The city’s Art in Public Places Program is on the verge of launching five new opportunities for local artists to create public art. The open calls for applications will run from Sept. 24 to Oct. 22 and are:

• Elisabet Ney Museum Grounds – Artwork budget: $100,000
• Armadillo Water Tank Mural – Artwork budget: $133,000
• Walter E. Long & John Treviño Metro Parks – Artwork budget: $100,100
• Red Bud Isle – Artwork budget: $625,000
• Substandard Streets: Johnny Morris Road – Artwork budget: $190,000; and Ross Road – Artwork budget: $330,000

In order to assist artists through the process, the city will be holding a series of sessions on the application process. More information about those, and the applications themselves, can be found here.

This Saturday, the public is invited to come share ideas for the future of Palm School with the Palm School Steering Committee at a meet and greet. The event, which will feature both food and entertainment, will begin at noon on the first floor of 700 Lavaca, with parking available at the county’s parking garage. The steering committee is made up of nine community members and five representatives from partner organizations. The committee will play a part in developing the school’s concept plan and future, as well as making a community engagement plan.

The Texas Department of Transportation is seeking input on plans to widen and divide U.S. Highway 183 from State Highway 71 to SH 130. A press release from the transportation authority explains “multiple neighborhoods, businesses and other structures are located along or close to the corridor, and the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is adjacent to the highway. TxDOT is proposing to widen and divide US 183 from SH 71 to SH 130 with community support to address congestion and make needed improvements.” The public meeting to discuss the plans will take place on Thursday, Sept. 19, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Creedmoor Community Center (12513 FM 1625, Creedmoor, TX 78610), with an option to attend virtually at 5 p.m. Anyone who cannot attend the meeting but wishes to have their feedback included in the meeting summary has until Oct. 18 to do so. More information, including how to attend virtually, can be found here.

Plans are in place for where and when local folks can vote. Forty-one early-voting sites and 171 Election Day sites for the Nov. 5 election have been approved by Travis County Clerk Dyana Limon-Mercado, the Elections Division and the Commissioners Court. There will be a few changes to voting sites on the University of Texas at Austin campus. UT said the Flawn Academic Center is unavailable because of construction, so after some discussions between the clerk’s office and the university, the Texas Union, which is located next door to the Flawn Academic Center, was decided on as an alternative site. And there will be extended hours for voting at seven sites that will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on the final two days of early voting:

• Austin Permitting and Development Center
• Ben Hur Shrine
• Carver Branch Library
• Lakeway Activity Center
• Pflugerville Rock Gym
• Southpark Meadows
• UT Union

All other locations will be open during normal voting hours. Below is the early voting schedule:

• 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21, through Saturday, Oct. 26
• noon-6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27
• 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28, through Wednesday, Oct. 30
• 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, through Friday, Nov. 1 (with the seven sites open until 10 p.m.)

“Accessibility for Travis County voters is our top priority as we consider the various factors necessary for selecting polling sites,” the County Clerk’s office wrote in a statement to the media. Limon-Mercado stated, “Ensuring access to the ballot for every voter while upholding federal and state laws is vital to the integrity of our democracy. I extend my sincere thanks to the Commissioners Court for its steadfast support in this critical endeavor, which helps guarantee that all voices are heard and valued.” Voters can find polling locations, a wait time map and voter ID requirements at VoteTravis.com. Personal sample ballots will be available on VoteTravis.com in mid-September.

The city’s Ethics Commission and the League of Women Voters Austin Area will be hosting a forum for the seven candidates vying for the City Council seat currently held by Leslie Pool. Pool, who was initially elected in 2014, could run for reelection by gathering a sufficient number of signatures to place her name on the ballot. But Pool, who currently serves as mayor pro tem, made it clear early on that she did not wish to do that. Three contenders seem most likely to win or advance to a runoff based on how much money they have raised and/or how well known they are to the public. Attorney Mike Siegel had raised the most money as of June 30, reporting $102,000 in contributions. His name may be familiar to Democratic voters because he ran twice against Republican U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul. Gary Bledsoe, whose name is familiar to many Texans because of his work as a civil rights attorney and president of the Texas NAACP, did not file soon enough to require the June 30 report. However, the District 7 candidate who reported the second-highest amount of contributions on that report was Adam Powell. Powell, 30, was described by The Austin Chronicle as an “energetic campaigner with serious policy chops.” He reported raising more than $44,000 on the June 30 report. Todd Shaw, former chair of the city’s Planning Commission, is an engineer whose name may be familiar to people interested in zoning, and had raised about $15,000, according to his June 30 report. Pierre Nguyen is a reservist with the U.S. Coast Guard. He has served on the Public Safety Commission, the Asian American Quality of Life Commission, and ACC’s Emergency Management Advisory Board. He reported raising more than $7,200 through June 30.  The Austin Bulldog reported that Edwin Bautista, 26, is a planner with GrantWorks. He reported raising $560 through June 30. Finally, Daniel Dominguez, 64, filed for the office on Aug. 19. He told the Bulldog he is retired, an Army veteran and is classified at 100 percent disabled. He said he formerly worked as director of diversity of the Texas Comptroller’s office. The candidate forum will be at the Northwest Recreation Center, 2913 Northland Drive, 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday.

