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Whispers
Friday, November 16, 2018 by Tai Moses
E-bikes join city’s public bike-share program
Last week, 10 shiny prototype e-bikes were placed at downtown bike-share stations to assess residents’ enthusiasm for electric bicycles. The e-bikes are pedal-assist models, which means the electric motor engages only when the rider pedals forward. The bikes can be easily identified by their red handlebar baskets emblazoned with a white lightning bolt. B-cycle pass holders can use the e-bikes at no additional charge, or find their location by using the B-cycle app or viewing the online map at AustinBcycle.com. The three-month pilot program is a public-private partnership operated by the city, the nonprofit group Bike Share of Austin and B-cycle, the maker of the bikes. So if you need to get somewhere fast, you have a hill to climb or you don’t want to sweat in your work clothes, jump on an e-bike and ride like the wind.
Friday, November 16, 2018 by Katy McElroy
Don’t toss your scrap, pitch it
The fourth annual [Re]Verse Pitch competition is right around the corner, and the city has begun accepting applications for organizations to offer up their scraps and surplus. Often, businesses and other organizations generate waste that ends up being sent to a landfill instead of serving an economic purpose. On the other end of the spectrum, entrepreneurs spend time and money looking for materials that can help bring their ideas to effect social change to life. The [Re]Verse Pitch competition attempts to bring these groups together, allowing organizations a chance to pitch their available materials to entrepreneurs, who then compete to develop creative reuses for the materials. The 2019 competition goes from February to April, and the deadline to apply as a materials supplier is Dec. 7. The application can be found here.
Friday, November 16, 2018 by Katy McElroy
Art at the airport
Thanksgiving travel is inevitably hectic, but Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has some art displays that just might make the experience a bit more enjoyable. In the Barbara Jordan Terminal baggage claim, near carousel 1, the newly installed mural A Place to Call Home will enhance the view for all visitors to the airport. The mural was produced on fabric by artist Rakhee Jain Desai and is part of the city’s Art in Public Places TEMPO program. In addition, AIPP has added four new exhibits featuring local art in the concourse of the Barbara Jordan Terminal. These exhibits, which are beyond security checkpoints and accessible to ticketed passengers only, include a gallery dedicated to works by Latino artists, Texas wildlife paintings, digital creations and ceramic curiosities. Learn more about the art in the airport, and where to find it, here.
Friday, November 16, 2018 by Jack Craver
Council approves new fire chief
On Thursday, City Council voted unanimously to approve the hiring of Joel Baker to head the Austin Fire Department. Baker spent 30 years with the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department, which he led as chief from June 2015 until February of this year, when he announced his retirement. Since former chief Rhoda Mae Kerr retired in March, the department has been led on an interim basis by Chief of Staff Tom Dodds. City Manager Spencer Cronk, who chose Baker over several other candidates, described the new chief’s “impressive career” in Atlanta and offered him a warm “welcome to the city of Austin family.” Baker returned the favor, saying that he was excited to work with the “brave women and men of the Austin Fire Department.” Bob Nicks, president of the Austin Firefighters Association, also spoke in favor of Baker’s hiring, saying he was confident that the new boss would help reduce some of the long-standing tensions that have existed between “management and labor” in the department. “I truly believe he’s the right person to lead us to the next level.”
Thursday, November 15, 2018 by Tai Moses
Annual vigil commemorates traffic crash victims
The nonprofit group Vision Zero ATX will host a Day of Remembrance vigil in honor of traffic accident victims on Sunday, Nov. 18, at 5 p.m. The annual event, which features remarks by local officials at City Hall followed by a walk to the Capitol building, honors those who have lost their lives or sustained major injuries in vehicle accidents. City Council adopted a Vision Zero action plan in 2016. The goal of the educational safety campaign is to reduce the number of traffic victims to zero. Sign the online pledge, request a Vision Zero yard sign or learn more about the Vision Zero initiative here.
Thursday, November 15, 2018 by Katy McElroy
BookPeople extends more power to its people
The largest independent bookstore in Texas has formed a union. The workers of BookPeople voted Tuesday night to approve representation by the Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 277. The vote follows the “Keep Austin Paid” campaign, which included a petition circulated at the Texas Book Festival that garnered over 600 signatures, and a Community Support Day. “I’m feeling proud of my sisters and brothers today,” bookseller Mat Clouser said, in a press release from the bookstore. “What we’ve already accomplished is no small feat, but we won’t be satisfied until we show Austin the power of a union. A healthy workforce makes a healthy workplace. The vote is truly a win for all.” Downtown Austin’s BookPeople has been in operation since 1970.
