The city’s Violet KeepSafe Storage program, which provides a secure place for people experiencing homelessness to store their possessions while they’re out and about, is being expanded to operate seven days a week, 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Robert Kingham, court operations manager for the Downtown Austin Community Court, explained the move in a news release. “We know from working with the Austin Homelessness Advisory Council and other individuals with lived experience with homelessness that access to storage is a basic need. Storage is necessary for individuals to be able to pursue job interviews and medical appointments, maintain secure access to identification documents and important belongings, and is a matter of human dignity.” Currently, 174 people use VKS “to store vital documents, family memories, clothing, bedding, and more. Any individual experiencing homelessness may access storage through VKS at no cost to the program participants.” For more info about accessing this service, call 512-974-4879. People may also bring the items they wish to store to VKS and sign up in person at the former HealthSouth Parking Garage at 612 E. 12th St.

Plans for a veterans memorial in Edward Rendon Sr. Metro Park are moving forward. City Council approved a resolution in March asking the city manager to work with the Austin Travis County Vietnam Memorial Association to identify a location. This month comes news confirming that the location has been found: just west of the Nash Hernandez Building in the park. According to a July 9 memo from Parks and Recreation director Kimberly McNeeley, “This area was selected due to its gentle slopes, away from existing utility infrastructure and close to the roadway for better accessibility. The parkland needed for the concept the group is working with requires about 6,500 square feet of land. The association is in the fundraising phase of the project which is anticipated to cost approximately $1.5 million.”

The Austin Transportation Department will be temporarily closing Riverside Drive between South First Street and Barton Springs Road from July 16-18 to allow the road crew to dismantle a crane. There may be traffic delays, so motorists are advised to use alternate routes when traveling in the area.

Finally, it looks as if Austin’s lifeguard shortage may be drawing to a close. Parks and Recreation’s Aquatics Division recently announced that lifeguard staffing levels have improved, allowing it to increase access to city pools. All pools currently open will add one more weekend day to their schedules starting Sunday, July 11, “so pools currently in operation will be open for both days on the weekend, and pools will be open five days a week instead of four.” In a news release, the Aquatics Division lists the obstacles it had to surmount in order to achieve this feat, including “the yearlong hiring freeze due to the pandemic, reduced training capacity due to Covid-19 health and safety protocols, and fewer experienced lifeguards on the roster. Aquatics staff will continue to hire and train lifeguards on an ongoing basis to maintain staffing levels at year-round pools, and in anticipation of next summer.” Find complete pool hours and reopening updates here.

The Central Texas Counties Vaccine Collaborative is hosting multiple Covid-19 vaccine distribution events throughout the county, including pop-up clinics at supermarkets and schools in various neighborhoods and a drive-thru clinic at the Travis County Exposition Center that’s open Saturday and Sunday. No appointments are required. Anyone age 12 and above qualifies to get their free first dose of the lifesaving Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. Kids ages 12-17 must have a parent or guardian’s consent and the parent or guardian must be present. Find the locations and times for all vaccination events here.

The Mexic-Arte Museum’s free yearly Nuestra Lucha/Our Struggle summer camp will be held at Akins High School for a two-week session: July 19-22 and July 26-29, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., with lunch provided. Campers “will learn relief printing and screen printing and create a mixed media personal statement poster that reflects on a social justice issue of their choice,” according to the announcement. “Learn how to use art and expression as a powerful tool to create change!” For more information contact Education Associate Jose Martinez or reserve a spot here.

