UT students, faculty and staff will hold a rally today at 1 p.m. at the corner of Robert Dedman Drive and Red River Street to urge the university to transition to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. UT campus activists plan to conduct a press conference where they will release a letter signed by nearly 1,000 faculty and staff members from campuses around the country supporting the shift to 100 percent renewables and urging the nation’s institutions of higher learning to lead the way. Dozens of UT faculty and staff have signed the letter. A recent United Nations report suggests we have just 12 years to modify our energy infrastructure in an effort to limit catastrophic global warming.

With the addition of nine new gates, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport’s Barbara Jordan Terminal will expand its space to display art by 657.5 cubic feet and ticketed passengers will soon be able to enjoy double the exhibition space. An expanding airport means more ways for local artists to display their work in the airport’s Changing Exhibits program, including three wall galleries and four art kiosks in the middle of the concourse. The galleries, which are named for Austin neighborhoods, can house large paintings or sculptures. See the airport’s current art exhibits here.

Pace Bend Park, at 2805 Pace Bend Road North, will be the site of a controlled burn that will take place on either Thursday or Friday this week. Some portions of the park such as the mountain biking and multi-use trails, Collier Boat Ramp, the coves on the west side, and sections of Pace Bend Road will be closed while the burn is being conducted. Prescribed burning reduces the danger of uncontrolled wildfires, removes invasive plants and enhances the health of native plant species. Since southwest winds are anticipated, northeast communities may experience some smoke drifting across the park and the lake.

After months of discussions in a working group, the Board of Adjustment voted to adopt lowered fees for residents seeking to come before the board and request a variance. At the beginning of this fiscal year, fees for individuals seeking a zoning variance jumped from $1782.56 to $3,230.24. Calling the fees “discriminatory” on a financial basis, the board unanimously voted to separate commercial and residential variances and slash the required payment down to $500 for both residential variances and special exceptions. Commercial variances will remain in a similar tier to what was presented at the beginning of the year. Board Member Michael Von Ohlen explained at the board’s Feb. 11 meeting that the working group based the fee structure on surrounding metropolitan areas like San Antonio, Dallas and Cedar Park, whose fees range from $400-$1,200. “I think our timing was right to be coming up with this structure,” he said. According to him, the city’s Deputy Chief Financial Officer Ed Van Eenoo recently asked the board for its opinion on the budget schedule. While all board members were in agreement that fees needed to be lowered, Board Member Melissa Hawthorne wanted to consider extra costs for Lake Austin zone variance cases, which she said were much more complicated than others due to environmental considerations. Overall, the board agreed wholeheartedly with the fee reductions. “I think we need to show our concerns for our community,” said Board Member Veronica Rivera.

Two former aides to Council Member Ellen Troxclair have landed jobs in the same legislative office. Brian Thornton, who served as Troxclair’s chief of staff, is now the senior policy adviser for Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels. Alice Claiborne, who also worked for Troxclair, has become Campbell’s communications director. Troxclair, of course, worked for state Rep. Jason Isaac, R-Dripping Springs, before running for Council in 2014. Isaac is now a transportation consultant and Troxclair, who retired at the end of 2018, is a lobbyist for the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation.

Update: Troxclair told the Austin Monitor she is not a “lobbyist,” but a Senior Fellow at the TPPF. It is an important distinction, she noted, because TPPF is a nonprofit think tank prohibited from lobbying. She is continuing to run her real estate brokerage on a full-time basis and only assist the TPPF on property tax issues as needed, she said.

In a memorandum regarding last week’s City Council decision to allocate $3.3 million from the 2016 Mobility Bond for the Oak Hill Parkway project, Austin Transportation Director Rob Spillar wrote, “This participation is required by state law.” The money represents 10 percent of the state transportation department’s costs for right-of-way purchase and reimbursable utilities relocation and is considered the city’s local participation. At the Council meeting on Jan. 31, Council Member Kathie Tovo asked Spillar to clarify that obligation. Spillar replied that participation is required by law “because it is not a toll facility.” In other words, the obligation is inherently bound to the project’s current design. The city, however, chose to repeatedly frame the vote as a legal obligation that could not be negotiated. At the meeting, several Council members stated variations on the idea that no matter how the city voted, the Texas Department of Transportation would build the highway anyway. Even Council Member Leslie Pool, who voted against the project, acknowledged that her vote would not change the outcome. The answer to the Council members’ collective resignation is that the city is benefiting significantly by cooperating with TxDOT. Specifically, the city is able to get a number of projects done for less than the price of one, allowing the city to put roughly $5 million from the 2016 mobility bond to other uses. In return, TxDOT gets to build the highway it wants to build with the city’s approval. Approval of the Oak Hill Parkway project is a legal obligation because the city has accepted TxDOT’s compromise and is going forward with its part of the agreement.

