With normal city operations on hiatus due to freezing rain and glacial temperatures, the city of Austin is also freezing requests for information this week. The city submitted a “catastrophe notice” to the state on Feb. 7, which suspends certain Texas Public Information Act deadlines. That means pending public information requests will be paused for a week, and any PIRs submitted this week will be considered received on Feb. 14. However, according to a press release from the city, “Departments whose operations were not affected by the winter weather should continue to respond to public information requests under normal procedures.” The catastrophe notice will expire on Feb. 13, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Austin Community College District is offering free Covid-19 testing at several of its campuses for students, college employees and community members. No appointment is required and walk-ins are welcome. Covid vaccinations – first, second and booster shots – are also available to the community at campus clinics. This week, free Covid testing is available at the following locations:

• Wed., Feb. 9, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Highland Campus, 6101 Highland Campus Drive
• Thu., Feb. 10, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Round Rock Campus, 4400 College Park Drive
• Fri., Feb. 11, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Hays Campus, 1200 Kohlers Crossing

With humidity levels plunging and wildfire danger rising, the Commissioners Court has voted to issue another burn ban, effective immediately, for the unincorporated areas of the county. As Travis County Chief Fire Marshal Tony Callaway explained in a news release, the new burn ban “is needed to ensure the public’s safety.” Though the new ban covers outdoor burning, it does not affect “prescribed burns conducted under the supervision of a prescription burn manager.” The burn ban is due to expire on Wednesday, March 9, “unless further action is taken by the county judge or county fire marshal prior to that date.”

With the citywide boil-water notice still in effect, Austin/Travis County has opened additional sites for residents to pick up bottled water. As of Monday, seven sites are open to supply water to those who lack the ability or the means to purchase or boil their own water. Here is the location of the seven water distribution sites:

• Travis County Expo Center, 7311 Decker Lane, noon-8 p.m.
• Austin Water Glen Bell Service Center, 3907 South Industrial Drive, open 24 hours (bring your own water container)
• Austin Water North Service Center, 901 W. Koenig Lane, open 24 hours (bring your own water container)
• Kelly Reeves Athletic Stadium, 10211 W. Parmer Lane, noon-8 p.m.
• Southeast Metropolitan Park, 4511 State Highway 71, noon-8 p.m.
• Travis County Tax Office-Southeast, 4011 McKinney Falls Parkway, noon-8 p.m.
• Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park, 12138 N. Lamar Blvd., noon-8 p.m.
• ACC Pinnacle Campus, 7748 U.S. Highway 290, noon-8 p.m.

Those who need water but cannot get to any of the distribution sites should call 311 for assistance. Residents are asked to please recycle all single-use plastic bottles and jugs instead of throwing them in the trash. You can find the most up-to-date information on water distribution sites here.

The next Wild Neighbors webinar explores a topic that is close to many people’s hearts: hummingbirds, the winged jewels of the avian world. Tania Homayoun, a conservation biologist with Texas Parks & Wildlife, will share her knowledge of hummingbird biology, the various species found in Central Texas and how you can attract more of these tiny, iridescent hovercrafts to your garden. (Bonus: Not only do hummingbirds pollinate flowers, they eat hundreds of insects a day, including mosquitoes!) Friday, Feb. 18, noon-1 p.m. Sign up here. If you’ve missed previous episodes of the Wild Neighbors Speaker Series or want to rewatch a favorite, they’re all archived on YouTube for your viewing pleasure.

The Austin Transit Partnership will host two virtual town hall meetings this week to hear from community members on their ideas concerning governance and equity in the creation of rail and bus lines that are part of Project Connect. ATP was created with the legal authority to finance Proposition A, which voters approved in 2020 to deliver a multi-modal rapid transit plan. The ballot language for Prop A and a joint powers agreement between the city and Capital Metro promised an independent board to oversee the project. The community advisory group for ATP and other local advocates have voiced their concerns about the independence of the board. There is also a concern that Capital Metro’s executive director, Randy Clarke, is also serving as executive director of ATP. The transit partnership hired transportation consultants at Eno Center for Transportation to produce a review of leadership and governance to advise its board on best practices and the best structure for Project Connect. The other major issue members of the public are expected to address is how the project plans to help residents who may be displaced by the new rail lines. Register in advance to receive the Zoom links for the meetings: town hall No. 1, Tuesday, Feb. 8, at 6 p.m.; and town hall No. 2, Saturday, Feb. 12, at 11 a.m.

