In just one month, Austinites who recycled their batteries at Austin Public Library drop-off locations managed collectively to divert more than 5,800 pounds of batteries away from landfills, according to an announcement from the city. The achievement was part of the 2015 Austin Recharge Challenge, during which 21 library branches competed to recycle the most batteries as part of a campaign to increase recycling rates and raise awareness about the city’s many battery drop-off locations, such as those at public libraries. The competition ran from Aug. 17 to Sept. 18, and the big winner was the North Village Branch library, which collected 1,042 pounds of batteries. For this achievement, the library earned a $1,000 check from Call2Recycle, which sponsored the competition along with Austin Resource Recovery. According to the city’s announcement, “On average, Austin collects up to 2,000 pounds of batteries each month from residents and retailers, which was almost tripled during the Recharge Challenge campaign.” The city recycles batteries because when thrown away, they can leach harmful metals into the environment. “As the proliferation of mobile devices and other battery-powered gadgets continues to grow rapidly,” said Tim Warren of Call2Recycle, “it’s more important than ever for consumers to know where to responsibly recycle their used batteries.”

Award-winning artist Michael Singer will be giving a free talk next week hosted by The Contemporary Austin, the Office of Sustainability and Art in Public Places. The Tuesday talk precedes Wednesday’s unveiling of a sculptural piece, Uplifted Ground, designed by Singer and installed at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport’s new rental car facility. AIPP, which is part of the Cultural Arts Division of the city’s Economic Development Department, commissioned the piece. According to an announcement from the city, “Singer’s work has been instrumental in transforming public art, architecture, landscape, and planning projects into successful models for urban and ecological renewal. Singer has also been engaged in the rethinking of infrastructure facilities and systems in the United States and Europe and co-authored Infrastructure and Community, published by Environmental Defense Fund. … His works are part of public collections in the United States and abroad, including the Australian National Gallery, Canberra; the Guggenheim Museum, New York; and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.” Singer’s talk takes place Oct. 27 from 7 to 8 p.m. at The Contemporary Austin-Jones Center, 700 Congress Ave.

The Real Estate Council of Austin has come out against the Travis County bond proposition to build a new Civil & Family Courts Complex downtown, passing a resolution against the bond, which appears on the Nov. 3 ballot. That resolution notes that RECA “does not question the need for new or expanded courthouse facilities but does question the proposed location.” The group also questions the increased taxes as well as the prospect of building on “the last undeveloped and unrestricted block in downtown Austin.” In a press release about the resolution, RECA President Ward Tisdale said, “There are other options available to the County that likely have the infrastructure and ample space for new courthouse facilities. … They should, at the very least, look into those and report back to the community.”

Though the future of the Bluebonnet Hills local historic district remains up in the air, Preservation Austin has given a “special recognition” award to the organizers of the district for their advocacy and neighborhood preservation. “Regardless of the outcome of their efforts, the committee commends the core team of Blue Bonnet Hills supporters who have diligently followed the City’s Local Historic District nomination process, diligently documenting their neighborhood, developing design standards to guide future development, educating their fellow neighbors and elected officials, and spending many long hours at public hearings to advocate for their neighborhood,” wrote the jury. “They have overcome significant obstacles and shown great commitment to protecting the priceless character of their community.” Preservation Austin also honored preservation advocate Lin Team, the Covert Monument Restoration on Mount Bonnell, Fair Market on East Fifth, Seaholm Power Plant and the Paramount Theatre, among others. More information about the 2015 Preservation Merit Awards is on Preservation Austin’s website.

Yesterday, the Real Estate Council of Austin published the latest in commercial real estate data for Austin. Those third-quarter numbers are available on RECA’s website. The data, according to a press release, show a continued strong demand for office, industrial and retail space and continued low vacancy rates. In fact, office vacancy rates have decreased from 9.7 percent last quarter to 9 percent currently, and retail vacancy rates dropped from 3.8 percent to 3.4 percent over the same period of time. Industrial vacancy rates also followed this pattern, dropping from 8.56 percent to 6.84 percent. RECA also celebrated a partnership with Cushman & Wakefield/Oxford Commercial and Transwestern, which will aid the group in releasing quarterly real estate data.

