Despite some gaps in the public record, the Historic Landmark Commission took its first step toward making the home at 1907 Holly St. a historic landmark at its most recent meeting. The home, which the Historic Preservation Office believes was built in 1913, is currently slated for demolition, though those hoping to demolish the house were not present at the commission’s May 22 meeting, when that demolition was under consideration. Instead of allowing the demolition to move forward, commissioners voted unanimously to initiate historic zoning on the property. That move will allow city staff and interested parties to further research the building. Historic Preservation Officer Steve Sadowsky noted that they believed the home was built in the early 1910s, though that isn’t backed up by “sometimes wrong” historic Sanborn Maps of the lot. Additionally, in some documentation that Sadowsky noted could also be wrong (or misleading), there was a 1971 city permit to move a house to the lot. “One way or another, this house was identified in our 2016 survey of East Austin,” he said. “They recommend that it is eligible as a local landmark and individually eligible for the National Register (of) Historic Places.” Next-door neighbor John Schultz explained that there was another home on the property that had been demolished, which could account for the 1971 data.

Anyone alive and on the internet in the past few days has heard the news that Uber and Lyft are back in Austin, as of Monday. That’s when Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 100 into law, which creates statewide rules for transportation network companies. It also voids the regulations of local jurisdictions like Austin – a city with voters that a year ago overwhelmingly supported fingerprinting drivers and other safety measures that Uber and Lyft said were too strenuous. “Today, we’re excited to be rolling back into town,” Uber said in an email blast on Monday. “We know we left quickly last year, but we never stopped listening. Our Austin team is working hard to make the Uber experience better than ever—for drivers, riders, and this amazing city you call home.” Lyft struck a similarly conciliatory tone, saying in a Monday blog post that it was “honored and excited to bring reliable, affordable rides back to” Austin. It also highlighted partnerships with local organizations like the Heath Alliance for Austin Musicians and discount deals with local restaurants Kerbey Lane Cafe, Peached Tortilla, Chilantro and Churro Co.

Unfortunately for city aquatics fanatics (ourselves included), the opening of Mabel Davis Pool this summer will be delayed due to technical difficulties. Last week, as they prepped the pool for the upcoming season, Parks and Recreation Department staff investigated a drop in water levels. That led to the discovery of a significant leak that stopped the pool from opening on Saturday, May 27, as scheduled. “The Department is diligently working to reopen the pool, pending recommendations and available funding,” the city said in a Friday press release. As soon as repairs are complete, staff will set a new opening date. We’ll keep you posted.

The Austin Monitor will be back on Tuesday, after observing Memorial Day.

The city of Austin will observe Memorial Day by closing its administrative offices and other municipal facilities on Monday, May 29. That includes the Austin Public Library, Recycled Reads and the Austin History Center, though those three will be open during regular hours on Saturday and Sunday. Other closures include recreation and senior centers and the Elizabet Ney Museum, O. Henry Museum, George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, Dougherty Arts Center, and Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center. Some downtown roads will be blocked off for the Life Time Tri CapTex, so check the city’s website before making any travel decisions. A few places will remain open during regular hours on Monday. They include city aquatics facilities, golf courses, tennis centers, the Zilker Botanical Garden, and the Austin Nature & Science Center.

Last week, Austin City Council voted to pursue legal action against the recently passed “sanctuary cities” law. On Wednesday, the city took another tack, filing a motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Attorney General Ken Paxton against City Council members, Mayor Steve Alder, Interim City Manager Elaine Hart and Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez over the law. The motion, which is embedded below, asks a federal court to dismiss the lawsuit, noting, “Texas’ suit seeks to fabricate a case or controversy based upon public statements by City officials who believe Senate Bill No. 4 (SB 4) is unconstitutional. The suit fails to establish jurisdiction because Texas has suffered no injury, the law is not in effect, and the State’s complaint seeks an impermissible advisory opinion.” A spokesperson for the city, David Green, explained, “The city has been consistent in expressing our concerns with SB 4. As the state’s lawsuit inappropriately seeks to preemptively punish the city for raising what we believe are legitimate Constitutional issues with the law, we have asked the court to dismiss the suit against the city, mayor, City Council and city manager.” And on Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project joined the lawsuit challenging SB 4 that was filed earlier this month on behalf of a group of local governments and law enforcement officials. Currently, plaintiffs include the city of El Cenizo, Maverick County and the League of United Latin American Citizens. In other SB 4 news, a rally is planned for Monday, May 29, at the Texas State Capitol. According to a press release, the rally will officially launch the “Summer of Resistance” and “is being organized by United We Dream, Workers Defense Project, Immigrants United, University Leadership Initiative, Education Austin, Voto Latino, the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM), Center for Community Change and many more.”