Generations of visitors to Zilker Park and Barton Springs have fond memories of buying snacks at Zilker Cafe. Now the beloved concession building is getting a major face lift. Construction on the Zilker Cafe Rehabilitation Project at 2133 William Barton Drive is scheduled to begin this Friday, Feb. 15. The project includes a complete rehab of the midcentury building starting with demolition of much of the exterior, except the masonry facade. The Historic Landmark Commission has approved the design of the new roof and facades that will be part of the restored building, expected to be completed in fall 2019. Portions of the parking lot at William Barton Drive will be closed during construction.

The City Council Housing and Planning Committee meets for the first time this year today, and it promises to be a big one. In fact, according to Council Member Greg Casar on a City Council Message Board post, “The staff’s backup material on such a big topic would take hours to be presented at the committee meeting (their powerpoint presentation is dozens and dozens of slides). That material is available on the city’s website, for the curious. For the differently curious, the committee will take up the plan to implement the Austin Strategic Housing Blueprint, displacement, use of the affordable housing bond, preservation strategies, and lots more from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. See you there!

Airports can be stressful, they can be hectic, they can be tedious – but they aren’t usually melodious. Until now. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and public radio station KUTX 98.9 FM have teamed up to present the Austin Music Experience, now flooding the airwaves of the Barbara Jordan terminal with music – not just any music, but tunes by local Austin artists. ABIA passengers will be serenaded by a live-streamed playlist hand-selected by KUTX and featuring a wide variety of local music from Texas swing, country and rock to pop and hip-hop. KUTX program director Matt Reilly said, “KUTX is thrilled to partner with our friends at Austin-Bergstrom to spread the gospel of Austin music. Introducing the Austin Music Experience to a global audience will further strengthen this cultural and economic pillar of our city.” If you hear something you like while you’re waiting for your bags and you want to dig deeper, the playlist is on KUTX.

Nominations for the Austin A-List Awards, which celebrate local companies, are open. Yesterday, the Austin Chamber of Commerce announced that nominations for the three categories – startup, mid-size and scaling – will be open now until April 8. “A-List is our opportunity to celebrate Austin’s homegrown companies and leaders that are making noise and innovating in diverse sectors,” said Austin Chamber Senior Vice President Leigh Christie. “This year, we’re proud to introduce several new award categories including ones that celebrate women-led and bootstrapped businesses. A-List is also going to be a year-long celebration beginning today with nominations opening up, highlighted by our event in May, and continuing beyond as we look to feature even more thriving Austin leaders and job creators throughout the year.” To nominate a company (or your own company) and to learn more about the categories, visit austinchamber.com/alist. Finalists and winners will be honored on Thursday, May 23, at ACL Live at the Moody Theater.

The preliminary engineering report for the Red Line Trail has been completed and the city’s Urban Trails Program is eager to share the information with the community. Attend an open house to learn more about the Red Line Trail project, which will connect Braker Lane and the Capital Metro Kramer Red Line Station to the Northern Walnut Creek trail system. Urban Trails staffers will give a short presentation and answer questions about the project, which is funded by the 2016 Mobility Bond. The event is Thursday, Feb. 21, from 6:30-8 p.m., at Whole Foods Market community room, 11920 Domain Drive. Visit the Red Line Trail website to learn more.

Austin residents are invited to attend a public hearing of the city’s Community Development Commission to share their ideas for setting grant funding priorities for affordable housing, job creation and public service needs for low- and moderate-income families, seniors and people with disabilities. Public input will help the commission develop its FY 2019-23 federal funding plan for HUD grants. In its announcement, the city expressed hope that the process will “foster community partnerships, cultivate emerging leadership around affordable housing, and facilitate an ongoing dialogue to brainstorm opportunities.” The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 12, at 6:30 p.m., at the Neighborhood Housing and Community Development office in the Street-Jones Building, 1000 E. 11th St., Room 400A. Read more about the five-year funding plan.