The city of Austin is looking for feedback on its rental registration program. In 2013, after a lengthy process, the city adopted (and then promptly revised) a rental registry designed to keep track of “repeat offender” landlords who were bad actors in the city. Under the Repeat Offender Program, properties with a history of code violations register with the Code Department and submit to an annual inspection. In 2020, a city audit found that the program was ineffective and recommended that changes be made. Since the beginning of this year, the Code Department has been holding some conversations about what those changes would look like, and now the department has opened a public input survey, with plans to present proposed changes in October. The survey, which will remain open through June, is an opportunity to weigh in on the current program and make suggestions on what the revamped program might look like.

Austin ISD is inviting fifth- through 12th-graders of all experience levels to audition for the district’s free Summer Theatre Series program. The program, which runs from June 6-July 25, features The Addams Family, which is a musical production; Alice in Wonderland, a black box studio production, and the new weeklong Rising Stars program, an “educational theater camp that offers workshops in acting, dance and voice,” according to AISD. All rehearsals are at the AISD Performing Arts Center. All aspiring actors must register by April 13 and video auditions need to be submitted by April 15. There will be an audition workshop and Q&A session on Monday, April 11. Find audition materials and more information on the 2022 Austin ISD Summer Theatre Series here.

The Dougherty Arts Center is slated to move out of the naval center and into a brand-new facility built to its specifications at Butler Shores Park. The DAC project team received City Council approval for the building’s location last spring. Since then, team members have made “significant progress in designing a facility that will meet the needs of both PARD and the Austin arts community,” according to a parks department news release. At an upcoming public meeting, community members will have the opportunity to see the “current status of the facility design and information on the Art in Public Places opportunities that will be made available through this bond-funded project.” Monday, April 25, 7 p.m. Register for the Zoom meeting. The meeting will also be streamed on Facebook Live.

For many people April 1 is April Fools’ Day. But it’s also the day Austin ISD has designated a school holiday as a way to honor Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. Teachers and staff will be volunteering their time to participate in a districtwide organized day of service, and the district encourages families to reach out to their schools to find out how they too can pitch in. Each campus will have its own projects planned for students and staff in addition to an organized event at Central Texas Food Bank, where volunteers will be “cleaning, sorting, boxing, and preparing donated food and non-food items.” 9 a.m-noon, Friday, April 1, Central Texas Food Bank, 6500 Metropolis Dr.

Austin Public Health is now administering additional Covid boosters for some Austinites. If it has been at least four months since the first booster, a second booster dose is available for adults 50 years or older and for certain immunocompromised individuals. “Vaccines are safe, effective and FREE. I encourage everyone who is a part of this newly eligible group to get up to date with their Covid-19 vaccines as soon as possible,” Austin Public Health Director Adrienne Sturrup said in a statement to the press. “Boosters are available at all Austin Public Health vaccination sites, as well as your doctor’s office and pharmacy.” According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, almost 73 percent of the eligible population in Travis County is now fully vaccinated against Covid. Find more information about qualifying for boosters and how to obtain a booster through Austin Public Health on the city’s website or by calling 311.

After a rough start to the week, Austin airport authorities are looking for solutions and warning of busy travel days ahead. Though operations have returned to normal, the airport is expecting an estimated 28,000 passengers a day through Monday, and anticipates setting a new record for total passengers this year. In 2019, that record was set at 17.3 million passengers. This year, passengers are expected to hit 20 million. With all that in mind, airport leadership met with the Transportation Security Administration to talk about passenger wait times and “continues to partner with TSA to improve passenger flow and TSA staffing levels,” according to a news release. “Airport leadership has also met with the Consolidated Rental Car Facility operator and has requested an after-action report to thoroughly understand the cause of Monday morning’s traffic back-up and to identify solutions to prevent it from reoccurring.” Finally, a jet fuel shortage alert issued Monday has been lifted, with normal fueling operations taking place as of Wednesday afternoon. The press release explains, “AUS airlines did not experience any canceled, diverted or delayed flights due to this alert. Airlines are no longer being requested to fly in with extra fuel now that the on-site storage has reached a 2-day supply. However, most airports average a 5-7-day fuel supply.”

