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Whispers
Thursday, April 21, 2022 by Tai Moses
Large brush collection is back!
As we all bitterly know, Austin Resource Recovery suspended its large brush and bulk collection back in February because of staffing shortages brought on by Covid. Since then, Austinites have been waiting impatiently for the service to resume, as pieces of shrubbery and tree limbs and old freezers and other embarrassing things pile up behind their houses. ARR is still coping with a shortage of drivers (ARR is hiring drivers!), but thanks to help from a contractor, the agency is resuming bulk/brush collection starting Monday, May 2. Those who missed a collection during the suspension will be first in line to get a pickup. Curbside customers will receive a notification postcard in the mail a couple of weeks before their next collection is scheduled. You may also visit the online calendar of scheduled services or download the Austin Recycles app. If you’ve gotten used to disposing of your own bulky stuff at the Hornsby Bend plant, by all means continue using that method. And of course, if you have unwanted items that don’t seem to fit any other collection criteria, you can always consult ARR’s handy What Do I Do With… tool. Unlike most things these days, it has an answer for everything.
Wednesday, April 20, 2022 by Elizabeth Pagano
Federal income numbers for Austin are up, by about 11 percent
Though not yet in use by the city of Austin, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has released its 2022 Income Limits. The median family income for the Austin-Round Rock MSA is now $110,300, up from $98,900 in 2021. Why is this important? Aside from being another indicator of Austin’s frenzied growth, the city and the county both use MFI to calculate affordability for housing. So, somewhat affordable housing for those earning 80 percent MFI would be built for a family of four with an income of $88,250, which is now considered “low income” by HUD. A family of four at 50 percent MFI, or $55,150, is considered “very low income” for the area. That said, the city and county have yet to adopt the new numbers. That might take a few weeks.
Wednesday, April 20, 2022 by Tai Moses
‘Common Waters’ artists selected
Local artists Rejina Thomas, Ruben Esquivel and Taylor Davis have been selected to create a floating wetland installation on the Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail and Lady Bird Lake this spring. The Common Waters installation “will explore themes of community, creativity, environment, and collaboration. It will incorporate artistic components as well as serve an ecological function,” according to a city news release. The installation is part of the trail’s Arts+Culture plan, a partnership with the Parks and Recreation Department, the city’s Art in Public Places program and the Trail Foundation. With the help of environmental artist Stacy Levy, the three artists will collaborate to design and test models for the temporary art installation. The completed piece will be unveiled at the Arts + Culture Celebration on May 14.
Wednesday, April 20, 2022 by Tai Moses
Northbound lane closed on Azie Morton
Motorists, cyclists and pedestrians attempting to travel northbound on Azie Morton Road will notice that a partial lane closure is in effect while crews perform work in the area near Barton Springs Road. The street is still open to southbound travelers coming from Barton Springs Road onto Azie Morton. According to the Transportation Department’s traffic advisory, the temporary closure “is only in effect during active construction and will occur only on select days during this period.” The work should be completed by April 27, “barring weather delays or other unforeseen circumstances.” Keep your eyes peeled for traffic cones, detour signs and flaggers while in the area.
Tuesday, April 19, 2022 by Elizabeth Pagano
After court ruling, AUS continues to encourage masking
Following a federal court order, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has halted its January 2021 order requiring masks on pubic transportation and at public transportation hubs, though it “continues to recommend that people wear masks in indoor public transportation settings at this time.” In response to the ruling, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport issued a statement saying it “awaits further direction and guidance from the federal government regarding enforcement and will communicate any impacts to passengers and staff accordingly. In accordance with public health advice issued by Austin Public Health, AUS continues to encourage travelers to wear masks. Travelers flying should connect directly with their airline for more information about airline mask policies on aircraft.”
Tuesday, April 19, 2022 by Elizabeth Pagano
Gillis Pool to stay closed this summer
As foretold in the 2014 Aquatic Assessment, Gillis Pool will be closed for this summer swim season. A memo from Parks and Recreation Director Kimberly McNeeley explains that at last estimate in 2018, the cost of replacing the pool was $3.7 million. “Estimates today would likely far exceed the 2018 amount,” she notes. “The department aquatics maintenance team conducted a routine inspection and discovered that the entire operating system must be replaced before the pool can reopen. Without replacement funding currently available, preliminary repair and replacement costs are estimated to exceed $300,000. The timeframe for repair is estimated to take between six and 18 months.” Gillis Pool is located at 2504 Durwood St., near the intersection of West Oltorf and South First streets.
