Following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation that kids 6 months through 5 years get vaccinated for Covid, Austin Public Health is expanding its vaccination program to include this age group. Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin-Travis County health authority, said in a news release, “This vaccine expansion comes at a critical time when we’re dealing with new subvariants and high community transmission. These vaccines will help to protect your children from severe Covid-19 symptoms and being hospitalized.” APH staff who have special training to administer shots to babies and young children are offering Moderna and Pfizer vaccines at Shots for Tots clinics and through the Mobile Vaccination Program. APH Director Adrienne Sturrup said, “The expanded availability is another milestone in building our community’s resiliency and protection from Covid-19. Families with little ones can visit their doctor’s office or APH to get the vaccine and stay up to date on boosters. Vaccines at our clinics are free and do not require identification, insurance, or proof of citizenship.”

In a desperate bid to get animals out of the overcrowded shelter and into their forever homes, the Austin Animal Center is waiving its adoption fees “until further notice.” The space crisis at the shelter, which has 1,081 dogs and cats currently in its care, has become so dire that 23 dogs don’t even have kennels and are being housed in crates in the shelter’s conference room, according to a news release from AAC.  Spokesperson Kelsey Cler said that the shelter “even rented an air-conditioned construction trailer to put crates in. Unfortunately all of those spaces are now full and our only option is to house dogs in crates outside in front of evaporation coolers.” The shelter hopes that several upcoming adoption events will move Austinites either to adopt or volunteer to foster a shelter pet. On Friday, June 24, the shelter will stay open until 9 p.m. “for adoptions and a glow stick party.” On Saturday, June 25, the shelter will hold its annual KittyPalooza event, with over 30 kittens available for adoption starting at 8 a.m. And on Saturday, July 2, from 9 a.m.-noon, Travis County residents can bring their pets in to get microchipped and vaccinated for rabies.

The Lower Colorado River Authority is inviting a wide swath of community organizations to apply for grants from its Community Development Partnership Program. While most of the grants are for $25,000 or less, there are several grants of up to $50,000. “Eligible organizations include volunteer fire departments, emergency responders, local governments, schools, libraries, civic groups, museums and other tax-exempt nonprofit organizations. The grants are not available to individuals, for-profit entities, professional associations, social service projects or limited-use facilities,” according to the news release from LCRA. Applications are available starting July 1 and must be submitted by July 31. Find out more details here.

Most Austinites have learned the bitter truth that parking at Barton Springs on the weekend is nigh on impossible. So the news of a free weekend shuttle service, starting this Saturday, June 25, should cause great jubilation within the populace. The shuttle bus – a pilot program from Parks and Recreation – will run every 20 minutes between the One Texas Center parking garage at 505 Barton Springs Road and Zilker Metropolitan Park. Two shuttles will operate from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday and during the Fourth of July and Labor Day holidays. Those who want to take advantage of the free shuttle service (and who among us doesn’t?) are advised to park at One Texas Center and get their parking tickets validated on the shuttle. In fact, “Parking tickets must be validated by the shuttle driver in order to not be charged the $10 parking fee at the parking garage.” So go forth and park and ride!

With renovation plans moving forward, the city is holding its first community meeting about the design of the Montopolis Community Pool tonight. Staff will share the project’s budget, schedule, conceptual designs and feedback from a recent community survey about the project. Those interested in participating may attend in person at the Montopolis Recreation & Community Center at 1200 Montopolis Drive or register on Zoom to attend virtually. The meeting will start at 7 p.m.

While Travis County’s Community Level is described as low, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s weekly update, the numbers are so close that Austin Public Health is asking community members to “err on the side of caution by following medium guidelines if you are at risk in order to drive down the case count.” The city health department explains, “A key determining metric for Community Levels, new cases per 100,000 population in the last seven days, alternated between 202.99 and 190.” Back in March 2022, Austin Public Health updated the local Risk-Based Guidelines to align with CDC Community Level designations. Updates on Community Levels can be found on APH’s Key Indicators dashboard, AustinTexas.gov/COVID19 or APH social media channels: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Austin City Council joined Travis County in declaring the opioid overdose crisis a public health emergency on Thursday. The resolution, which was approved unanimously by Council, asks the city manager to invest in harm reduction strategies, including increased access to naloxone kits as well as a comprehensive plan that explores prevention, treatment and services for substance use disorders. In response to the vote, Texas Harm Reduction Alliance’s Cate Graziani released a statement that read, in part, “We’re eager to see this resolution supported even further through the upcoming budget and millions of dollars coming down from opiate settlement funds. … For 50 years we have been funding war on drugs strategies. The results have left us with the worst overdose crisis our country has ever seen, and the impacts extend far beyond policing and incarceration. Austin is no exception – we see the impacts of the drug war on our streets every day. People are trapped in poverty, lose access to housing, health care, and so much more. If the city wants to address the overdose crisis in the long term, we must address deep underlying needs that drive deaths and harm.”