Jeff Vice, Austin Energy’s director of local government relations, announced at an Electric Utility Commission meeting on Monday that the results of an independent study relating to a proposed natural gas plant will not be released this month, as previously anticipated. Austin Energy staff projected in August that the report on the 500 megawatt combined-cycle plant and renewable alternatives, which Navigant Consulting is putting together, would be ready for commission review this week ahead of a presentation at the City Council Austin Energy Utility Oversight Committee on Thursday. The report, Vice said, is now likely to head to members of the commission for review in early November, and Austin Energy is attempting to arrange for the Council committee to hold a special called meeting for review in early December. “The rushed schedule, originally, was more or less tied to decision-making related to solar that is moot, that’s already been made,” said Vice, referring to Council’s recent decision about the city authorizing new solar contracts. Although they are separate elements, both the solar decision that Council has made and the decision that it must make in the near future about the gas plant are part of the Austin Energy generation plan that the previous Council passed in December.

City Council voted to support Planned Parenthood in a vote of 9-2 last week. This week, Texas cut off its Medicaid funding. Against that backdrop, Austinites gathered Sunday to raise funds for Planned Parenthood at the Austin Annual Dinner, which was co-hosted by Mandy Dealey and Anne Hilbert. The event raised $800,000. According to a press release about the event, “In 2014 alone, nearly 19,000 women, men and young people received critical healthcare such as clinical breast exams and cervical cancer screenings, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, HIV testing, birth control, and wellness exams at the three Austin health centers. Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas provides healthcare and education services to nearly 85,000 Texans each year at health centers in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Paris, Tyler, Waco and surrounding communities, and celebrates 80 years of service this year.”

The city is accepting applications for several boards and commissions on which there are vacancies. According to an announcement from the city, there are openings on the Board of Adjustment, the Building and Fire Code Board of Appeals, the Building and Standards Commission (Team 2), the Electric Board, and the Zoning and Platting Commission. A list of vacancies on the city’s website shows several other boards and commissions in need of new members as well. Interested applicants may apply online, here.

The Watershed Protection Department announced Monday that it has rolled out a new tool to help Austinites understand the new drainage charge that the city will apply to residential and commercial accounts in November. The tool, called “Find My Drainage Charge,” is particularly helpful to residents of single-family homes, business owners and owners of multifamily properties. It is less useful, however, for residents living in multifamily properties, because the tool shows the drainage charge for the entire property, which the owner is required to pay and presumably split up fairly among tenants. The new charge is based primarily on the size of a customer’s lot and the amount of impervious cover – surfaces that don’t absorb rainwater – on that lot.

A virtual open house for the MoPac South environmental study begins today, hosted by the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority and the Texas Department of Transportation. Details about the project, including “several potential operational configuration options, as well as several enhancements that were incorporated into the proposed project as a result of community input,” will be available online, along with informational videos and the opportunity to submit feedback and questions, according to an announcement from CTRMA. The public comment period will continue until Nov. 20. An in-person open house event is also planned for Nov. 10, from 3 to 7 p.m., at the Palmer Events Center, in meeting rooms 1-5, level 2. The project team will present information similar to what is available online, and commentary will be welcome.

Travis County Commissioners Court approved on Tuesday what County Judge Sarah Eckhardt described as an “agreement to work towards an agreement” with the city of Austin to establish a sobriety center that would take pressure off Travis County’s jail system. At their weekly voting session, the commissioners voted 4-0 to endorse a collection of recommendations offered by an interlocal working group that provides a baseline framework of where and how the center could be run (Commissioner Ron Davis was off the dais). As expected, the group is suggesting that a local government corporation be set up to operate the center at the current site of the Medical Examiner’s Office at 1213 Sabine St. The location, which will soon be vacated by the ME’s Office, has been the leading choice among advocates for the center, but possible problems emerged during Tuesday’s discussion when Roger Jefferies, county executive of justice and public safety, told the commissioners that it’s inside the boundaries of the city of Austin’s so-called Innovation Zone. Jefferies explained that principles of the Zone include “denser development, pedestrian-friendly, encouraging entrepreneurship, new startup businesses – that kind of thing. So that will be part of the calculus in determining whether the Medical Examiner’s (building) is appropriate.”

The Austin Monitor is thrilled to announce that our parent company, the Capital of Texas Media Foundation, has two new board members. Most of our readers should be familiar with Sheryl Cole, who in 2006 became the first African-American woman elected to the Austin City Council, among her many accomplishments. After serving as mayor pro tem, Cole went on to practice law at the Cole Law Firm, where she specializes in government relations and public finance. We also would like to welcome Abby Rapoport to the board. Rapoport currently reports for The American Prospect, but you may also know her work as a political reporter for the Texas Observer.