The Economic Development Department is inviting artists to apply for its Art in Public Places program, which operates on a quarterly basis. The first quarter offers eight art projects totaling over $700,000 in commissions, with individual artwork commissions ranging from $30,000-$169,000. Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, who is the interim director of the EDD, said in a press release that as the city grows, it seeks to grow its public artwork collection, an endeavor that will “create jobs, not only for the commissioned artists, but also for subcontractors such as engineers, architects, fabricators, installers, materials vendors, lighting experts, and other professionals.” The first application period ends March 31. Find more details about AIPP and eligibility requirements, as well as upcoming information sessions, here.

In the past, a City Council member leaving office was often greeted with a cake, small gifts and fond words. Council Member Greg Casar, whose last meeting was Thursday, got many kind words but little else. The pandemic was reason enough not to throw a party, but the ice storm left scant room for celebration. Casar is leaving his seat to seek the Democratic nomination for Texas Congressional District 35, and José “Chito” Vela will be sworn in to the District 4 position on Monday. Mayor Steve Adler praised Casar as a member of the original 10-1 Council, saying he helped fulfill the promise of change, equity and access that voters envisioned when they voted for the district system. He listed some major accomplishments that Casar helped shepherd through the system, such as increased benefits and wages for city employees and multiple efforts to help low-income Austinites. Other members of Council chimed in, praising Casar for his energy, stamina and willingness to work with others even when they were not ideologically aligned. While Casar said he wasn’t quite ready for the tributes, he responded with thanks. “I feel very moved and touched with what you have said and what people in the community said and I have been so honored to get to be a part of this …. We’re all really just one family.” Casar said his seven years on the Council were “an experiment in democracy.” His was one of the loudest voices in pushing the city to take the claims of sexual assault victims seriously, and last week, the city finally settled with a group of survivors who sued to force the city to change its practices. Casar concluded by telling his colleagues, “I’m so grateful to you because I know how much it takes to do this work … it’s been a great honor to work alongside all of you and this community.”

Capital Metro announced that it will be resuming service today, Friday, after suspending operations due to inclement weather yesterday. However, buses will be running on a critical service schedule today, from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. That means buses will be running on 30- or 60- minute frequencies, and not all routes will be in operation. According to a press release from the transit authority, “This is a new type of schedule CapMetro has developed as part of our emergency response efforts. It allows CapMetro to maintain a smaller yet safe operation to connect riders on these routes to their jobs, as well as to essential services and grocery stores.” For more information on which routes are running and alternative service for tomorrow, visit Capital Metro’s service alerts page.

With the winter storm warning still in effect and slippery streets making travel risky, Travis County and the city of Austin have decided to keep their offices and facilities closed and all non-essential staff at home today. Basically, everything that was closed yesterday remains closed again today. The county’s mobile Covid-19 vaccine clinics and Austin Public Health Covid testing and vaccine sites will remain closed Friday. Austin Resource Recovery has canceled service, saying carts will be emptied on the next scheduled collection day. Curbside customers are advised to bring their carts in “to avoid them sliding away.” The county urges residents to “stay home and avoid traveling on icy roads.” The community warming shelters remain open 24 hours a day and anyone who needs to go to one “should travel with extreme caution.” Besides offering a place to sleep and warm up, the shelters give those in need an opportunity to charge their electronic devices. Those who need assistance with transportation to a shelter should call 311 or (512) 974-2000 to make arrangements. Austin Water has some tips on coping with freezing temperatures. For regular emergency updates from the city and the county, visit this page.

Heeding warnings to stay home and avoid the dangerous, icy conditions predicted to greet Austinites this morning, most area schools announced they will be closed Thursday. Austin Independent School District and Austin Community College will be closed Thursday and Friday; St. Edward’s and Huston-Tillotson universities will shift to online classes Thursday and Friday; and UT Austin has canceled classes for Thursday, with plans for Friday to be announced this afternoon. KUT Austin has a comprehensive list of area school closures. Capital Metro announced Wednesday that it “must suspend all non-emergency services on Thursday” for the safety of its staff and customers. The transit authority will instead be concentrating on transporting community members to warming shelters and other essential medical and safety services.

José “Chito” Vela, who will be sworn in as City Council member for District 4 at 9 a.m. on Monday at City Hall, has hired Timothy Bray as his policy aide. Bray, who is president of the Austin Environmental Democrats, served as Vela’s campaign manager. Vela has also hired Jenna Hanes, who was in charge of communications for the campaign, as communications director, and is in the process of hiring Sobeyda Gómez-Chou, who currently works part time for outgoing Council Member Greg Casar. Casar will leave his Council office on Monday as he continues to campaign for the Democratic nomination to represent Texas Congressional District 35. Casar’s campaign communications director, Tara Pohlmeyer, will leave the city in order to work full-time for the campaign. She was busy helping clean out Casar’s office at City Hall when she spoke to the Austin Monitor on Wednesday. She also reported that Stephanie Trinh, Casar’s chief of staff, would be going to work in Mayor Steve Adler’s office.