Austin Animal Center has launched a finder-to-foster program, which allows community members who find a lost pet to register them with the shelter so they can receive intake vaccines, other necessary medical care and a microchip and be listed as a found pet in the shelter database. A related ordinance change was approved by City Council on Feb. 1. The pet will not have to stay at the shelter for the entire 72-hour stray hold. Instead, the hold will occur while the pet is in the finder’s home. If an owner does not come forward in that time, the shelter can provide foster and adoption support. “We have so many wonderful community members who want to help a stray animal,” said Mary Brown, customer service manager at AAC. “I’m excited that we’re able to offer this option for animals to get the full support of AAC foster program resources while also giving a dog a chance to be reunited with their owner, not having to be stressed in a shelter kennel setting.” The program will be for animals found within the city of Austin or unincorporated Travis County. Participating finders must:

• Live within one hour of the shelter
• Commit to helping reunite the animal with the owner
• Provide food and supplies for the foster pet
• Have up-to-date rabies vaccinations for all animals already living in their home
• Be able to access email regularly and provide transportation to and from AAC
• Follow all policies and procedures of the AAC Foster Program

If you’re interested in participating, you can learn more and submit a Finder to Foster request.

With the search now narrowed to two, Austinites will have the chance to meet the final candidates being considered for the position of city manager. T.C. Broadnax and Sara Hensley will attend a “meet the candidate” event 6 to 7:30 p.m. March 25 at the Planning and Development Center. The event will feature a moderated discussion, with questions solicited in advance through SpeakUp Austin or by calling 311 through March 20. After the discussion, audience members will have the opportunity to talk with candidates during a meet-and-greet reception. Following that, the candidates will talk to city staff and, the next day, City Council will conduct official interviews in a closed session. The goal, according to a message board post from Mayor Kirk Watson, is to take action in early April. “Depending on the interviews, and as indicated previously, we may invite one or both prospects back for activity/interviews on April 1st and/or 2nd. We will have posted Council action for the April 4th meeting. The posted action will be to direct our search firm to negotiate a contract with the specific person. I previously wrote that we might do this on April 2nd. But that would make it difficult to allow the required public comment on a council action item if, in fact, we bring someone back for more interviews. And waiting two days for a regular meeting is less rushed and just makes sense. We don’t have to take action on April 4th, but we will be posted and in a position to do so, if we want,” Watson wrote.

The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority is continuing to expand its MetroBike program and would like the public’s help in deciding what that expansion will look like. An online survey, which closes on March 22, asks the community to weigh in on where new stations should go. Capital Metro has stated that the expansion will focus on connections to other transit options, equity and sustainable options for the community while enlarging the current, small area serviced by the bikes. Participants will be entered in a drawing for a $75 gift card.

As part of the city’s emergency warning system, the Austin Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) has an Accessible Hazard Alert System designed to reach community members that have limited literacy or are deaf, hard of hearing or blind. Emergency messages are issued as a video with voice, text and American Sign Language to video-capable devices and Braille readers. Anyone who might be served by this technology is encouraged to register at the AHAS website or by texting AHAS to (737) 241-3710. “HSEM is committed to providing equitable access of emergency information. When we engage with disability advocacy groups, we learn how to better serve members of our community who are sometimes left out of the conversation,” Ken Snipes, director of HSEM, said in a statement to the press. “Our goal is to make sure organizations in the disability advocacy space have access to us and can see themselves represented in emergency plans.”

Queer artists focused on live performance are invited to apply for a residency offering the time, space, freedom and financial support to concentrate on the development of their own work for one month at the multidisciplinary arts org Warehouse9 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Museum of Human Achievement (MoHA) and the Unlisted Projects residency program have partnered with Warehouse9 for an international residency exchange – with one artist from Texas going to Denmark and one artist from Denmark coming to Austin. This residency is designed to support artistic development and facilitate cultural exchange, and forge long-term connections between artists, organizations and the greater communities of Texas and Denmark, with a special commitment to the intersection of LGBTQIA+ issues and environmental sustainability practices. Artists will have the opportunity to present at Roskilde Festival, a nonprofit music, art, and activism festival in Denmark that supports humanitarian, cultural and nonprofit youth projects around the world. This opportunity is open to artists living in the Greater Austin area, 21+ years old, showing a strong professional working history. A variety of disciplines are accepted, including (but not limited to) visual arts, media/new genre, performance, architecture, film/video, interdisciplinary arts, sound art and music composition, and choreography. For more details on the open call, the timeline and the residency itself, visit MoHA’s website.

• 6:30-7:30 p.m. – hands-on, family-friendly activities
• 7:30-8 p.m. – eclipse presentation and Q&A
• 8-9 p.m. – night sky viewing with a telescope

Austin Parks Foundation has plans for this year’s In the Park series, which kicks off today with a storytime at Springwood Park. Next week, Movies in the Park returns on March 14 with Elemental at Circle C Ranch Metro Park. The programming, which runs through December, is free and open to all. APF has teamed up with Creative Action for Playdates in the Park, offering family-friendly arts and entertainment, and with Rocket Cinema for free, outdoor movies that feature vendors and BYO picnic vibes. The Playdates in the Park schedule can be found here. The Movies in the Park schedule and information can also be found online. “For over 31 years, APF has been connecting people and parks by improving Austin’s public parks, trails and green spaces through volunteerism, innovative programming, advocacy and financial support,” Colin Wallis, CEO of Austin Parks Foundation, said in a statement to the press. “An important piece of our programming is to get people out in their neighborhood parks having fun, whether that is through movie screenings, story times or dance parties.” The full schedule of this year’s events can be found at austinparks.org.

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.

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.

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.

The Austin Convention Center Department has scheduled a pair of information sessions for those interested in learning more about the coming solicitation for developers interested in the hotel and residential projects proposed for reconstruction of the convention center. A group presentation via Microsoft Teams will take place March 1, offering project background and a limited question-and-answer period. Those who register online for the group meeting will then have the option to schedule a 45-minute one-on-one meeting with ACCD staff and consultants already connected to the project. The hotel and residential developments are expected to take place largely in concert with the four-year teardown and $1.2 billion reconstruction of the convention center, which is slated to begin in 2026.

If you have a project that’s subject to lakeside environmental requirements, the Development Services Department’s environmental inspections division has a brown-bag lunch-and-learn for that. Offering information on the unique regulations for construction on, under or next to the water in Lake Austin, Lady Bird Lake and Lake Walter E. Long, the event is set for 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. March 7 at the Permitting and Development Center, 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Drive. Environmental compliance supervisor Amanda Wyrick will cover specifics for boat docks, stationary platforms, piers, shoreline access and more, focusing mainly on information that affects permit holders, but the event is open to all interested Austin residents. Wyrick’s presentation will be interactive with time for questions. Outside food and drinks are welcome, and light snacks will be provided. Register to attend here. For more details, contact DSDCommunications@austintexas.gov.