City Council members Paige Ellis and Alison Alter are pushing for amendments to add staff to the Parks and Recreation Department for ongoing maintenance needs. Each of them have a number of other recommendations for budget amendments. Ellis wrote on her City Council Message Board post that she would like to add “$1.5M for 16 new Grounds & Maintenance Full Time Positions with a plan to add a comparable number in future Fiscal Years until level of service deficit is closed. I’d also like to request the one-time funding of $740k for Grounds Maintenance Capital Equipment. This one-time line item would likely not need to come from the General Fund. This proposal has broad community support.” Council members Vanessa Fuentes, José Velásquez, Chito Vela, Zo Qadri and Ryan Alter also expressed the need for increased parks maintenance. This is not the first inkling that parks maintenance staff needs to be increased.

A newly approved interlocal agreement will free two Travis County bulldozers to help prevent and fight wildfires. The Travis County Commissioners Court approved the agreement Tuesday, freeing the bulldozers to clear vegetation and fight wildfires with Travis County Emergency Services District 6 through Sept. 30, 2025. “Travis County has two bulldozers that it no longer uses, so this is the perfect way to repurpose the equipment rather than having them sit idle,” Brigid Shea, Travis County Commissioner for Pct. 2, said in a statement to the press.“The risk of wildfires keeps growing exponentially. Every step we take now to prevent and prepare for wildfires could save the lives of Travis County residents and their valuable property if and when the next emergency strikes.”

Tree limbs at East Austin’s Martin Pool, 1626 Nash Hernandez Sr. Road, broke and fell during Sunday’s rainstorm, and the pool is closed for repairs until further notice. The limbs damaged the electrical pole for the entire pool facility. Staffers are in the process of getting a quote and timeline for the repairs. Meanwhile, Metz Pool and Parque Zaragoza Pool are operational through Sunday, Aug. 11, before they close for the season. Govalle Pool will remain open weekdays through Aug. 18, and weekends only through Sept. 2. For more information about all city pools, check out AustinTexas.gov/Pools.

Improvements along Trinity Street and San Jacinto Boulevard between East Cesar Chavez Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard are coming. They will introduce transit priority lanes intended to enhance bus operations for existing and future Capital Metro routes, add protected bike lanes and enhance pedestrian crossings, while also maintaining vehicle parking and access for drivers. Construction is planned to begin in mid-August and be completed before the end of 2024. Intermittent lane closures are expected during construction, so some delays will pop up along the construction route. For more information, check out the project fact sheet. The project is part of a partnership between the city and Capital Metro.

As part of an effort to provide resources to people subjected to sexual assault, the city and police department have launched a new website, atxbelieves.org. The website is part of a larger public service campaign done in partnership with Austin-Travis County Sexual Assault Response and Resource Team that stresses community resources available regardless of law enforcement involvement. “If you or someone you know are a survivor of sexual assault, we want you to find comfort in knowing that we’re here for you and we want to help,” Interim Police Chief Robin Henderson said in a statement to the press. “There are so many resources available and people who are ready to listen and help, many of whom are survivors themselves.” Last year, the Austin Police Department embraced a Collective Sex Crimes Response Model project aimed at overhauling its approach and making it more comprehensive and multidisciplinary. For emergencies, call 911 or reach out to SAFE at 512-267-7233 or text “SAFE” to 737-888-7233.

As part of a larger effort to nudge residents to embrace green landscaping equipment, the city has spent about $50,000 in incentives over the past year. Through September, some retailers offer $30 off electric lawn mowers and $15 off electric weed eaters. Austin Energy customers can also get $15 off electric leaf blowers. However, according to a memo from Chief Sustainability Officer Zach Baumer and Austin Energy General Manager Bob Kahn, the city is now looking to a program that better addresses equity and “will include offering low-income residents electric landscape equipment at a minimal cost in exchange for their gas-powered equipment through pop-ups or trade-in events in the community.” The city will also look toward converting commercial landscaping equipment, which city staff believes will have more of an impact. In order to make this switch, they will be funding a market survey, assessment and a pilot program to convert city equipment and city landscaping requirements. “Once this survey, assessment, and pilot program are complete, staff will have the data necessary to make recommendations for additional rebate programs and incentives,” the memo notes.