Austin Public Health has topped its goal of protecting 70 percent of residents over 12 years old with at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, “60.8 percent of eligible Travis County residents have been fully vaccinated, and 70 percent have received at least one dose.” However, health officials say we’re not out of the woods yet. The emergence of the Delta variant “has prompted a reassessment of the minimum threshold for herd immunity as health experts call on communities and neighborhoods to help boost vaccination rates,” according to a news release. Austin-Travis County Health Authority Desmar Walkes said, “We continue to monitor our case numbers and hospital admissions as we know that there will be an impact on these due to the presence of the Delta variant. We will make adjustments in our recommendations accordingly. At the same time, the situation calls for everyone taking responsibility for themselves and determining their own level of risk.” Unvaccinated pockets of the population remain susceptible to being infected, leading to more dangerous mutations of the virus. Yesterday, Austin Public Health reported 159 new Covid cases “along with an increasing positivity rate of 4.3 percent,” Walkes said. “We are beginning to see an increase in Covid-19 cases in Travis County, similar to what has been seen in other parts of the country.”

The future of the Palm School has been top of mind for many Austinites concerned about this property that is a cultural touchstone for the Mexican American community. As the Housing and Planning Department works on developing a plan for the entire Palm District – the area on the eastern edge of downtown, bordered by Interstate 35 and Trinity Street, from Rainey Street to 15th Street – the city is seeking public input on the district’s future. Explore the district, take the Palm District Planning Survey on SpeakUpAustin and leave questions for the project team on the city’s project website.

At the next entry in the Wild Neighbors Speaker Series, brought to you by Balcones Canyonlands Preserve, you’ll learn everything there is to know about the tawny crazy ant – along with some things you’ll wish you didn’t know. This highly invasive species, which was introduced from South America, is on the march throughout the Gulf Coast region, including Travis County, according to Dr. Ed LeBrun, a research scientist with the Department of Integrative Biology’s Brackenridge Field Laboratory at UT Austin. LeBrun will discuss the ant’s “impacts upon the natural systems it invades, its interaction with the current regionally dominant invasive ant, imported fire ants, and ongoing work towards sustainable control.” Friday, July 30, noon to 1 p.m. Register here for the webinar. Oh, and if you’re wondering why this little ant is called crazy, read this.

Cupid S. Alexander will start his new position as assistant director of Austin’s Housing and Planning Department in early August. According to a news release from the city, Alexander “will oversee programming and policy implementation related to the department’s inclusive planning and displacement prevention initiatives.” At his current job, as division director of Neighborhoods, Housing and Human Services in Spokane, Washington, he “oversees a staff of 40 with five direct reports. His leadership and areas of expertise include community development; strategic planning; and program oversight to address numerous community services and projects to help improve life outcomes” in Spokane. Prior to that, he “designed and implemented public policy platforms and strategies regarding housing, economic development and community engagement on behalf of the Office of the Mayor and the city of Portland.”

Photo courtesy of Austin Police Department

At this year’s Pride Parade on Aug. 14, Austin Police Department representatives will be proudly driving the department’s brand-new Pride car, a shiny white vehicle festooned with brightly colored rainbow art, NOH8 logos, the hashtag #APDOUTANDPROUD and the department’s Pride patch. APD is the first police department in the state that has adopted its own Pride patch. The car was designed to represent “all aspects of the LGBTQ+ community,” according to a news release, which adds that APD feels “privileged to serve Austin’s vibrant community and continue to make strides in being true public servants to all.” APD recruiters will drive the new Pride car year-round.

José Roig, director of the Austin Code Department, sent a memo to the mayor and City Council Thursday requesting an extension to July 21 to report “a comprehensive overview of the gaps and recommended improvements regarding the city’s emergency response” to events such as Winter Storm Uri. Council requested that the city manager develop tools and resources to address health and safety violations resulting from the winter storm and provide a final report to Council by June 1. City staff members provided a preliminary update on April 14 and a second update on June 4. The second update described code enforcement actions underway to try to require noncompliant property owners to appear before the Building and Standards Commission. Staffers also provided a Winter Storm Uri dashboard that tracks violations and progress toward remedying the violations. The dashboard shows that District 4 has by far the largest number of deficiencies cited, with 242 cases, compared with 86 in District 1, 36 in District 2 and 102 in District 3. District 7 had 91 cases and the other districts had fewer cases. Currently there are 112 active cases and 680 closed cases, according to the dashboard.