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Whispers
Wednesday, May 8, 2019 by Jessi Devenyns
Comprehensive evaluation of sexual assault investigations moves forward
Since City Council ordered an independent review of police handling of sexual assault cases in February, the City Manager’s Office has been collaborating with a working group composed of members of the Public Safety Commission and Commission for Women to write a request for qualifications for contractors to bid on. In order to ensure that a non-biased candidate is appointed to the task, Commissioner Rebecca Gonzales explained at the May 6 meeting of the Public Safety Commission that “we wanted to make sure that the contractor selected doesn’t do work that feeds into this process.” Contractors already working for the city will be allowed to bid on the contract. Another push that the commissioners made was to have more direct input on the hiring process. “We did get four commissioners on the actual review of the finalist,” she told commissioners. While she is happy with the expanded role of commission members in the process, she added, “Having us be a fuller part would be even more impactful.” She explained that since commission members are representatives of their respective communities, having them more intimately involved in the process will help foster more trust in the overall audit process and the efficacy of the police evaluating sexual assault cases in the future.
Tuesday, May 7, 2019 by Jack Craver
Travis County finally welcomes new courthouse
Plans that have existed for over a decade to build a new civil courthouse in Travis County are finally coming to fruition. On Friday, May 31, at 2 p.m., county leaders will assemble for a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Travis County Civil and Family Courts Facility at 1700 Guadalupe St. Speakers will include County Judge Sarah Eckhardt, Commissioner Brigid Shea, Civil District Court Judge Lora Livingston and Austin Bar Association President Adam Schramek. In November 2015, voters narrowly defeated a $287 million bond proposition to build a new courthouse on county-owned land at 308 Guadalupe St., forcing the county to find a new way to build a new facility, which leaders of the legal community said was desperately needed. The county leased the 308 Guadalupe St. property and entered into a 99-year partnership with a private developer that will own the land, build the facility and lease it to the county. The price tag is estimated at $344 million.
This whisper has been changed since publication to update the date of the ceremony.
Tuesday, May 7, 2019 by Jo Clifton
Railroad Commission rejects Robbins’ complaint
The Texas Railroad Commission, which hears appeals of certain gas utility rates, has dismissed an appeal from the city of Austin’s decision related to Texas Gas Service’s conservation adjustment fees. Utility customers pay those fees along with charges for natural gas service to defray the cost of the company’s conservation programs. Consumer and energy conservation advocate Paul Robbins complained to Council last year about Texas Gas Service’s conservation programs, basically saying they cost too much and save little energy. But Council approved the rates and Robbins filed an appeal with the commission. Subsequently, Administrative Law Judge John B. Dodson ruled that the city “has exclusive jurisdiction over the gas utility rates and related programs within its boundaries.” Therefore, the commission has no authority to hear the case. Robbins was not particularly surprised to lose, but he was surprised and quietly outraged when he learned that the city sought to assess litigation expenses it had incurred during the proceeding. In ruling against the city’s request for an unspecified amount of fees, the judge said, “Mr. Robbins describes himself as an activist, but he also is an Austin resident and TGS customer, and his grievances raised in this docket appear to be good-faith attempts to bring legally remediable claims. This ruling granting dismissal is not a determination that his grievances are without merit, but rather that the Railroad Commission is without jurisdiction to hear them.” Robbins told the Austin Monitor that he filed a public information request to find out how much the city spent on the litigation. He did not receive that information, he said, only the hourly salaries of people who worked on the case. Anyone who knows Robbins will not be surprised to learn that he has not given up on this particular quest.
Tuesday, May 7, 2019 by Tai Moses
AISD summer reading event splashes down
Summer + reading: Aren’t those two beautiful words just meant for each other? We think so, and so does the Austin Independent School District. AISD Libraries, BookPeople and the Austin Public Library have partnered up to organize a free summer reading event featuring some of Austin’s favorite authors. The Summer Reading Splash also offers reading lists, book signings and other fun literary stuff geared toward readers in grades 3 through 6, but all interested members of the reading public will be welcome. The Splash is 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, at AISD Performing Arts Center, 1500 Barbara Jordan Blvd. You’ll find the full author lineup, summer reading lists and more details here.
Monday, May 6, 2019 by Tai Moses
Fire chief issues waterway ban
Heavy spring rains over the weekend led to the decision by the Austin Fire Department to close local waterways: Lake Austin from Mansfield Dam to Tom Miller Dam, Lady Bird Lake and the Colorado River downstream of Longhorn Dam have been declared unsafe and part of the “flood ban area.” According to the waterway ban notice, the chief has declared flood conditions in all Austin city creeks as well. All boating and recreational use in these waterways is banned until noon on Monday, May 6, when the fire department will re-evaluate the conditions.
