A pilot opportunity from the Community Technology and Telecommunications Commission aims to support the city’s digital inclusion program by resourcing new computer labs around the community. At the commission’s May 24 meeting, Chair Nehemiah Pitts described how he initially came across the partnership opportunity when he met contacts from the N50 Project, a coalition of […]
Ava Garderet
Posted inParks
Balcones Canyonlands gets ready to welcome a new visitor center
The Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan (BCCP) Coordinating Committee heard an update from Travis County on May 12 about the plans for a new visitor center at the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve (BCP). Kimberlee Harvey, the committee’s secretary, delivered the update, which was initially created by Melinda Mallia, director of the county’s Natural Resources and Environmental Quality […]
Posted inEnvironment
Travis Audubon gives update on sanctuary and potential environmental peril
Reports of celebration and concern were highlighted at the Balcones Canyonland Conservation Plan (BCCP) Coordinating Committee meeting last Friday. Nicole Netherton, executive director at Travis Audubon, began by giving a general overview of some of the county’s conservation advocacy efforts worth recognizing. “There is certainly a lot to celebrate about the beauty and uniqueness of […]
Posted inAustin
City’s animal commission OKs cat educator
The Animal Advisory Commission unanimously approved a motion for a second permanent position for community cat public health educator last Monday. The Community Cats program in Austin helps the thousands of free-roaming cats in the city remain healthy and safe in their natural homes – whether that is outdoors or in a house. The program […]
Posted inPublic Safety
City commission looks at proposal for new communication center
The Urban Transportation Committee was presented last Tuesday with the prospect of a second facility to operate CTECC: the Combined Transportation, Emergency and Communications Center. The purpose of CTECC is to facilitate more efficient communication and data sharing between agencies, by focusing on public safety through dispatch of law enforcement and EMS, transportation management with […]
Posted inPublic Safety
City and county join forces for mental health diversion center plan
The words of Travis County Judge Andy Brown reflect the disturbing reality that, right now, the county jail is the largest mental health facility in the county for people who have needs that would be better addressed with other resources, instead of the extended suffering of incarceration. “Providing people with the services they need – […]
Posted inTransit
Mobility Committee weighs feedback on new Project Connect options
Following the release of scaled-back plans for Austin’s future in light rail, representatives from the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) and the city provided an updated briefing on Project Connect light rail at the City Council Mobility Committee’s regular meeting last Thursday. Some Council members at the meeting raised concerns about the […]
Posted inCity Council
A new plan for libraries calls for expansion
City Council approved a plan for Austin Public Library last Thursday that features a new set of strategic goals and calls for the expansion of libraries across the fast-growing city. In early 2022, a Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) started assessing both external and internal factors affecting Austin’s library community. “It was a process that involved […]
Posted inParks
New plan will bring more art to hike-and-bike trail
Visitors to the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail may soon have the opportunity to enjoy more art along Lady Bird Lake, thanks to a new plan that lifts an almost decadelong moratorium on new public art. Monday’s regular meeting of the Arts Commission included a presentation by the Trail Conservancy (TTC) regarding the creation […]
Posted inEnvironment
Animal Advisory Commission asks for city bat biologist
The Animal Advisory Commission has approved a recommendation that the city hire a bat biologist to manage and provide expertise on the various bat populations in Austin, including the popular colony under the Congress Avenue Bridge. “Bats are an extraordinarily important part of our ecosystem,” Commissioner Paige Nilson said during a meeting Monday. With bats […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Library legislative working group gets update on ‘bills of concern’
The Library Commission spent the majority of its regular meeting on Monday discussing proposed legislation viewed as potentially harmful to the mission of libraries in Austin and statewide. Commissioner Courtney Rosenthal, who is leading the commission’s legislative working group that was formed a week earlier, brought the commission a list of bills of concern for […]
Posted inLand Development Code
BoA approves variance for illuminated sign on the Drag
The Board of Adjustment granted the Church of Scientology a variance request for a change to the church’s logo on its sign facing the street. Mike McHone, who represented the Church of Scientology at the BoA meeting that took place Feb. 13, said in an interview that the approval was among the last technical hurdles […]