It’s cold out and homeless people are taking shelter in some unusual places, including stormwater sewers and culverts. It may be shelter, but when you add a candle to a mattress the result can be disastrous. Council Member Pio Renteria took a ride with members of the Austin Police Department as they visited two underground homeless encampments in his district on Riverside Drive about 10 days ago. On Sunday, one of those camps caught fire. Renteria told the Austin Monitor via email, “Last week I visited several homeless camps with APD and I saw firsthand the desperate state of the homeless in our city. During one of the visits, APD informed everyone living in a tunnel that it was unsafe to be there. However, after we left, the makeshift furniture remained and so people moved right back once we were gone. Several days later, in that same tunnel there was fire and thankfully no one was hurt.” Renteria called it “a public safety issue for renters and homeowners on Riverside as well as the homeless who are forced to live in these unsafe conditions.” Ramesh Swaminathan, managing engineer with the Watershed Protection Department, said Thursday his department is working with other city departments to try to solve the problem. He said the city would be awarding a contract for a pilot project within the next two weeks or so to clean up nine hot spots, including two tunnels on Riverside Drive. He estimated that the city would spend about $50,000 to $60,000 on the pilot, though that addresses just one part of the problem. Renteria concluded, “We need to provide a safe place for those who are homeless in our city to sleep, recover and hopefully get back on their feet. That should be our first priority. “

The city’s Cultural Arts Division and Music and Entertainment Division have selected the artists who will participate in this year’s Creative Ambassadors Program, which provides stipends and other resources to Austin artists traveling outside of Texas to promote their creative works. This year’s class includes: Annalise Gratovich (visual art); Hidden Room Theatre; Ariel Dance Company; Capital City Black Film Festival and PJ Raval (film); Kydd Jones, Montopolis, Greg Gonzalez, Grupo Fantasma and Atlas Maior (music); and Usha Akella (multidisciplinary). The program is open to Austin artists who plan to travel in support of their work. Applicants are evaluated by a selection panel on a number of criteria, including level of expertise, prior awards, length of time as an artist, and how candidates will enhance the city’s global profile. Applications for the 2020 class will open Oct. 1 and close Dec. 1. The complete program guide is available here.

If you’re between the ages of 14 and 19, this free event is for you: the Breaking Barriers Latinx Youth Conference, a day of art, music and discussion created entirely by the members of the ESB-MACC Caminos Teen Leadership program. Activities such as an open mic stage, zine exhibit, screen printing, mural painting, mosaic art, and teen-facilitated discussions support and amplify the theme of the day: breaking barriers, especially the barriers faced by Latinx youth. With food trucks on hand, no one will go hungry. It takes place Feb. 9, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a live musical performance by Tiarra Girls at 5 p.m., at Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, 600 River St. To learn more or RSVP, visit Eventbrite or Facebook.

Austin, Texas, and Limerick, Ireland, have signed a new cooperation agreement that will help both cities share best practices on creative industries and economic development corporations and expand on innovation and economic opportunities. The agreement, which is in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding, will reinforce the existing relationship between Austin and Limerick and help the cities develop key areas such as film, technology and manufacturing. It will also leverage the Irish presence in Austin to capitalize on foreign direct investment opportunities. The MOU was signed by elected officials from both cities. Learn more about the Economic Development Department’s International Program here.

At the Jan. 7 meeting of the Public Safety Commission, Austin Police Department Chief of Staff Troy Gay gave his customary monthly stats, and the thing that was remarkable was that not much has changed. Despite APD’s continued hiring push, the department continues to find itself lacking men and women to fill the ranks. Currently there are 110 vacancies, and the next class with a chance to fill those gaps will graduate from the police academy in May. Only 67 cadets remain in the class, said Gay. Following the completion of that training class, there will be one other in 2019 to help fill in the rank-and-file police officers. As a result of the lack of officers, Gay said that overtime spending for the quarter is “a little bit over.” He reported that 37 percent of the overtime budget was spent in the first quarter; typically APD aims to spend 25 percent. Also, Gay hypothesized that the shortage of manpower is the cause that has led to increasing response times since May 2018. The city target for response times is 6 minutes and 44 seconds after a call, but more recent numbers are showing responses in the 7-8 minute range.

