Getting vaccinated for Covid these days is easier than ordering a cup of coffee at Starbucks – and it probably takes less time. Travis County, Austin Public Health and their community partners continue to host a variety of convenient, free Covid-19 vaccine distribution events every week. No appointments are required. Simply visit the handy online calendar and map to find the date, time and location of a nearby vaccine event. All Austin Public Health sites offer the Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, including third doses for the immunocompromised and booster shots. Four APH clinics offer pediatric vaccinations. If you’re receiving your second or third dose or booster, remember to bring your CDC Covid-19 Vaccination Record Card so it can be updated. And feel free to treat yourself to a mocha Frappuccino after you get your shot. You deserve it.

Today’s special called City Council meeting may offer some answers (though few surprises) for those who have been paying attention to last week’s boil-water notice and the subsequent resignation of Austin’s Water’s director. Greg Meszaros, who has been director of the utility since 2007, submitted his resignation to City Manager Spencer Cronk on Friday, saying he took “full responsibility for any shortcomings at the utility this past week.” He also highlighted some of Austin Water’s accomplishments during his tenure, including completing more than $2 billion in infrastructure improvements, preserving a strong financial structure and working in partnership with the community to create the Water Forward integrated water resource plan. Also, in an 11-page memo, Meszaros answered many of the questions Council members had posed on the City Council Message Board last week. Council Member Paige Ellis had a dozen questions. One of the most important questions was whether any contaminants were actually found in the city’s drinking water, to which the answer is no. According to Meszaros, three of the utility’s employees responsible for operations at the Ullrich water treatment plant – the plant responsible for increased turbidity that resulted in the boil-water order – are now on administrative leave. As Meszaros pointed out, Austin Water continues its investigation, and he promised more answers in the coming weeks. Council’s special meeting is scheduled to start at 9 a.m., with a regular work session to follow. Those interested in more water topics can watch the Water and Wastewater Commission meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Mayor Pro Tem Alison Alter has also said she would sponsor a resolution directing the city manager to seek an outside audit of the utility.

On Thursday, City Council is set to approve $27 million for renovations to the old city hall at 124 W. Eighth St. to ready the building to become the permanent home for the Downtown Austin Community Court. Council will also consider using the design/build method of contracting for the renovations. The Downtown Austin Alliance objects to that site and District 9 Council Member Kathie Tovo convinced her colleagues to postpone the decisions when they were on the Jan. 27 agenda. Dewitt Peart, CEO of the DAA, wrote to mayor and Council on Monday asking them not to move forward with the plan to house the court at that location. Peart says, “There has been no community engagement to determine the most appropriate use” for that building and no public process for deciding where to put the court. The DAA chief points out a resolution passed by Council in May 2020 “designating this property as a possible future cultural use site.” City staffers told Council in November that they had considered 22 different downtown sites for the court, which generally hears cases related to the homeless. The court is currently in a temporary location at One Texas Center.

As anyone who has been to their mailbox recently can tell you, Austin is having another election. Today marks the first day of early voting for the March 1 joint primary election, which includes congressional, statewide and county primaries that will determine who will represent their parties in the November general election. Early voting this year runs through Friday, Feb. 25. If you are looking for a bipartisan voter’s guide, head over to the League of Women Voters. You might also want to check out the resource our friends at KUT have put together; not only does it list all of the area races, it has a tool that explains who you will be voting for in this primary based on your address or county. Voting locations and sample ballots by party can also be found on the county clerk’s website. As a reminder, registered voters may vote at any Travis County voting location.

Photo by Roy Montgomery made available through a Creative Commons license.

Austin Animal Center has issued an urgent appeal to the public to step up and help foster a shelter dog or to find homes for lost and stray dogs on their own. The shelter is full and there is no more kennel space for medium-sized and large dogs, Deputy Chief Animal Services Officer Jason Garza said. Even kennels that are kept in reserve for injured or sick dogs are in use and some dogs are being housed in crates for the time being. On top of that, the shelter is short-staffed. Garza explained that, “Despite making every effort to get as many dogs out as possible through adoption, foster and rescue partners, stray dogs keep pouring in. To be a no-kill community means we need the community’s help.” In a news release, the shelter urges community members to “work with your neighbors if you find a loose dog.” According to studies, most stray dogs have homes that are within a few blocks of where they are found. “By walking the dog around, knocking on doors and posting on Nextdoor and Facebook, finders can significantly increase the chance of the dog being reunited with its family. Keeping a dog out of the shelter helps keep that pet healthy and saves space for dogs that have no other options,” adds the release. Want to offer a shelter dog a temporary foster home? Read about fostering here, view the list of adorable mutts who need foster homes here and then fill out a foster application here.

