The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority’s Board of Directors awarded its largest design-build contract to date for the Bergstrom Expressway/US 183 South project on Wednesday. The project was recently cleared by the Texas Department of Transportation’s Environmental Division to move into the final design and construction phase. The board unanimously approved a motion to award the $581.5 million design-build contract to Colorado River Constructors (CRC). The total cost of the project is estimated to be between $750 and $800 million. “The Bergstrom Expressway will be the largest roadway project in Central Texas since the construction of SH 130,” said Mobility Authority Executive Director Mike Heiligenstein, in a statement to the press. “The Board’s approval of this contract represents a huge milestone – not only for the Mobility Authority, but for our entire region. Offering a non-stop, signal-free route to the airport while preserving and enhancing the non-tolled frontage lanes is a win for all Central Texas motorists.” Construction along the 8-mile stretch of US 183 is scheduled to begin in early 2016 and expected to last just over four years. The construction will take place in phases, with the first phase of improvements, between US 290/290 Toll and Bolm Road, expected to be complete in late 2019. The second phase will open to traffic about a year later.

Because flood cleanup can increase the risk of wounds, it’s important to ensure you’re up-to-date with tetanus vaccinations before embarking on cleanup. To help with that, the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department’s Shots for Tots/Big Shots clinics are offering free Td/Tdap vaccines for anyone affected by or assisting with cleanup. Adults need a tetanus booster every 10 years. The clinics are open Monday through Friday and the first and third Saturdays of each month. The Far South Clinic is located at 405 West Stassney Lane, 78745. The St. John Community Center Clinic is located at 7500 Blessing Ave., 78752. Appointments are required and can be made by calling 512-972-5520. Additionally, the city has launched an online flood assistance center for impacted residents, property owners and businesses, and has created a consolidated list of volunteer and donation opportunities, which can be found here.

Working with disaster relief organizations around the country, the city of San Marcos and Hays County have opened two Flood Victims Resource Centers to help those impacted by the area’s recent devastating floods. Representatives will be on hand to assist anyone needing information about housing, health care, mental health, insurance and other aid. Information about the centers and a list of agencies represented will be kept up-to-date at www.sanmarcostx.gov/smtxfloodservices. Both centers will be open from 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Friday, May 29 and Saturday, May 30. Wimberley Flood Victims Resource Center is at the Community Center at 14068 Ranch Road 12, Wimberley, Texas 78676, and the San Marcos St. John’s Catholic Church Center is located at 624 E Hopkins St., San Marcos, Texas 78666.

Travelers passing through the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport this summer will be greeted by G.I. Joe, Barbie and other vintage toys on display as part of the new 20th Century Toys exhibit curated by the Austin Toy Museum. The collection features classic toys and iconic figures, including a Kewpie doll from 1925 and Simpsons dolls from 1991. The exhibit showcases 100 years of technological diversity and advancement, with highlights including the “cast metal figures and wind-up mechanical toys” of the early 20th century along with the electric trains and “bendable ‘Mego’ action figures” that were produced later. Located between Gates 7 and 11 (beyond the security checkpoints), the exhibit will remain on display through Aug. 4, accessible to all ticketed passengers looking for a diversion from their 21st-century toys.

TomorrowToday’s City Council meeting won’t start until 11 a.m. – after the Austin Energy Utility Oversight Committee meeting, which starts at 9 a.m. Enjoy the extra sleep or the extra meeting! Or follow along, from the comfort of wherever, via Austin Monitor Publisher Mike Kanin’s Twitter feed.

The Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District has an answer – though not necessarily a very satisfying one –  for Hays County residents wondering when they can stop boiling well water: “It depends.” During last weekend’s storms, the county issued a “boil water” notice to residents who rely on wells for drinking water. Boiling is recommended because flooding can wash contaminants into the groundwater system. The safety measure remains in effect until “further notice.” In the meantime, BSEACD cautions that well owners cannot always rely on a change in taste, smell or appearance to signal that a well has been contaminated. Instead, well owners eager to stop boiling water can determine the well’s safety by collecting water samples and having them tested in a lab for about $20. For more information, BSEACD recommends the following links:

• EPA: Private Drinking Water Wells
• EPA: What to Do After the Flood
• Texas Well Owner Network: Solving Water Quality Problems in the Home
• Texas Well Owner Network: Fact Sheets
• Hays County: Emergency Information

Yesterday, City Manager Marc Ott sent a memo detailing the toll recent weather has taken on Austin. The memo, which is embedded below, includes some statistics about departmental impacts, including: Austin Energy dealt with 30,000 power outages, 37 pole replacements and 147 downed wires; Emergency Medical Services responded to 29 water-related rescues and evacuations; Austin Fire Department responded to 187 flood-related incidents; Austin Resource Recovery responded to about 200 calls for storm debris removal; the Austin Code Department responded to more than 120 requests for storm-damage inspections; and the Public Works Department received 436 customer-service requests and removed more than 90 trees and limbs.

