On the rare occasions when the weather in Austin gets uncomfortably cold, Austin Public Health, the Homeless Strategy Division and the Parks and Recreation Department work together to activate the city’s cold weather shelters. In January, the shelters were put to use seven different times by an average of 88 people, most of them men (only 17 […]
Willow Higgins
Posted inParks
Parks board not so fond of the Butler Landfill maintenance project
The gravel lot between Zilker Park and the MoPac Expressway bridge, which most Austinites know as the park’s overflow parking lot, also serves a less visible purpose – it’s a landfill. The Butler Landfill, which spans a total of 8 acres, is scheduled for maintenance this spring to protect its cap, part of which doubles as […]
Posted inEnvironment
Environmental Commission looks into acid waste spill at Samsung facility
Samsung’s semiconductor facility spilled a large amount of acidic wastewater into its stormwater pond and into a tributary of Harris Branch Creek in Northeast Austin, killing virtually all aquatic life within the 1.5-mile stretch. As much as 763,000 gallons of the acidic waste was discharged into the waterways for a period of up to 106 […]
Posted inParks
Zilker Park has sidewalks and safer bus stops headed its way
In an effort to improve pedestrian safety, Austin’s Public Works Department is working on building better sidewalks and bus stops in and around Zilker Park. Most who frequent the park agree that Barton Springs Road and the connecting Stratford Drive lack adequate pedestrian infrastructure, despite the heavy foot and vehicle traffic in the Zilker area […]
Posted inParks
Parks board approves vision plan for Allandale park revamp
Allandale’s favorite park has major improvements headed its way. Planners involved with the Beverly Sheffield Northwest District Park presented their vision plan and final draft concept for the historic neighborhood park to the Parks and Recreation Board last week. The 31-acre park, which was acquired by the city in 1955 but last planned in […]
Posted inParks
Trail Foundation begins major enhancement of Rainey trailhead
The Trail Foundation, which will soon be taking over the management of the city’s hike-and-bike trail, is working on one of its first major enhancements of the trail. The Rainey Street Trailhead, which is situated at the southern end of Rainey Street, will be undergoing a major face-lift, thanks to TTF. The existing park doesn’t […]
Posted inAustin
Library Commission pushes for fine-free books
Austin librarygoers may be in luck: The Library Commission unanimously voted Monday to do away with late fees for overdue library books. While City Council still has to approve the resolution in order for fine-free libraries to become the new norm, the commission’s vote is a major step in a policy that has been a long […]
Posted inPlanning
Six months in, Safer Sixth Street initiative continues
At this week’s meeting, the Downtown Commission established a working group to help think through and execute the Safer Sixth Street initiative, which has been in the works for about six months. The project, which came about after a mass shooter killed one and injured more than a dozen other people last June, includes a number […]
Posted inEnvironment
Austin’s creeks have many colors – and types of bacteria
This winter, scientists across Austin are observing two types of bacteria in local bodies of water; one looks like orange slime, and another has a rainbow sheen. Despite their interesting appearance, the slime is no cause for alarm, according to the Watershed Protection Department. The orange slime, called ferrihydrite, is a harmless bacteria caused by […]
Posted inCity Hall
Shorthanded shelter temporarily shuts down on Sundays
The Austin Animal Center, which provides shelter for more than 16,000 animals each year, announced this week that it will close its doors to the public on Sundays, beginning Jan. 23. Historically, the shelter has been open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily, a schedule it hopes to soon return to. But a staffing shortage has given the […]
Posted inAustin
Alligators in Del Valle aren’t as rare as you might think
While some people think states like Louisiana and Florida have cornered the market on alligator territory, Texas has what Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Jonathan Warner called a “healthy” population of about half a million gators. While most live in the state’s southeast region, Warner, who serves as TPWD’s alligator coordinator, says some gators, both […]
Posted inTransportation
Commissioners discuss CAMPO’s forecasts for the future
At a recent Urban Transportation Commission meeting, the executive director of the nonprofit Farm & City urged the commission to keep Farm & City’s concerns in mind when it comes to transportation planning around the region. Jay Blazek Crossley raised two main issues with the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s regional planning process. The first, he said, is that […]