Travis County will host a job fair Wednesday, Sept. 4, at 700 Lavaca St. in order to showcase the more than 100 open positions at the county. According to a press release about the fair, those jobs include “Application Developers, Paralegal, Investigators, Juvenile Probation Officers, Mechanics, Groundskeepers” as well as recently approved positions for the Counsel at First Appearance program. County representatives, hiring managers and human resources representatives will be on hand to answer questions, and parking will be available at the parking garage located at Guadalupe and Eighth streets. Would-be participants are also invited to register as candidates prior to the fair here.

Creek Show, the annual light-based art exhibition that sets Waller Creek aglow, is coming back this November for its 10th anniversary celebration, honoring a decade of what it calls “high spectacle creativity, innovation, and community.” Creek Show alumni artists and designers are creating a new series of light-based immersive spectacles along the creek that will open nightly from 6-10 p.m. Nov. 8-16. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Sept. 19, and online reservations are required to attend. Some nights offer free entry and some require a low-cost entry fee – check creekshow.com for scheduling and reservations.  All proceeds from Creek Show benefit Waterloo Greenway Conservancy, the nonprofit organization whose mission is to create and maintain a new 35-acre urban park system in partnership with the city of Austin. “Over the past decade, this unique installation series has captivated the imaginations of architects, landscape architects, and artists, drawing hundreds of thousands of Austinites and visitors to experience the magic of Waterloo Greenway,” says Ingrid Spencer, AIA Austin executive director and Creek Show co-founder and artistic director. “Creek Show has not only illuminated our cityscape but has also shone a spotlight on the vital restoration and revitalization efforts of Waller Creek, fostering a deeper connection to our urban parks and their ecological importance.”

The Labor Day holiday comes with public safety concerns, so the Austin Parks and Recreation Department will limit vehicle capacity at Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park during the weekend so that emergency and staff vehicles can come and go as needed. Parking will be limited to specified areas within Commons Ford starting Friday, Aug. 30, through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 2. No additional vehicles will be allowed to enter once capacity is reached. Parking outside the park’s gated entrance will not be allowed, and vehicles parked outside the gate along Commons Ford Road will be subject to towing. A press release from PARD reminds park visitors to “be considerate of each other and local residents, carpool when possible, and practice Leave No Trace principles. Plan ahead and prepare. Dispose of waste properly. Leave what you find. Respect wildlife. Taking care of Austin’s parks requires everyone’s help to preserve our natural spaces and public places.” The parking and operational changes were successfully tested during the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

In an effort to help and inform would-be recipients of $3 million in Heritage Preservation Grants, the city is holding workshops and office hours over the next month. The grants can go toward projects that are connected to preserving Austin’s diverse history. According to a press release from the city, “Eligible projects must engage new audiences, inform history, promote diverse narratives, and attract tourism to historically designated sites. Applicants – including for-profit organizations, government entities, and non-profits – can submit one proposal per funding cycle, focusing on either capital, planning, educational, or marketing projects. Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis, evaluated by a panel on criteria such as preservation impact, tourism potential, accessibility, and project feasibility.” More information about the grants is available at the city’s website or the workshops and open houses that will be taking place in August and September. Applications for the grants will be open from Sept. 10 through 7 p.m. Oct. 8.

Applications to join the Imagine Austin Working Group are open, but they close Friday, Aug. 30. The group will be a resource for the city’s planning team as they work to revise Imagine Austin, which is the city’s comprehensive plan that guides how the city grows and is developed. The working group will be made up of 35 to 45 community members that reflect the diversity of the city. Members will meet 10 to 12 times over eight months (or so) and could be eligible for a $25/hour stipend. Applications can be found here, and applicants will be notified on their selection status by the end of September.

An online information session on the Mueller Affordable Homes Program, created for families earning less than the area’s median income who might not otherwise be able to afford a home or rent an apartment in Central Austin, is set for 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 26. The session on affordable housing options will cover eligibility criteria, income thresholds (specifically the 80 percent, 100 percent and 120 percent MFI limit) and the application process. Registration for the virtual meeting can be found here.