The Parks and Recreation Department is asking the community to weigh in on a proposed name change for Pan American Neighborhood Park. The park’s new name, if all are in favor, would be Tony Castillo Pan American Neighborhood Park. Augustine “Tony” Castillo was a longtime East Austin coach who “served the community at Pan Am Park for 65 years,” according to a news release from the parks department. Community members will have a chance to learn more about Castillo and the renaming process at two upcoming meetings. Register for a virtual meeting on Thursday, April 28, at 7 p.m. or attend an in-person meeting on Saturday, April 30, at 10:30 a.m., at A.B. Cantu Pan American Recreation Center, 2100 E. Third St. You may also leave input on a community survey (in Spanish) now through June 4.

The lines of passengers that snaked through the entire length of the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport terminal, outside the building and back again early Monday morning dissipated by around 8:30 a.m., according to AUS spokeswoman Sam Haynes. She explained that the lengthy lines at TSA were indicative of the fact that the federal screeners processed more than 8,000 passengers before 8 a.m. on Monday. A typical day brings about 6,000 passengers over that same time period. As for the abandoned rental cars, Haynes said they were back in the appropriate place “by about 8:30 and that’s when the lines for TSA cleared up … and operations have been normal ever since.” Visitors flocked to Austin for numerous events this past weekend, including the EchoPark Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club and the Texas Relays track and field competition at UT Austin. Numerous other events, warm weather and sunshine also helped draw people here. So that problem was resolved Monday morning, but as more airlines add more flights to and from Austin, early morning flyers may see long lines again.

Kathy Miller, the former interim CEO of Waterloo Greenway Conservancy who guided the opening of Waterloo Park last summer, is taking the reins at Hill Country Conservancy. Miller succeeds George Cofer, who founded HCC and had stepped in temporarily to lead the organization during its extensive CEO search. Miller is no newcomer to the nonprofit world: She was previously president of the Texas Freedom Network and before that served as communications director for the Texas Council on Family Violence. “Every once in a while, an opportunity comes along that’s too good to pass up. For me, that’s this role with Hill Country Conservancy. I could not be more grateful to the board for its trust in me,” Miller said in a press release announcing her hire. “I recognize I have some big shoes to fill following George. What he has done for conservation and environmental stewardship, and for this community, is incredible. It’s my privilege and responsibility to advance this legacy, and I am excited to apply my experience and skills to serve the organization’s extraordinary mission.”

This Saturday, Austin will hold its first Poetry in the Park at Republic Square. The event, which is hosted by the Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation, will feature poet Ed Roberson reading from his new collection. Open mic sign-up begins at 11:30 a.m., with room for 20 open-mic participants. The poetry kicks off at noon underneath the oak trees in the park, which is located at 422 Guadalupe St.

Two meetings this week give community members a chance to find out about the latest developments with Project Connect’s Blue and Orange light rail lines and to see “how designs of the routes are incorporating community feedback,” according to a notice from the Transportation Department. “Breakout sessions will delve into environmental considerations, how transit services will connect communities, traffic impacts and anti-displacement efforts.” Sounds like a full agenda. Both meetings will be held live on Zoom. Register here to attend the meeting on Tuesday, March 29, at 5:30 p.m. Register here to attend the meeting on Thursday, March 31, at noon. If you want to catch up on previous presentations and community meetings, those materials are available for review in the Project Connect Public Engagement Library.

The Texas Department of Transportation is holding a series of community meetings to solicit feedback about the $4.9 billion redesign of Interstate 35 through Central Austin, called the Capital Express Central project. The next meeting focuses on “options for widened bridges over the highway as well as bicycle and pedestrian bridges and intersection options at Airport Boulevard and Riverside Drive.” The meeting – the first since TxDOT made some significant design changes in response to feedback from city officials and community members – promises to be a vigorous exchange of ideas and opinions. Tuesday, April 12, 4-6 p.m., Huston-Tillotson University’s Davage-Durden Student Union. RSVP here.