What has 6,642 solar panels and generates enough energy to power up to 160 homes a year? The new solar array atop the Blue parking garage at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The new array, courtesy of Austin Energy’s Community Solar Program, “will produce 1.8 megawatts of locally generated, renewable energy,” according to a city announcement. Jacqueline Yaft, chief executive officer of AUS, said, “Adding solar panels to the roof of our garage is a great fit for both AUS and our partner, Austin Energy. The panels help us meet our goal of utilizing on-site renewable energy, while also supporting our larger Austin community in minimizing impacts on the environment.” Austin Energy General Manager Jackie Sargent noted that the array “serves as a billboard to AUS passengers that our city is committed to renewable energy.”

Project Connect is kicking off its first round of community engagement this week with three public meetings, on Tuesday, 5:30-7 p.m.; Wednesday, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.; and Thursday, 9-10:30 a.m.The live virtual meetings will focus on station types, amenities and access, and transit planners will share “how bus and rail stations will look and what they might offer.” The meetings will be hosted via Zoom and participants are urged to contribute feedback and ask questions using the Q&A feature. As plans for the Orange and Blue lines and MetroRapid take shape, the project team encourages community members to share their thoughts. To see the planned routes, visit the Project Connect System Map. Public comment will be open through May 21.

City Council has approved a series of budget amendments aimed at shifting city responsibilities away from the Austin Police Department. On Thursday, Council approved a number of amendments that, significantly, created a new Emergency Communications Department that will handle emergency calls, moving 222 full-time positions and more than $16 million out of the police budget. The approved changes also move an alarm unit to the Development Services Department and move APD human resources, public information, facility maintenance and finance to city departments. Council members voted 9-1-1 to approve the budget amendments, with Mackenzie Kelly voting in opposition and Vanessa Fuentes absent for the vote.

An April 23 memo from Parks and Recreation Department Director Kimberly McNeeley explains that the city is still working to repair the 20-odd parks buildings that sustained “significant damage” during Winter Storm Uri. Delays in making repairs have been caused by supply chain issues, understaffing and the implementation of the city’s asbestos and lead control procedures. Damage at Turner-Roberts Recreation Center and the Oswaldo A.B. Cantu Pan-American Recreation Center is extensive enough that programming will be disrupted as repairs are made. According to the memo, the parks department is hoping to recover storm-related costs through the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and Corporate Risk Management. Until then, repair costs are being covered by the General Fund, city bonds and the Capital Rehabilitation Fund.

According to the Development Services Department, review times for site plan corrections and code exemptions are currently taking about 25 to 30 business days – well above the goal of 10-12 days for the process. DSD management is “evaluating the delays to find process and technology solutions,” according to the department. In the meantime, to find out the status of an application, send an email that includes your case or permit number to DSDHelp@austintexas.gov.

AISD students will be eating healthy lunches at no cost throughout the 2021-22 school year, thanks to the United States Department of Agriculture. The USDA announced on April 20 that it would be “extending free meal benefits through June 2022, allowing Austin ISD to keep serving its free lunches,” according to a news release. Christine Steenport, AISD’s interim director of Food Service and Warehouse Operations, said, “We are excited to offer healthy, tasty meals at no cost to all families, regardless of their household income. Free school meals help with expanding food access in Austin while also providing comfort for students and convenience for families.” The Austin school district has provided “over 3 million free meals on campuses and more than 4.2 million free curbside meals to children and caregivers” since March 2020.

February’s historic winter storm was hard on humans, but it was even harder on trees. Thousands of trees around the Austin region sustained damage, much of it fatal. The city’s thousands of tropical palm trees were particularly hard-hit; up to 90 percent of Austin’s palms were killed by the freeze, according to Public Works’ Forestry Team. Arizona ash, Chinese tallow and non-native pines were also severely impacted. Forestry has been conducting inspections and will be removing any dead trees in the public right of way that pose a danger. According to Lisa Killander, forestry program manager, “the longer palms are left standing, the more difficult they become to remove. Rotting palms are heavy and can snap and fall without warning, creating hazardous conditions for pedestrians, drivers, and property.” Residents can report dead or damaged trees to Austin 311.

Ever since Winter Storm Uri pulverized its way through Central Texas in February, emergency preparedness has been top of mind for many people. Now the Texas comptroller is offering its 2021 Emergency Preparedness Supplies Sales Tax Holiday to make it even easier for residents to replenish (or create) their emergency preparedness kits. Certain emergency preparation supplies can be purchased tax-free during the sales tax holiday, with no limit on the number of qualifying items that can be purchased. This year’s holiday begins at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, April 24, and ends at midnight on Monday, April 26. Find more details and a list of qualifying supplies here.

Know a kid who’s been bitten by the acting bug? Austin ISD’s Fine Arts Department invites students from fifth through 12th grade to try out as actors, dancers, technicians and musicians for its free Summer Theater Series, running from June 14 through July 26. Rehearsals are at the AISD Performing Arts Center. This year’s program features three shows: The musical “Mamma Mia,” the black-box studio production “Still Life With Iris,” and a virtual one-act play to be announced soon. Student participants get free lunches. Interested students should complete an audition form by May 1. An audition workshop and Q&A session will be held Thursday, April 29, at 5 p.m.

The Office of the City Auditor has been chosen as having the best performance audit in the extra-large shop category for its 2020 report on the Austin Code Department’s Repeat Offender Program. The 2020 Distinguished Knighton award comes from the Association of Local Government Auditors and will be presented virtually at the group’s annual conference on May 4. The audit focused on ensuring that rental property owners maintained safe properties, but found that was not the case. Auditors wrote, “Austin’s Repeat Offender Program, as currently administered, does not ensure renters are living in properties that meet minimum health and safety standards. The program, though well-intended, is not meeting this goal in part because rental property owners have not been regulated or incentivized to correct code violations.” Each year, local government audit organizations submit their best reports for judging. The purpose of the competition is to improve government services by encouraging excellence among local government auditors. The Office of the City Auditor publishes its reports so that everyone can read the results of its work, which are publicly presented to the City Council Audit & Finance Committee.

A “digital story map” exhibit at Oakwood Cemetery Chapel portrays the legacy of Huston-Tillotson University, from those who planted the seeds of its beginnings to those who “carefully tended and spent their life’s energy on managing, improving, and building upon” it to “those that continue to pass the torch onward in the elevation of its mission.” The exhibit, called “To Elevate,” includes video, photos, digital maps and other multimedia content, and will run through July.

Being a summer camp counselor is a rite of passage for many young people. You get to work outdoors with kids; you get to lead games and activities; you gain valuable leadership experience – what’s not to love about that? Austin Parks and Recreation has nearly 150 open positions for 2021 summer camp counselors, including Community Recreation, Cultural and Arts, Nature-Based and Adaptive Program Activity specialists. According to PARD’s announcement, counselors “lead and instruct a variety of programming such as recreational games, sports, performing and visual arts, science/nature education, arts and crafts and team building. The summer camp counselor positions provide an opportunity to serve as role models for kids and teens, and can lead to future full-time employment.” The pay is $15 an hour. Learn more and apply here.