A number of city offices and public facilities will be closed Monday in observation of the Juneteenth holiday, which commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in Texas. Monday closures include city rec centers, senior centers, museums and cultural centers; Austin Energy customer service and call centers; Austin Public Health testing and vaccine sites; Austin Public Library branches, Central Library and the Austin History Center. There will be no changes to trash, recycling and compost collections or the schedule of the Austin Animal Center. The Austin Monitor will also be taking the day off, returning Tuesday. Exactly one year ago today, on June 17, President Joe Biden signed a bill making Juneteenth an official federal holiday. Learn more about Juneteenth, and how it’s being celebrated in Austin, here.

The city’s Office of Sustainability is offering a mini-grant program in an effort “to support communities in their efforts to grow, sell, and eat healthy food.” Grants of up to $3,000 will be available for eligible nonprofits, schools, businesses, homeowner associations, faith-based groups and grassroots initiatives. Lucia Athens, chief sustainability officer, said in a news release that creating a more equitable food system requires throwing support behind “community-driven solutions. We are thrilled to offer this grant to the leaders of change addressing food inequities locally.” Dr. Rosamaria Murillo, CEO of El Buen Samaritano, which received a mini-grant last year, said the support “helped us amplify our efforts to provide access to food to our community. One of the major contributors to our health and our wealth is access to food, and justice is about that – it’s about access.” Applications are being accepted through July 22. Find out more.

Preservation Austin is officially backing Council Member Kathie Tovo’s resolution to initiate historic zoning for the Sixth Street National Register District. The resolution, which is on today’s agenda, would offer protections for the buildings that are facing increased development pressures in recent months. In a letter to City Council, Preservation Austin wrote, “A local historic district here would support a balanced approach between preservation and density so that the most intact blocks of contributing buildings retain their historic character. The city of Austin’s Historic Design Guidelines outline best practices for preservation and development to thrive together, which would support Stream Realty’s plans for street improvements and the district’s revitalization.”

The Elisabet Ney Museum is hosting a new art exhibit called Secret Place, which the museum describes as a “site-specific installation created to be a meditation on the internal solitude inherent to the immigrant experience.” Rehab El Sadek, a U.S.-based Egyptian multimedia artist, created the installation from sculpture, photography and ordinary objects to demonstrate the “fragility of individual and collective memories. El Sadek’s heritage is also reflected in some of the materials, especially those used in Egypt for healing, protection, and conservation.” The exhibit also incorporates some of Ney’s personal objects that visitors may not have previously seen. As the release says, the exhibit shows the “parallels and differences” between El Sadek’s life and Ney’s. Both women “immigrated to the United States – and eventually Texas – after having established artistic practices abroad. Both had to start from scratch and relaunch their careers in a new country.” The opening reception for Secret Place will be held Saturday, June 18, 2-4 p.m. at the Elisabet Ney Museum, 304 E. 44th St.

The Trail Foundation and the Parks and Recreation Department announced Tuesday that an agreement giving the foundation more responsibility for the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail had been executed. City Council gave its blessing to the agreement, which transfers operations and maintenance of the trail and some adjacent parkland to TFF, in October. According to a press release from the city, key points of the new agreement include the following stipulations:

• The parkland will always remain public property owned by the city.
• TTF will have more opportunities to host programming and family-friendly events along the trail, including live musical performances such as its weekly Music on the Trail series, volunteer opportunities, fitness activations, etc. The trail itself will never be closed for events.
• TTF has created an extensive operations and maintenance plan that includes plantings, tree care, trail edge maintenance and more to beautify and restore ecological growth.
• TTF will continue to expand its organizational capacity and private funding to manage and pay for its new role and phased plans.

“The city of Austin has always been a wonderful partner in helping advance initiatives on the trail,” Heidi Anderson, CEO of the Trail Foundation, said in a statement to the press. “Because of the city’s trust in the organization, TTF will now be able to better support and serve the trail and our community. The trail is an iconic Austin landmark, and we are excited to invest even further and deliver an incredible experience for neighbors and visitors alike to get out and enjoy nature.”