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Whispers
Tuesday, March 5, 2024 by Beth Bond
Austin’s historic Brush Square was named a 2024 Lone Star Legacy Park
Brush Square was one of four designated public squares in the 1839 original plat of Austin, was developed into a park in 1913 and is home today to three relocated historic buildings: the O. Henry Museum, Central Fire Station #1 and the Susanna Dickinson Museum. And as of Feb. 29, the location at 409 E. Fifth St. is one of six Texas parks honored as a Lone Star Legacy Park by the Texas Recreation and Park Society at the association’s annual conference in Galveston. A Lone Star Legacy Park is a park that holds special prominence in the local community and the state of Texas. To be considered, the park must have endured the test of time and become iconic to those who have visited, played and rested on its grounds. Nominated parks must be a minimum of 50 years old and meet criteria related to historic, architectural and natural significance. “Brush Square is one of the oldest green spaces in the city, and its location in the heart of downtown Austin next to the convention center makes it a special place for both residents and visitors,” said Kimberly McNeeley, Austin Parks and Recreation Department director. Other Texas parks recognized in 2024 include Carver Park in Cleburne, Huntsville State Park, Martin Luther King (MLK) Park in San Antonio, Menard Park in Galveston and White Rock Lake in Dallas. Other Austin parks to previously receive the Lone Star Legacy designation include Parque Zaragoza Neighborhood Park, Pease District Park, Zilker Metropolitan Park, Rosewood Neighborhood Park, Eastwoods Neighborhood Park, Givens District Park and Pan Am Neighborhood Park.
Tuesday, March 5, 2024 by Elizabeth Pagano
LCRA opts to interrupt agricultural customers again
For the second year in a row, the Lower Colorado River Authority has determined that no Highland Lakes water will be made available for most LCRA agricultural customers in Colorado, Wharton and Matagorda counties. No lake water will be available for customers in the Gulf Coast, Lakeside and Pierce Ranch agricultural operations this year based on the ongoing drought and amount of water in lakes Buchanan and Travis on March 1. Under the state-approved Water Management Plan that guides LCRA, the current water supply constitutes an “extraordinary drought” with the two reservoirs currently at about 42 percent of capacity. “This is a reflection of the serious drought we’re in,” said John Hofmann, LCRA executive vice president of water, in a statement to the press. “Texas has gotten some significant rain over the last few months, but it hasn’t been in the right areas to benefit Lake Buchanan or Lake Travis. The Water Management Plan requires us to take this step to help ensure we can continue to meet the water needs of cities and industries throughout the region.” The water authority serves both firm and interruptible water customers. Firm customers are municipalities, water districts and other customers that can purchase water no matter the drought conditions. Interruptible customers, like the ones cut off on March 2, are agricultural customers in the lower basin. More information about LCRA’s drought response can be found here.
Monday, March 4, 2024 by Elizabeth Pagano
Watson offers city manager update
Mayor Kirk Watson has said that he’s confident a new city manager can be identified next month, despite an extended application period. There are 39 applicants for the position, with City Council set to review the candidates on Tuesday, March 5, with interviews and a town hall slated to take place in April. As a part of the recruitment process, the city’s chosen search firm, Mosaic Public Partners, also conducted a community stakeholder survey. That survey found that board and commission members identified housing affordability and homelessness as top areas of priority for the new manager, with 16.7 percent of respondents also asking that the new manager have no affiliation with current leadership. The community at large identified top issues to be homelessness; crime, public safety and civic disorder; transportation and traffic; and housing affordability. City employee responses were more split, saying the most significant challenges the new hire will face are homelessness, housing affordability, managing growth, employee morale and rebuilding trust, and City Council and politics. More complete results of the survey can be read here.
Charter Review town hall to be held this week
The Charter Review Commission will hold another community town hall to discuss proposed changes to the city’s guiding document. The hybrid meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. March 7 in the boards and commissions room, with registration for virtual speakers online through 4 p.m. on March 6. In-person speakers can register until the meeting is convened. The commission is tasked with identifying changes to the City Charter that will then have to be put on the ballot by City Council and, ultimately, approved or denied by voters. A draft of those proposed changes can be found here. The commission is scheduled to provide recommendations to City Council by the end of this month.
This whisper has been changed to correct the speaker registration information.
Friday, March 1, 2024 by Chad Swiatecki
Blues on the Green getting $87,000 in assistance from city
The city has waived just over $87,000 in fees and expenses for the organizers of the Blues on the Green concert series in Zilker Park. Included in the documents for Thursday’s City Council meeting was a fiscal note breaking down the more than two dozen line items associated with the series, which is organized each summer by Austin City Limits Radio. In January, the station announced that rising costs necessitated the cancellation of this year’s event, which regularly draws more than 10,000 people to hear predominantly local acts. City Council opted to find ways to support the series financially to prevent its end and also pledged to explore ways to support more live music and cultural events across the city. The largest expense on the fiscal note was $40,736 for police overtime costs to provide security at the free events, with a park rental fee of $20,430 as the next-largest cost. ACL Radio announced late last month that the city’s assistance and increased sponsorship from H-E-B allowed it to continue Blues on the Green this summer.