The Planning Commission has recommended Vertical Mixed Use zoning for a vacant 0.87-acre piece of land at 6424 S. Congress Ave. If City Council approves the rezoning, developer JCI Residential plans up to 95 residential units atop 1,000 square feet of ground floor retail. The VMU designation eases building restrictions in exchange for requiring 10 percent of units to be affordable for those making 80 percent of the median family income. The case had been postponed twice at the request of Mario Cantú, chair of the South Congress Combined Neighborhood Plan Contact Team, who is opposed to the rezoning. Because Cantú could not make the Feb. 8 meeting, he requested a third postponement over the objection of Alice Glasco, agent for the applicant. “We believe we’ve been in the process long enough,” Glasco said, pointing out that delays in approval can increase the cost of building housing. The case was originally scheduled for December. Ultimately, commissioners decided to hear the case and voted 10-0-2 in favor of VMU zoning, with commissioners Grayson Cox and Carmen Llanes Pulido abstaining.

You know winter is really over when you get the notice that it’s time to register for summer camp. Early registration has begun for the Parks and Recreation Department’s series of “accessible, diverse and inclusive” summer day camps for youth (ages 5-12) and teenagers (ages 12-15). Those who qualify for financial aid or are taking advantage of adaptive/inclusion support programs may register early. You can choose between therapeutic camp, arts and culture camp, nature/outdoor adventure camp and community rec center camps. The camps have different locations and dates. Find more information about this year’s summer camps and then register here.

A group aiming to convince City Council not to commit $278 million in property taxes to partially fund the South Central Waterfront development has begun a petition drive. Council has approved creation of a tax increment reinvestment zone for the area, but has not taken the vote on the percentage of tax dollars that will go to finance roads, sidewalks, park areas and other amenities. Leaders of the group called Taxpayers Against Giveaways include attorneys Fred Lewis, Bill Bunch and Roger Borgelt, as well as NAACP leader Nelson Linder, photographer Holly Reed and businesswoman Laura Templeton. The petition language notes that the South Central Waterfront consists of “118 acres of some of the most valuable land in Austin.” The former Statesman site is owned by a trust whose trustee is development attorney Richard Suttle. Although Suttle has said a planned unit development on the site will not go forward without the TIRZ, Lewis and company believe that not to be true. TAG has a Facebook page and Twitter account but is still working on its website.

After two years in the position, it’s official: Sylnovia Holt-Rabb is Austin’s new director of Economic Development. Holt-Rabb has worked for the city for 21 years, serving as acting director of the department since March 2020. According to a press release announcing the hire, during her tenure, the EDD “launched 13 unique pandemic-related financial assistance programs distributing more than $50 million to aid individuals, nonprofits and small business.” The department oversees operation of the Cultural Arts Division and Small Business Program, among other things. “I’m honored to be appointed as the city’s next Economic Development director and look forward to continuing in this leadership role to assist local businesses with the resources they need to be successful enterprises,” Holt-Rabb said in a statement to the press.

In preparation for budget season, the city’s quality of life commissions will be holding three virtual town halls to give community members an opportunity to weigh in with their spending priorities for the 2022-23 fiscal year. According to a city news release, the town hall meetings “will serve as listening sessions for the commissions to decide what communities need right now and how their budget recommendations can address those needs.” The virtual meetings, which will will last about two hours each, are scheduled for the following dates:

• Wednesday, Feb. 16, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall on Affordability and Resiliency
• Thursday, Feb. 24, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall on Access and Engagement
• Saturday, Feb. 26, 10 a.m., Town Hall on Public Safety and Health

Register here to attend. Zoom links will be emailed after registration. Those who are unable to attend a meeting but still want to share their feedback with the commissions may email budgetqa@austintexas.gov. All three meetings will offer Spanish and American Sign Language interpretation.

The unveiling of new historical signage for Eastwoods Park has been postponed and rescheduled for the summer to coincide with the annual Juneteenth festivities. Juneteenth historical interpretation signage and a Lone Star Legacy Award plaque, which were installed at the park last year, will be officially dedicated in a joint ceremony on June 11 at 11:00 a.m. Eastwoods Park, the site of Wheeler’s Grove, one of Austin’s earliest Emancipation parks, was once a favorite location for the local Black community to celebrate Juneteenth. The Eastwoods Neighborhood Association proposed a Juneteenth interpretive sign last year after surveying the surrounding community and raising funds for the installation.

Sure, last week was a bit, uh, chilly, but all that unpleasantness is in the past and it’s time to turn your attention forward to POOL SEASON. Season passes are now available for city swimming pools via the ATXSwims app, which you can find at Google Play and the Apple App Store. Once you’ve got your pass, you’ll use your phone to enter the facility. You can also get passes at pard.flowbirdhub.com – you’ll just need to email a copy of your receipt to AquaticsOffice@AustinTexas.gov and then pick up your season pass at Bartholomew, Barton Springs, Deep Eddy, or Springwoods pools. Speaking of Barton Springs, the popular pool will be closed for annual maintenance Feb. 26-March 11, but there are many other alternatives; just visit AustinTexas.gov/swimming to find locations and hours of operation. The ATXSwims app comes in mighty handy for daily ticket sales too, if you can’t commit to a season pass.