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Though most of the floodwaters receded quickly, the city was hard at work Tuesday getting everything back in order. After temporarily closing due to flooding on Monday, the Austin Animal Center reopened Tuesday for adoptions and fostering, as well as for those reclaiming lost pets. Today, at 11 a.m., the center will reopen for intake. As of yesterday, the city’s parks were still being evaluated for safety. An updated list of parks and park facility closures can be found here. Austin Resource Recovery can be contacted via 3-1-1 for residents who need removal of large tree limbs or household items damaged by flooding. The department asks that customers request pick-up only for storm damage. Information about city facilities experiencing wastewater overflows – and what customers should do if impacted – can be found here. Additionally, a watercraft ban on Lady Bird Lake and all creeks within city limits has been extended through today, May 27, at noon. More information about the city’s response to the Memorial Day weekend weather and floods can be found on the city’s website.

In the wake of the Memorial Day floods in Austin, the city sent out a reminder that it offers disaster recovery resources for small businesses through the Get Back in Business recovery program. Information about what to do after a disaster, along with other resources, can be found on the Get Back in Business website.

In the aftermath of the Memorial Day weekend floods, City Council has postponed a briefing and discussion about staff’s proposed voluntary flood buyout and relocation policy that was scheduled for Tuesday morning. Mayor Steve Adler noted in Tuesday’s Council work session that Real Estate Services Officer Lauraine Rizer, who would have participated in the briefing, was “flooded in” in a nearby area outside of Austin and would not be able to make it. “We wish her the best. She’s OK, just can’t get here,” he said. “And the rest of the watershed management folks, I might imagine, are dealing with watershed management issues this morning,” he added, referring to the Watershed Protection Department staff, who have been involved in crafting the proposal. Rizer has also been heavily involved in the $60 million Onion Creek flood buyout program and is helping Council prepare for the similar $18 million Williamson Creek buyout, which Council will consider on June 4. The proposed policy is not meant to relate to the two major buyouts, but would guide future decisions on the issue.

City Council’s Public Safety Committee is sending a new resolution up for full Council consideration that would let school districts hand out tickets to drivers caught on camera blowing past the stop signs that are on school buses. Council originally directed city staff to write the proposed ordinance in April. If passed, it would allow any of the four districts that overlap Austin’s municipal boundaries to install the cameras, write tickets and assess fines for alleged violators. The language of the ordinance specifically states that it does not “create an expense or obligation for the City.” Before the vote, one activist spoke against the proposed ordinance and played for the committee a video of an investigative news report in Dallas that exposed significant issues in a similar program in Dallas County. Staff from AISD told the committee that the district is aware of those problems and indicated that those issues were related to the specific camera system vendor. The committee approved the measure 2-1, with Council members Ora Houston and Leslie Pool voting in favor and Council Member Don Zimmerman voting against. Council Member Greg Casar was absent.

Attorneys for former candidate Laura Pressley and City Council Member Greg Casar will return to court this morning – perhaps for the last time – to argue about whether Pressley has reasonable grounds to continue her election contest against Casar. Casar won the Dec. 16 runoff by a margin of 1,291 votes, or approximately 65 percent to 35 percent. Casar’s attorney, Chuck Herring, said of Pressley in his motion for summary judgment, “Her campaign continues with unsupported, conspiratorial allegations in a demand that this court discard Travis County’s entire electronic voting system and revert to paper ballots or adopt some other entirely new system. Pressley’s claims are frivolous and her election contest should be dismissed.” Visiting Judge Dan Mills, who is overseeing the case, ordered Pressley’s lawyers to file a new amended petition describing her claims. In response to that order, her attorneys have filed a 5,000-page document, which is almost unheard of, even in the most complex litigation. In addition, Casar’s lawyers report that Pressley’s attorneys filed a 3,000-page response to their motion for summary judgment. Casar’s motion is a mere 12 pages. If all goes as planned, Mills will hear from both parties beginning at 9 a.m. today in Room 506 of the Travis County Courthouse. If the case is not dismissed, the judge will hear several discovery motions from Pressley’s lawyers.