fear not; the cause is a prescribed burn being conducted today by Travis County Parks, with help from local fire departments and natural resource agencies. The goal of prescribed burning is to “reduce wildfire danger and improve ecosystem health by removing invading shrubs, consuming dead and downed vegetation, reducing the number of exotic species, and enhancing the health and diversity of the native plant community,” according to the announcement. The resulting smoke is expected to be “light and of relatively short duration.” Except for the multi-use trail, which will be closed part of the week, Reimers Ranch Park will remain open.

Curious to know what mobility projects will be coming down the pike next year? The preliminary draft of the city’s 2020 Mobility Annual Plan is now online and comments are welcome until Feb. 2. The MAP, which comes with an interactive projects map, offers an overview of projects funded by the 2016 mobility bond, including “sidewalks, Safe Routes to School, bikeways, urban trails, Intersection Safety/Vision Zero improvements, and more,” according to a news release. Austin Mayor Steve Adler noted, “We’re just three years into the 2016 Mobility Bond and we have already implemented over 200 projects all over our city – on time and on budget – giving Austinites better and safer ways to get around our city.” The final MAP will be published in early March.

Michelle Baca received an Officer of the Year award from the Texas Animal Control Association for her work in the field microchipping stray animals in Austin. “This is the first time anyone from Austin has received this award,” said Chief Animal Services Officer Don Bland. The award is a statewide recognition effort for individuals who contribute to animal care, control and welfare. Baca, who has been with the department for a year, has the highest microchipping rate in the field of all Austin animal control officers, according to Bland. In a double acknowledgment of her efforts, the Animal Advisory Commission offered her a certificate in recognition of her achievement at its Dec. 9 meeting. “Animal protection officers are underappreciated, underpaid and overworked,” said Chair David Lundstedt. He noted that officers who perform duties above and beyond what is normally required are deserving of recognition.