Thursday, November 15, 2018 by Katy McElroy
Shoal Creek Trail plan now available
The community-developed plan for Shoal Creek Trail is now available to view online. The plan is part of a larger vision to connect downtown Austin with the Domain with a 30-mile continuous path. Right now, the 3.9-mile Shoal Creek Trail follows the creek from 38th Street to Lady Bird Lake. The recently released plan lays the foundation for the trail’s expansion, extending it north by nearly nine miles and connecting it with the Walnut Creek Trail north of U.S. Highway 183. There’s lots more information on the website, along with a PDF of the plan.
Thursday, November 15, 2018 by Tai Moses
Art in Public Places launches second season of lecture series
A discussion with Austin visual artist Laurie Frick on Jan. 19 will inaugurate the second season of “Visionary Voices,” Austin’s free lecture series that features conversations with public artists from around the country. Co-produced by the city’s Art in Public Places program and Texas Society of Architects, “Visionary Voices” aims to explore the role of public art in society and the blurred line where art meets architecture. Participating artists are also undertaking commissions for the city and will give the public a sneak peek of their works in progress. The other “Visionary Voices” speakers are architect and designer Marc Fornes on May 14; installation artist Janet Zweig on Aug. 13; and muralist Fidencio Duran on Oct. 15. Find more information and the complete 2019 schedule here.
Wednesday, November 14, 2018 by Jo Clifton
Tynan reports on Harding complaint
Attorney Matt Tynan said Tuesday he had received word from the Texas Ethics Commission that the agency would investigate former District 1 candidate Vincent Harding’s campaign finance forms based on allegations Tynan made in a complaint filed with the commission. Tynan also filed a complaint against Natasha Harper-Madison, who is in a Dec. 11 runoff with Mariana Salazar to determine which of them will represent District 1. However, Tynan said he had decided that Harper-Madison’s errors were “de minimis” – or trivial – and that he has resolved not to pursue the matter. The commission had explained that some of the perceived errors in campaign finance forms submitted by Harper-Madison and Harding were a result of the commission’s software. Harding’s campaign manager, Mykle Tomlinson, told the Austin Monitor that the reports contained no errors and that Tynan had misinterpreted the regulations. Harding came in third in the Nov. 6 election behind Harper-Madison, with just 412 fewer votes than the second-place finisher.
Wednesday, November 14, 2018 by Jack Craver
Robbins decries proposed gas rate change
Energy activist Paul Robbins is sounding the alarm about gas prices for Austin residents. The company that provides gas to city residences, Texas Gas Service, has proposed changing the way it charges customers to fund its conservation programs. Currently, households pay a little under 4 cents per 100 cubic feet of gas consumed. TGS is proposing simply charging every household a flat rate of $1.19 a month. Robbins has denounced the proposal as regressive and likely to raise prices for low-income households that currently try to cut costs by reducing energy consumption. City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the new rates Thursday, but on Tuesday Council members agreed at a work session to postpone the item to a future meeting.
Wednesday, November 14, 2018 by Chad Swiatecki
Music Commission withholds input on ‘agent of change,’ for now
The Austin Music Commission has opted to take a wait-and-see approach to the city’s latest attempt at creating an “agent of change” ordinance to smooth tensions over noise issues between new entertainment venues and new residential construction and hotels. At last week’s meeting, Commissioner Rick Carney advocated giving City Council a written outline of the commission’s expectations for the proposed ordinance, which was abandoned prior to Council consideration in mid-2017. Concerns over the lack of definitive expectations for new businesses entering a neighborhood stalled the ordinance, but last month City Council passed a resolution directing the city manager to propose a new ordinance by mid-February. Chair Gavin Garcia said it would be best to let newly elected Council members be seated in January and give their own input on the matter before the commission weighs in. Commissioners also said that advocacy groups Music Moves Austin and the Music Venue Alliance will be working behind the scenes to lobby and educate city leaders on the best policy points for live music venues and how to protect them from legal action by new businesses moving into their sound path.
Wednesday, November 14, 2018 by Jessi Devenyns
Board of Adjustment questions ‘house for a car’
On occasion, portions of the city code that are intended to regulate one issue end up becoming a loophole for another. “I’ve never seen (the code) exploited the way you are or the way your architect is (exploiting it),” Chair William Burkhardt said at the Nov. 9 meeting of the Board of Adjustment, referring to a variance case involving a lot in Hyde Park. Years ago, the lot was subdivided into a space too small for an ADU, but nevertheless, the owner wants to construct a new, detached, two-car garage with second-floor living space. The idea of constructing a living unit and labeling it a garage rankled board members. Ben Reid, who owns the property at 4214 Avenue B, explained that his “number-one priority is a garage,” and that if the commissioners were amenable to the idea he would forgo the living unit. The case was eventually postponed until the board’s next meeting. While the board members agreed that removing the living quarters would improve the likelihood of granting a variance, Board Member Rahm McDaniel lamented that amid Austin’s housing shortage, “we can find a house for a car, but not for people to live in.”