Tuesday, April 19, 2022 by Tai Moses
Bridging the Blue Line
The Project Connect team has been might busy lately, holding public engagement meetings about the designs of sections of the Blue and Orange light rail transit corridors. One upcoming meeting Project Connect watchers might not want to miss concerns the various transit options that will be offered on the Blue Line bridge crossing Lady Bird Lake. Initially, the bridge was going to be limited to pedestrians and light rail, but transit planners are taking a closer look to see if Capital Metro buses should also share the bridge. The virtual meeting will be held Tuesday, April 26, at 5:30 p.m. Register for the Zoom meeting.
Monday, April 18, 2022 by Elizabeth Pagano
APH changes its Covid dashboard
Austin Public Health has updated its Covid “key indicators” dashboard to be more in line with the CDC Community Levels and Travis County’s Risk-Based Guidelines. The dashboard now keeps track of Covid hospital admissions per 100,000 people over the last week, the percentage of staffed inpatient beds occupied by Covid patients and the total number of new Covid cases per 100,000 people over the last seven days. “We must always evolve and improve the ways to track the threat of Covid-19 in our community and hospital systems. It’s invaluable in our efforts to prevent a scarcity of ICU beds and ventilators that we’ve dealt with many times before during this pandemic,” Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin-Travis County health authority, said in a press release about the change. “We must remain vigilant to prevent future surges, and this will help achieve that goal.” Currently, the risk level in the region is low, which means masking is optional for those who are up-to-date with vaccines and those who are at risk. More information about the new dashboard and Covid resources can be found here.
Monday, April 18, 2022 by Tai Moses
Kite exhibition soars at library
A new exhibition will bring dozens of kites to hang in the rafters of Austin Central Library’s atrium, where they will remind visitors of the “connection between water and life in Texas,” according to the library’s announcement. The kites on display were chosen from submissions by over 200 artists for the Sacred Springs Kite Exhibition, the inaugural program of Art4Water, a program of the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association, which collaborated with the library and Terry Zee Lee, a national curator of kite exhibitions. Library Director Roosevelt Weeks noted that Central Library’s location, “where Shoal Creek feeds into Lady Bird Lake and about a mile from Barton Springs,” is the perfect place for such an exhibit. The opening reception is May 6, 7-9 p.m., at Austin Central Library, 6th floor, 710 W. Cesar Chavez St. Several of the featured artists will be on hand to give tours of the exhibition. The kites will hang at the library through November 2022.
Friday, April 15, 2022 by Elizabeth Pagano
Take a lesson on street impact fees
Confused about the impact of street impact fees? You are not alone. Large- or small-scale developers may attend one of three city-sponsored webinars (via Zoom) intended to explain the new fee, which will be implemented on June 22. According to a press release from the city, the topics covered will include:
- What is a SIF, and why is the city of Austin collecting the fee?
- What other communities have a SIF program and are collecting fees?
- Website information for small developers
- How will the fee be used?
- Who will have to pay the fee?
- How is the fee calculated, and can I estimate the fee myself?
- When and how will the fee be collected (in what stage of the permit process)?
- What forms of payment will the city accept?
Information about the fees can be found on the city website. Registration information for the webinars, which will be held April 20 and May 19, can also be found online.
Friday, April 15, 2022 by Tai Moses
Vaccine clinics closed for Easter holiday
Planning to get up-to-date on your Covid-19 vaccinations or booster shots? Good for you! We applaud your responsible, community minded, pro-science mindset. To help you plan when to get your vaccination, we’d like to inform you that Travis County’s mobile vaccine clinics will be closed for the Easter holiday, from today, April 15, through Sunday, April 17. Everything goes back to normal on Monday, April 18. The county’s handy online calendar lists all vaccination event locations and hours.
Thursday, April 14, 2022 by Tai Moses
Bouldin trailhead project is a wrap
After much hard work by the members of the Bouldin Creek Neighborhood Association and friends, the West Bouldin Creek Greenbelt Trailhead project is finally complete. In addition to a brand-new informational kiosk and paved parking area, the trailhead boasts new signage and cedar fencing. It all adds up to a far more inviting access point to the 16-acre West Bouldin Creek Greenbelt. The community received assistance from the Austin Parks and Recreation Department and Public Works’ Neighborhood Partnering Program, which “helps local groups enhance city-owned property in their neighborhood through cost-sharing, project planning, and construction,” according to a news release. BCNA’s Ingrid Weigand, who has been caring for the greenbelt for three decades and helped spearhead the project, noted that “People need to know the trails exist in order to use them, and also feel safe and comfortable doing so. We’re very pleased with how welcoming the trailhead looks, and we hope to see more of our neighbors enjoying this greenspace.”