Tai Moses

Community members who want to have a say in the future of Zilker Park – and who doesn’t? – are invited to attend the next phase of the Zilker Park Vision Planning process. The draft vision plan will be released Tuesday, Nov. 15, followed by two community meetings to update the public and solicit feedback. […]

Hoping to avert last year’s lifeguard shortage, the Parks & Recreation Department is working hard to recruit and train at least 700 lifeguards to staff all of the city’s public pools this summer. City Council is doing its part, raising the minimum wage lifeguards earn to $20/hour. Trained guards also receive a free uniform, a […]

Wondering what to do with the ornamental holiday pumpkins decorating your porch railings? If you haven’t surrendered them to the squirrels or tossed them into the compost yet, the hungry pigs at Central Texas Pig Rescue would love to take them off your hands before they get too squishy (the pumpkins, not the pigs). The group […]

Travis County Fire Marshal Tony Callaway has lifted the burn ban for the unincorporated areas of Travis County, explaining that, with “the rain we received earlier this week and adequate humidity levels, the conditions have improved enough to lift the burn ban. Although the burn ban has been lifted, I encourage the public to be careful and […]

An awards ceremony this Saturday honors the winners of Austin’s Tree of the Year awards with laser-cut wooden “cookies” made by Harvest Lumber Company. Community members and organizations nominated over 50 trees in five categories (small, large, schoolyard tree, tree with a story, and most unique tree) during the nomination period, which ran from June 1 […]

The third annual Digital Inclusion Youth Art Contest has opened to Austin students ages 10-18 “to show us how they see a world where everyone can harness the power of a fast internet connection,” according to the news release. Rondella Hawkins, who oversees telecommunications and regulatory affairs for the city, said the contest aims “to […]

TreeFolks is putting out the call for volunteers to help plant saplings at the nonprofit’s first Ready, Set, Plant event of the season this Saturday, Nov. 5. The event, at Bayton Loop in South Austin, aims to “transform degraded creek banks into grow zones brimming with diversity and life.” Staffers from the city’s Watershed Protection Department and Community Tree Preservation […]

If you have any interest or background in food issues, you might consider applying to a new community advisory committee spearheaded by the city’s Office of Sustainability. The committee members will be tasked with helping to create the very first Austin/Travis County Food Plan, a five-year road map aimed at addressing food access programs for the community, […]

As you may have read in the Monitor, the city auditor’s office is engaged in an audit of Austin’s Animal Services Office, as directed by a Council resolution passed in July. Community engagement is a major component of the audit, and that means it’s critical for you, citizen, to offer your input to help the audit […]

Community members are invited to a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Govalle Neighborhood Park to celebrate the “renovation of the playground area, basketball court upgrades, connection trails and the installation of a new multipurpose field for the community.” The project is the result of a collaboration between the parks department and the Austin Parks Foundation. Monday, Nov. […]

The nonprofit MAS Cultura is throwing an inaugural festival with the goal of “amplifying Latino artists throughout the city and empowering the community to claim their history and their presence.” The three-day fiesta, which aims to put “Latinos front and center as narrators of their own stories through art and music,” will feature a musical […]

Artists, start your imaginations: The parks department has launched its annual Zilker Tree Art Contest. The contest is open to submissions from Austin-area artists ages 5-10. The winner gets to light the Zilker Holiday Tree. The submission deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 4:30 p.m. (if by mail or drop-off to to 200 South Lamar, Austin, […]