Austin residents are calling for a more compact and connected city. Thanks to a proposed strategy to reimagine the use of parklands around the city, Sustainable Neighborhoods might have the solution residents are seeking. Steve Zettner of Sustainable Neighborhoods presented the organization’s suggestions to the Parks and Recreation Board at its June 27 meeting. He […]
Sommer Brugal
Posted inResources
Study offers a window into the lives of recyclers
Members of the Zero Waste Advisory Commission embraced the results of a six-month study intended to reveal the recycling habits of Austinites at their most recent meeting. Emlea Chanslor, Austin Resource Recovery public information officer, presented the study’s results. She said one of the more important findings indicated that knowledge of what can be recycled […]
Posted inWhispers
Austin Energy seeks new power purchase agreement
Austin Energy requested the approval of a 15-year power purchase agreement at the Electric Utility Commission meeting Monday evening. The recommended purchase is for 200 megawatts of utility-scale, wind-generated electricity capacity expected to cost $17.5 million per year. It is estimated to cost a total of $262.5 million. Khalil Shalabi, Austin Energy’s vice president of […]
Posted inEnergy
Austin residents push for more aggressive energy goal
A number of concerned citizens gathered to speak at the Austin Energy Utility Oversight Committee meeting Monday morning to express their frustration with Austin Energy’s updated Resource, Generation, and Climate Protection Plan. While the updated plan, which was written by a 16-member working group organized by the Electric Utility Commission, suggests a goal for renewables […]
Posted inAustin
Animal Advisory Commission weighs Monk parakeet deal
Austin’s population of Monk parakeets has garnered a lot of attention over the past few weeks, with some questioning Austin Energy’s policy for removing the birds’ nests from power lines and utility structures in town. The Animal Advisory Commission heard from Elaina Ball at its June 12 meeting. Ball, who is the chief operating officer […]
Posted inWhispers
Austin Energy hopes to increase energy storage with new partnership
Austin Energy is hoping to reduce energy costs and offer additional storage options for its commercial customers in a new partnership with Stem Inc., a technology company that works to improve ways in which energy is distributed and consumed. According to a press release, this is the first phase of Austin Energy’s efforts to reduce […]
Posted inRoads
SH 45 SW continues to move forward
The Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District Board of Directors was informed of various updates to State Highway 45 Southwest at its regular meeting May 25. The high-profile transportation project, which hopes to improve mobility for the northern Hays and southern Travis county areas, is a collaborative effort between the Texas Department of Transportation, Central Texas […]
Posted inParks
Could pocket parks be the new norm?
Grappling with a number of park-deficient areas around the city, various Austin neighborhoods are struggling to find places that could serve as parkland nearby residents can enjoy. This week, members of the Parks and Recreation Board agreed on a possible solution: pocket parks, an open space of land measuring one-acre or less. Board Member Rick […]
Posted inParks
Parks board embraces plans for Republic Square
Ten years after Austin first announced its vision for the remodeling of Republic Square, the space is finally set to make its debut in the heart of downtown Austin this fall. Mandi Thomas, the partnership and development director of the Downtown Austin Alliance, presented the park’s 2017 Management Plan to the Parks and Recreation Board […]
Posted inWater
Costly wastewater expansion gets OK
Only a few commissioners raised questions on various recommendations presented at the Water and Wastewater Commission’s regular meeting May 10. But when it came to the approval of interlocal agreements and costs related to the Brushy Creek Regional Wastewater System expansion, commissioners expressed significant concern with the project’s high price tag. The expenses they referenced […]
Posted inWhispers
Number of medically vulnerable registered customers set for disconnection drops significantly
On Sunday, Austin Energy announced in a memo that 22 “medically vulnerable registered” customers were at the point of disconnection from city utility services. Fortunately, though, as of Tuesday morning, that number is down to just four customers. The Austin Monitor was informed of the change via phone call with Austin Energy Corporate Communications Director […]
Posted inWhispers
April was a good month for the Austin Animal Center
The Animal Advisory Commission received a number of updates from the Austin Animal Center at its meeting Monday night. Chair David Lundstedt said the presentation was, most likely, the highlight of the meeting. One of the more notable updates was the center’s year-to-date live outcome rate, or live release rate. That number is currently 98.2 percent. […]