The 34th Austin Pride Parade is planned for Saturday, Aug. 10, starting at 8 p.m. with the theme “Queer Cabaret,” which the city describes as “full of glamor and glitz, celebrating and honoring LGBTQ+ members of our greater Austin community.” It will start at the Texas Capitol building and proceed south down Congress Avenue, ending at the Ann Richards bridge at Cesar Chavez Street. For more details, visit the city’s website or austinpride.org/pride-2024. Making plans for a safe ride home is recommended, either through public transportation, ride sharing or carpooling. Other options include:

• Parking south of downtown and use the Hike-and-Bike Trail (motorized vehicles are not permitted on the trail).
• Biking to the event.
• Using the CapMetro trip planner to find the best transit option into downtown.
• If driving, visit the Paid Parking page for downtown parking information.   

Road closures and/or lane reductions associated with the Pride Parade will start at 1 p.m. Aug. 10, with all streets scheduled to reopen no later than midnight. Click here for a detailed road closure map and table of closed streets.

Plans to relocate the Waller Creek Boathouse to the site of the South Lakeshore Youth Hostel continue to inch forward, according to a July 29 update from the parks department. The memo explains that a feasibility study of the new location has been divided into two components, with the city now studying environmental and architectural issues separately. Those studies will help determine next steps for the project, including financing and dock construction. Right now, the studies are expected to be done by this winter. Updates and information can be found on the Youth Hostel Boathouse Feasibility Study website in the meantime.

A new traveling information series from the city hopes to keep Austinites apprised of the some $10 billion in infrastructure projects supporting the city’s continued growth. “Building Austin” will shine a spotlight on various projects, like the construction of new fire stations, parks, libraries, trails and roads. The first session will be held on Thursday, Aug. 15, at the City of Austin Permitting and Development Center (6310 Wilhelmina Delco Drive) and virtually. It will, according to a press release from the city, “feature five key projects in proximity of the Airport Boulevard Corridor and E. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Corridor, including the Asian American Resource Center Phase 2 Improvements, E. Braker Lane Extension, and Little Walnut Creek Flood Risk Reduction.” Anyone interested in attending – either virtually or in person – can RSVP here.

City officials broke ground Saturday on affordable housing units that will make up Austin’s first carless community, designed with 100 percent electric needs produced with on-site solar. The Ivory, at 1309 Chicon St., is a mix of commercial space and 53 residential condos, with 40 units available to households earning at or below 70 percent of the median family income level. The remaining 13 units are available at market rate. It’s constructed so that car ownership is a choice for residents, rather than a necessity: There are plans for each resident to receive an electric bicycle to keep when they close on their condo, they can use two e-vehicles that will be on-site, and four B-cycles will be installed. The passing of the “Affordability Unlocked” ordinance in 2019 allowed the nonprofit developer Chestnut Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation to build the Ivory with no parking and more density. More details on funding for the project are here. The Ivory is named after East Austin advocate and leader Scottie Ivory, a longtime advocate for equality and justice in East Austin who came from a long history of family members who also championed equal opportunities in Austin.

City Manager T.C. Broadnax was expected to announce his choice for Austin’s next permanent police chief on Friday. Instead, he announced that he was still reviewing feedback from the public, stakeholders and City Council and would not be calling a City Council meeting Tuesday to confirm an appointment. “We worked diligently to find the best candidates possible and to provide our community members with the opportunity to tell us what qualities they wanted to see in a Chief of Police and provide their feedback as we narrowed the field. I’m currently reviewing that feedback, as well as input from our stakeholder interview panels and City Council,” Broadnax wrote. “This position is too critical to our Police Department, the City organization as a whole, and this community to rush. Therefore, I’m going to take additional time to consider our two very qualified candidates before making a final decision.”