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Whispers
Tuesday, August 4, 2015 by Nora Ankrum
Downtown traffic restrictions in effect Wednesday
Drivers in the downtown/Zilker Park area will be rerouted Wednesday night to accommodate pedestrians attending Blues on the Green. According to an announcement from the city, Barton Springs Road will be completely closed from Columbus Drive, near MoPac, to Robert E. Lee Road. Traffic coming from Robert E. Lee Road will have access to the eastbound lanes of Barton Springs Road, which are headed away from the event. However, westbound traffic on Barton Springs Road will have no access to Robert E. Lee Road and will instead be diverted northbound onto Sterzing Street. The modified traffic-control plan will be in effect from 9 to 11 p.m.
Tuesday, August 4, 2015 by Nora Ankrum
Fire Department seeks donations for saving animals
The Austin Fire Department has put out a call for help in replenishing its supply of oxygen masks designed specially for pets. Calling the masks “lifesaving devices that have helped Austin firefighters resuscitate everyone from a dog to a lobster,” animal advocacy organization PETA responded to the request on Monday with a $1,000 check. The organization also released an announcement calling on the Austin community to donate as well, so that AFD can reach its goal of $5,000. “For animals pulled from a blaze, a mask can be the difference between life and a painful death,” said PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. The announcement also encourages people with pets to post signs – or stickers available from PETA – on their doors or windows letting rescue workers know in emergency situations that pets are inside.
Tuesday, August 4, 2015 by Elizabeth Pagano
Smoke ordinance dissipates in committee
The Health and Human Services Committee joined the Committee on Ecomomic Development in recommending against a citywide smoke ordinance Monday. Committee members voted unanimously in favor of the recommendation to City Council after a discussion about the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s process of dealing with nuisance calls, and the process that the city’s 311 department uses to track calls. Though they didn’t make any hard promises, Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo said that more diligent tracking of complaints would allow Council to better gauge whether the city should revisit its nuisance ordinance in the future.
Monday, August 3, 2015 by Elizabeth Pagano
AWU expands reclaimed water system
The Austin Water utility recently opened a third reclaimed water fill station at the Walnut Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. The station reduces demand on Austin’s drinking water supply and offers a cheaper alternative for companies that need nonpotable water for things like construction, dust control and tree irrigation. The water is created by reusing treated effluent from wastewater treatment plants that would otherwise be discharged into the river. For more information, see the press release about the new plant here.
Monday, August 3, 2015 by Elizabeth Pagano
Fun Fun Fun
On Thursday, City Council is expected to act on a resolution that would circumvent the thus-far unsuccessful negotiations between the city’s Parks and Recreation Department and organizers of Fun Fun Fun Fest. The resolution asks the city manager to work with Transmission Events to come to an agreement regarding using portions of the off-leash dog park at Vic Mathias Shores (formerly Auditorium Shores) this November. It also asks him to explore the possibility of entering into a multiyear agreement for the future. Both former Mayor Lee Leffingwell and former Council Member Mike Martinez have written letters stating that they understood that “flex space” created by a movable barrier around the dog park would be used. Over the weekend, thousands of Austinites expressed their support for using that dog park flex space for the festival through an email, found here. A Sunday post by Austin Music People’s Executive Director Jennifer Houlihan said that about 5,600 emails had been sent to Council at that point.
Monday, August 3, 2015 by Elizabeth Pagano
City urges utility bill donations
As a reminder, the city of Austin would like residents to know that they can contribute to libraries and parks through their utility bills. Since 2013, the Parks and Libraries Fund has raised about $50,000. The Parks and Recreation Department uses the fund for youth scholarships. The Austin Public Library uses its portion of the funds to support access to digital materials. More information about the library programs can be found here, and more information about Parks and Recreation programs can be found here.
Friday, July 31, 2015 by Jo Clifton
Robinson to join Land Use Solutions
This is the final day as a city employee for Kelan Robinson, who has served as constituent liaison for District 5 City Council Member Ann Kitchen. Robinson will join Michele Haussmann and Leah Bojo in Haussmann’s firm, Land Use Solutions, on Monday. Bojo, of course, worked as an aide to former Council Member Chris Riley. Robinson has also worked for former Council Member Bill Spelman and former Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole. Before that, he addressed land-use issues in the Public Works Department. His new title will be project coordinator. Robinson told the Austin Monitor, “Land use has always been a passion.” Robinson assures us that he will be hanging out at City Hall in his new post, but not behind the District 5 desk.
Friday, July 31, 2015 by Elizabeth Pagano
Garza joins TribFest
Yesterday, District 2 City Council Member Delia Garza announced that she will be joining the list of impressive panelists at the 2015 Texas Tribune Festival. Garza joins Mayor Steve Adler as the only Austin City Council representatives so far.
Friday, July 31, 2015 by Elizabeth Pagano
Pressley continues appeal
Though defeated City Council candidate Laura Pressley got about $100,000 in bad news from a recent court ruling, according to the Austin Chronicle, she has decided to move forward with her appeal. As per last week’s judgment, Pressley and her original attorney, David Rogers, risk further sanctions if they continue their litigation. Read Michael King’s full story here.
Friday, July 31, 2015 by Nora Ankrum
Help clean up Tannehill Branch Creek
East Austin’s Tannehill Branch Creek, near Bartholemew Park, will be getting some sprucing up this month, thanks to the Friends of Tannehill Branch Creek. The group will be hosting a volunteer event – in partnership with Keep Austin Beautiful and Adopt-a-Creek – to clean up litter that has accumulated near the stretch of the creek that runs along Broadmoor Drive from Belfast Drive to Berkman Drive. The event will take place Saturday, Aug. 15, from 9 a.m. to noon. Volunteers will meet by the concrete ramp west of Belfast. RSVPs should be sent to FTBcreek@gmail.com. If you go, don’t forget to let the mayor know via #VolunteerATX.
Thursday, July 30, 2015 by Elizabeth Pagano
LCRA and A&M introduce WaterMyYard
In an effort to help curb the overwatering of lawns, the Lower Colorado River Authority and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service have teamed together to offer homeowners and businesses a new free tool. Called WaterMyYard, the Web-based program offers local recommendations on how long to run irrigation systems. Residents in Austin, Cedar Park, Dripping Springs, Lakeway, Marble Falls and Pflugerville can sign up to receive weekly updates from the free service by text or email. According to a press release about the program, “Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service developed WaterMyYard to simplify information from the TexasET Network – a network made up of 43 weather stations across the state that monitors evapotranspiration (ET), or the total amount of water plants need to grow and develop. As part of the program, LCRA modified six Hydromet gauges around Austin to provide localized information. The Hydromet stations have a new sensor – called a pyranometer – to measure solar radiation in addition to recording temperature, relative humidity and wind speed needed to calculate ET.” More information and the opportunity to sign up for personalized recommendations is available on the WaterMyYard website.
Thursday, July 30, 2015 by Elizabeth Pagano
City to host cartoonist workshop for teens
This Friday, the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center will host a free teen workshop led by cartoonist and “Bordertown” writer Lalo Alcaraz. At the workshop, which is open to teens aged 13 years and above, Alcaraz will share his experiences as an artist and show clips from his upcoming television show. The workshop will take place at 3 p.m., and interested teens can learn more about the program and pre-register here.