Friday, March 1, 2024 by Chad Swiatecki
Huston-Tillotson promotes ‘soft skills’ training with HT Certified platform
Huston-Tillotson University has created a new online skills platform intended to enhance career readiness by promoting “soft skills” such as time management, adaptability and work ethic, conflict resolution and entry-level leadership. Known as HT Certified, the video-based courses were designed for maximum flexibility and are available as eight lessons of eight minutes or less. The university launched the program this past year for students in its I.D.E.A.L. Summer Academy, with digital certificates available for students to post on their LinkedIn profile when they complete one or more courses. “This soft skills platform is a great asset to the university’s career readiness plan,” said Tina Reed, director of the Quality Enhancement Plan. “We are using HT Certified in the classroom, in our HT student organization programs and in our work-study program. We are also using it as our professional development certification program for our faculty, staff and alumni.”
Thursday, February 29, 2024 by Elizabeth Pagano
Rethink35 announces more support for I-35 complaint
Rethink35, a group that is promoting alternatives to the upcoming expansion of Interstate 35 through Downtown Austin, has refiled its suit against the project with additional opponents signing on. The suit now has the support of all three declared mayoral candidates – Kathie Tovo, Carmen Llanes Pulido and Doug Greco. (Though current mayor Kirk Watson is assumed to be running for reelection, he has yet to make it official.) In addition, the suit has the support of Austin Justice Coaltion, PODER, LULAC #22425, AURA and the Save Our Springs Alliance, among other groups. The civil rights complaint highlights the racial segregation solidified by the highway’s construction and alleges that its expansion reinforces those divides. “I-35 has divided Austin, and displaced and harmed people of color since it was built. TxDOT efforts to expand I-35 will worsen that division, displacement and harm. We will not sit idly by and just let this happen,” Chris Harris of the Austin Justice Coalition said in a statement to the press. The complaint and full list of signatories can be read in its entirety here.
Republic Square goes POP!
Republic Square will be the temporary home to POP!, an immersive art installation allowing interaction with light, music, motion and pop culture that’s relocating to Austin during South by Southwest. Austin is the sixth city in the world and third in the U.S. to feature the award-winning installation that was created by Montreal-based entertainment studio Gentilhomme and brought to town by the Downtown Austin Alliance. It’s part of the Writing on the Walls program by the DAA and will be included in the 2024 Art & Parks Tour. “As part of its journey across major cities, this free exhibit is designed to spark joy, encourage collaboration and challenge visitors to reimagine art as a dynamic, collective experience,” said Dewitt Peart, president and CEO of the Downtown Alliance. POP! will be accessible to the public for free March 8-22 during park hours. To learn more, visit the Downtown Austin Alliance website.
Wednesday, February 28, 2024 by Beth Bond
ABIA’s passenger traffic was slightly down last month
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has released its stats for last month. The growth of passenger traffic at ABIA was down 1.57 percent in January 2024 compared to January 2023, with 1,483,372 total arriving and departing passengers flying during the month. Air cargo totaled 23,157,406 pounds last month, down 2.46 percent compared to the previous year. International air cargo was down 5.31 percent, totaling 1,522,625 pounds. Beyond that, Air Services transferred 182,502 pounds of mail, down 57.66 percent, and 2,656,415 pounds of belly freight, down 5.14 percent.
Tuesday, February 27, 2024 by Chad Swiatecki
Council to consider funding for Red River Cultural District
City Council appears ready to approve funding for the Red River Cultural District, with a larger goal of establishing guidelines for funding future cultural districts around the city. Council Member Zo Qadri has put forward a resolution for Thursday’s meeting that directs the city manager to find funding options in the current budget to help the district fund and promote events at the many live music venues in the area. In January, the Music Commission voted to recommend that Council give money to the RRCD, likely at a level between $150,000 and $300,000, to keep in line with what’s currently provided to two other cultural districts. The resolution seeks the funding framework before July and directs staff to include funding allocations for cultural districts into subsequent city budgets.
DSD floats plan review expiration change
The city’s Development Services Department has proposed a change to the building criteria manual for the city of Austin in order to clarify when building plan review applications expire. The new rule would mean that applications would expire one year after filing if no permit had been issued. In addition, the deadline to update applications would be 181 days if building plans are approved before they expire. Feedback on the proposed changes can be submitted here until March 11. According to a FAQ about the proposal, the changes would not impact most of the permits, only customers that do not begin work on activating their permits following building plan approval.
Monday, February 26, 2024 by Chad Swiatecki
PNC Bank invests $10M in middle-income housing fund
PNC Bank plans to invest $10 million in the Austin Housing Conservancy Fund, which is managed by Affordable Central Texas to secure workforce housing throughout the Austin area. The investment, which brings ACT’s total fund to more than $41 million, will help to move forward with the purchase of multifamily properties where rents will be maintained at levels affordable for moderate- and middle-income households. The group has a goal of securing $50 million for property acquisition by the end of this year. In a statement announcing the investment, PNC Regional President Steven Gonzalez said, “This investment will help create meaningful change by offering a path forward to help middle-income families, especially those who work in essential services, remain in Austin despite steep increases in cost of living.”