The city’s Cultural Arts Division and South by Southwest have announced the second annual UNESCO Media Arts Exhibition at SXSW. The exhibit is a showcase for media art installations by local Austin artists and international artists who hail from cities belonging to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Austin is the only city in the United States that has the distinction of a UNESCO Media Arts designation. The city’s partnership with SXSW supports the designation by introducing local media artists to a global audience. Cultural Arts Division Manager Meghan Wells said in the announcement, “Austin is widely recognized as a collaborative community at the forefront of media arts technology …. We are pleased to partner with (SXSW) to spotlight Austin’s fantastic homegrown media arts talent as well as that of other cities’ artists through the lens of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.” The exhibit will run March 9-17 at the Central Library, 710 W. Cesar Chavez St. A panel discussion on March 9 at 4 p.m. will explore the role of UCCN in promoting digital artmaking around the world.

Just days after a new pilot program from the Parks and Recreation Department allowed electric bikes and scooters on five Austin trails, City Council Member Alison Alter sponsored an item at Council’s Dec. 13 meeting further truncating the already limited program. The scope of Parks and Rec’s original plan included the entirety of Johnson Creek, Shoal Creek, Northern Walnut Creek Trail, Southern Walnut Creek Trail, and the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail. The Butler Trail will allow electric bikes only. However, Alter’s spokesperson April Brown explained that Alter felt limiting scooter traffic north of 15th Street on the Shoal Creek Trail was necessary for safety. “There’s a lot more loose gravel (and Alter) believes it’s safer for the scooters to traverse the sidewalks,” Brown told the Austin Monitor. She noted that north of 15th Street, scooters may go on the sidewalk that winds along adjacent to the trail. The amendment to the Parks and Rec plan passed on consent at Council. Aside from the pilot program, motorized vehicles are still prohibited from public recreational areas and any trails maintained by the Parks and Recreation Department and not specifically included in the pilot.

Deena Estrada, who worked for Council Member Bill Spelman under the city’s at-large system of electing Council, has taken the job of chief of staff for District 8 Council Member Paige Ellis. Estrada served as boards and commissions coordinator in the city clerk’s office after her stint with Spelman. Since then she has worked in the private sector, but told the Austin Monitor she’s very happy to be back at City Hall. Estrada would not reveal the names of others who may be coming to work for Ellis, but said that information would become public next week.

While City Council waits another three months for a possible strategy on how to capitalize on newly created federal “opportunity zones,” it appears the private sector is wasting no time getting in the game. Austin Business Journal reports that the zones created as part of the 2017 federal tax cut are bringing investment capital into play for projects located around Austin, including a mixed-use development on East Riverside Drive that has fanned gentrification concerns in the historically low-income area. City and Travis County leaders spent part of the summer discussing ideas on how to manage the zones, which are intended to bring economic activity to areas around the country that have experienced divestment or slow economic growth. The result of that came in October when Council passed a resolution calling for the city manager and the Economic Development Department to bring forward recommendations for how the city can leverage its own incentives in opportunity zones to bring resources like green grocery stores to areas where they are lacking. The deadline for those recommendations is April 18.

Doug Matthews, who has been director of the city’s Communications and Public Information Office for the past 10 years, will be leaving the city at the end of January. According to a memo from City Manager Spencer Cronk, Jessica King will serve as interim director for the department starting on Feb. 4. Cronk’s memo says he is working with Human Resources to get the job posted as soon as possible. Prior to coming to Austin, Matthews was public communications director for the city of Clearwater, Florida. Matthews told the Austin Monitor he is considering a number of possibilities but has not made any final decisions on his next move.

Smart Cities Connect has named Austin Energy one of its Smart 50 Awards honorees, which are given to cities and startup companies that conduct innovative and influential programs in categories such as mobility, urban infrastructure and community engagement. Austin Energy was recognized for its EVs for Schools program, which educates students on the benefits of electric vehicles. The program – conducted in collaboration with EcoRise, ChargePoint and Smart Charge America – provides teaching kits to all Austin Independent School District schools, with charging stations installed at Akins, Lanier and Travis high schools and Kealing Middle School that can be used by staff, students and visitors for $4.17 per month. Students will collect usage and other data from the charging stations in an effort to illustrate the benefits and sustainability of electric vehicles. Winners in all five categories will be announced April 1 at the organization’s conference in Denver.

The city of Austin and Integral Care mental health authority have partnered to open the Terrace at Oak Springs, an apartment complex for 50 residents who will be able to receive care on-site. The goal of the complex, which is under construction on Oak Springs Drive just west of Airport Boulevard, is to assist the chronically homeless who are struggling with mental illness or substance abuse disorders. Residents will sign a lease and be held to the agreement or face eviction. The 40,000-square-foot complex is expected to open in May, with Integral Care and the Austin Police Department pledging to work together to address safety and other quality-of-life issues that may arise.