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After all the hours spent haggling over fingerprints, millions spent campaigning and votes cast by Austinites, two tweets confirmed that after just over a year in exile, Uber and Lyft are returning to Austin Monday. Also on Monday, Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign into law new rules that allow the transportation network companies to operate in Austin under conditions they agree to.

See ya Monday 😊

— Lyft Austin (@AustinLyft) May 25, 2017

It’s official—we’re returning to Austin on Monday. We look forward to serving you and this amazing city again soon.

— Uber Austin (@Uber_ATX) May 25, 2017

This evening the Austin Justice Coalition will bring together Austinites for the third annual State of Black Austin Forum. Community members will discuss the most pressing issues affecting the community, including criminal justice reform, economic empowerment and gentrification. At least two members of City Council will also be in attendance: Council Member Ora Houston, one of the featured speakers, will be introduced by Mayor Steve Adler. The event begins today at 6:30 p.m. in the Greater Mount Zion Baptist Church, 4301 Tannehill Lane.

Summer being a busy time at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is nothing new. Predictably, in the coming months, terminals will be swarmed with tourists, vacationing families and Europe-bound college students lugging around travel packs. According to the airport, this year is likely to be even more crowded than usual. Traffic is already up 6.5 percent from last year, which is an indication the rest of the season will be unusually busy. To keep things running as smoothly as possible, the airport recommends budgeting extra time for ticketing and security checks. During peak times (like the very early morning), travelers should arrive at the terminal at least two hours before their departure time. Find more travel tips, as well as information on new flights, here.

The Austin Independent School District is bringing free meals to children at more than 50 campuses this year as part of the Summer Food Service Program. Though the program will be offered at schools where at least 50 percent of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, all kids 18 and under – no matter their economic status – can show up for a meal. There’s no registration paperwork or ID card necessary. Visit the district’s website for a full list of participating schools. Run dates vary, but the program will run from early June until early August, at some campuses.

Attentive listeners to the Austin Monitor‘s weekly radio show on KOOP FM (which is everyone reading this, riiiiiiiight?) got the drop early last week on a big summer blowout planned by the music venues in Austin’s Red River Cultural District. Details at the time were still being sussed out, but Stubb’s Bar-B-Que general manager Ryan Garrett said on the show that the districtwide festival was planned as the latest event to strengthen the recently politically active group of businesses that are also in the crosshairs of development pressure from every direction. Well, the cat is mostly out of the bag now thanks to an official announcement of the name – Hot Summer Nights – and the dates, July 13-16. The five days of free concerts at (deep breath) Barracuda, Beerland, Cheer Up Charlies, Elysium, Empire Control Room & Garage, Mohawk, Side Bar, Sidewinder, Stubb’s, Swan Dive and Waller Ballroom make the event sort of a summer counterpart to January’s Free Week, where clubs throughout the same district line up stacked bills with no cover to draw business during the post-holiday doldrums. Another factor that led to the festival’s creation is the just-underway pilot program to give later sound curfews to the outdoor venues in the area, which is intended to generate more alcohol sales revenue on busy weekend hours.

Arguing that the empty Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees seat should be filled as quickly as possible to weigh in on important decisions like the upcoming bond election, Trustee Jayme Mathias suggested that the board appoint a District 6 trustee sooner than the current deadline of June 12. “We are also kicking off graduations next week,” Mathias said at Monday’s board meeting. “It would seem to be a tremendous gift for those school communities (to have their district trustee).” The board is scheduled to interview Alejandro Delgado, Geronimo Rodriguez Jr. and Glen Shield on May 30. Trustee Ann Teich disagreed with the suggestion, saying that it would be inappropriate to deny the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which had scheduled a candidate forum for June 1, a chance to interview the prospective trustees. “I would like to defer to that community’s wishes, and I would like to respect those wishes,” she said. After discussion, no motion was made, and so the calendar will remain as is.