Monday, May 6, 2019 by Tai Moses
[Re]Verse Pitch contest wraps
Social entrepreneurs Anjali Sridharan and Mike Strong took winning honors – and a prize of $10,000 each – in the fourth annual [Re]Verse Pitch Competition, which ended Tuesday, April 30. The contest asked competitors to think up innovative ways to upcycle the raw waste materials from five Austin industries and use them to create new products or business ventures. The press release announced that “Sridharan’s winning pitch was to repurpose polycarbonate plastic dye-cut sheets from HID Global to make affordable eyewear with a new company, POLYMart. Strong’s team, re:3D, will be adding to their 3D printer business to launch Design by re:3D using the same plastic waste to make specialty furniture, art and other unique items …. Judging was based on business viability, sustainability impact, economic impact and social impact, along with effectiveness of pitch delivery.” Read about the finalists and the winners and learn more about this iconic Austin competition at reversepitch.org.
Monday, May 6, 2019 by Tai Moses
Is your park open? Check here first
If you’re planning a springtime picnic at an Austin-area park, you’d be advised to first check and make sure your favorite neighborhood park is indeed open for business. Maintenance work, temporary flooding, renovations, sewage leaks, landslides – there are a lot of things that can close a park down. The Parks and Recreation Department maintains a webpage that lists all the latest park, pool, trail and recreation center closures. So go ahead and pack that picnic, but check the PARD website before you leave home.
Friday, May 3, 2019 by Chad Swiatecki
Davis mural to stay
Tensions between East Austin residents and the Parks and Recreation Department over an unplanned memorial mural appear to be easing after city officials agreed to keep the mural in place. At issue is a mural in Givens Park that was created last month as a tribute to Andre Davis, who was robbed and murdered in the park. The hastily created mural drew concern from PARD staff because it fell outside the normal process for installing art in city parks and other public spaces. Several weeks of discussion with community leaders and District 1 Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison resulted in the decision Thursday to leave the mural in place. A planned community gathering next Wednesday is intended to let residents discuss Davis’ murder and the mural’s importance and share information on the city’s Art in Public Places program. In a Facebook post Thursday, Harper-Madison announced that the mural will stay in place and that its creator will be compensated.
Friday, May 3, 2019 by Tai Moses
Bastrop organizes a (code update) rodeo
There are traditional rodeos with bucking broncos and calf roping (not that we approve of that) and then there’s a whole different kind of rodeo that involves animated discussions about land use and development standards. Yee-haw! Bastrop is holding a Building Bastrop Code Update Rodeo, a final opportunity for its citizens to weigh in before the city crafts its draft development codes for review by the Planning & Zoning Commission. According to the announcement, “These discussions will ultimately lead to the adoption of new land-use regulations that are locally made, geographically sensitive and fiscally sustainable.” All are welcome. Thursday, May 9, 3-8 p.m. at the Bastrop Opera House, 711 Spring St., Bastrop.
Friday, May 3, 2019 by Tai Moses
History Center hosts conversation about Austin’s transportation past and future
Transportation lessons from Austin’s past can shine a light on the mobility challenges of today. That’s the focus of “Off the Rails: Austin’s Commuter Future,” a summit hosted by the Austin History Center and featuring a panel of transportation experts including Austin Transportation, Austin Energy, Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, Air Central Texas and Commute Solutions. Participants will discuss the transportation challenges Austin faces and present possible solutions. The event is part of the History’s Center’s exhibit on the history of the streetcar in Austin. As the center’s press release says, “Issues that may seem as modern as conflict with ride-hailing companies, electric light rail, mobility and transportation can find their origins in the story of the streetcars. The historical narrative provided by this exhibit will offer a depth of context for a conversation featuring the organizations providing the services and structure that support mobility in our city.” Saturday, May 11, 2 p.m., at the Austin History Center, 810 Guadalupe St. RSVP on Facebook.
Thursday, May 2, 2019 by Elizabeth Pagano
How dangerous are scooters? Tune in!
Today’s the day! The final results of an investigation into the public health impacts of dockless electric scooters will be announced at 10 a.m. The investigation is the result of a collaboration between Austin Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those who cannot wait for our coverage can watch the press conference live on Facebook.
Thursday, May 2, 2019 by Elizabeth Pagano
LDC rewrite continued, continued
Today, Austin City Council will reconvene at a special called meeting to continue (and hopefully, finish) the discussion on the Land Development Code rewrite. The discussion is a continuation of the one that began last Thursday – Council members are now deciding on the direction the new code rewrite will take in terms of scope, housing capacity, housing types, compatibility standards, and parking requirements. Council will meet at 1 p.m. today at City Hall. According to a post by Mayor Steve Adler on the City Council Message Board, “As we’re picking up where we left off last week, and may only have three or four hours to complete our work, I would not anticipate taking any public testimony on Thursday, unless it is the will of the Council otherwise.” New amendments proposed can also be found on the message board, and items flagged for discussion, maps and more can be found here.