Former Austin Public Health director and “Health Talk” host Shannon Jones will be serving as Austin’s interim assistant city manager. A news release about the appointment explains that Jones’ purview will include homelessness, some elements of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and steering the city’s work on health and environment and culture and lifelong learning in a number of city departments, including Animal Services, Austin Public Health, Austin Public Library, Austin Resource Recovery and the Parks and Recreation Department. Jones said in the statement, “They say that nobody really leaves the city of Austin. Having already spent a significant portion of my career serving the community here I am excited to return once again and contribute to the great work city employees are doing, particularly around minimizing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.” Jones will be filling in for former Assistant City Manager Chris Shorter, who is relocating to Baltimore to serve as the city administrator. Recruitment to permanently fill the assistant city manager slot will begin this week.

The public health officials at Austin Public Health are hosting a town hall to answer every question you may have about the Covid vaccines. Dr. Mark Escott, interim Austin-Travis County health authority; Stephanie Hayden, director of APH; Dr. Charles Bell, vice chair of Central Health Board of Managers; and Dr. Jason Reichenberg, president of Ascension Medical Group Texas, will all be on hand “to discuss Covid-19 vaccine safety, efficacy and distribution.” The town hall is this Wednesday, Jan. 13, at 6 p.m, followed by a town hall in Spanish the following day, Thursday, Jan. 14, at 6 p.m. Watch live on ATXN or Facebook.com/AustinPublicHealth.

The [RE]verse Pitch Competition is alive and well and inviting businesses and entrepreneurs to enter the contest in which former castoffs become raw materials for new products or services. Find out what’s new this year at reversepitch.org. Register here for the opening pitch event – a virtual presentation – on Feb. 2, from 6-7:30 p.m., in which you “will hear from businesses and institutions consistently generating or collecting byproduct, surplus or otherwise underutilized materials streams in Austin, Texas, that could be put to higher and better use in new social enterprises.”

The city of Austin announced the hiring of a new homelessness strategy officer just before the end of 2020. Dianna Grey began her new job coordinating the city’s continued efforts to end homelessness on Jan. 4. A memo from City Manager Spencer Cronk announced the hiring and explained Grey had come from working at her own consulting firm, which has contracted with the city on the issue of permanent supportive housing. Prior to that, the LBJ School graduate was the director of the Texas Office of Corporation for Supportive Housing, “where she coordinated public policy efforts, provided technical assistance, and advised on capacity building programming and project financing across the state, with a specialized focus on Dallas, Ft. Worth, Austin, and Houston.” Lori Pampilo Harris, who was the city’s first homelessness strategy officer, served in the position for one month before stepping down in October 2019.

Austin Public Health is slated to receive 12,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine this week from the Texas Department of State Health Services. The vaccines, according to a news release from the city, will be administered to those who fall into phases 1A and 1B, according to state criteria, which includes health care workers, long-term care facility residents, those 65 or older, and residents with underlying health conditions. A registration system to distribute the vaccine will focus on vulnerable and underserved populations. “Individuals who meet the state’s current criteria for vaccination may be able to receive the vaccine under this first allocation or through future allocations. The system will have the ability to contact individuals to encourage them to schedule an appointment if and when APH is allocated additional vaccine. A phone line will also be available for those without internet access.” APH is one of more than 350 groups tasked with distributing the vaccine in the area. The health authority urges those who are able to obtain the vaccine through other means (such as a pharmacy or health care provider) to do so, in order to save the limited allocation doled out by the state for those who might not otherwise be able to get it. For more information, both Texas DSHS and the city of Austin have established information web pages.

With the start of the new year, Austin Resource Recovery has made a few modifications to its services and facilities. The Recycle & Reuse Drop-off Center has been temporarily closed and drop-offs are no longer accepted at this time due to concerns about Covid-19. Residents may schedule contactless pickups of household hazardous waste for safe disposal. The large brush and bulk pickups, which were temporarily suspended last year, are now operating on their regular twice-annual schedule. Residential street-sweeping services have been reinstated, but are operating behind schedule. And after a four-year phased-in approach that began in 2017, the curbside composting program is expanding to all curbside customers in February. At some point in the future, ARR will distribute free kitchen collectors and compostable bags, but in the meantime customers are encouraged “to use reusable containers, coffee cans or paper bags for collecting food scraps.” Find more details about all service changes here.

The city’s Shop the Block program was launched last summer to give an assist to dining, drinking and shopping establishments that suffered serious financial setbacks due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The popular pilot program, which ran from June 15-Dec. 15, has now been extended until June 2021, according to an announcement from the city, “to help small businesses continue operations during Covid-19 restrictions.” Eligible businesses may apply for “quick, affordable permits” that will allow them “to expand operations outdoors onto private parking lots, public sidewalks, public parking spaces, or roads and alleyways in front of their establishments” for six months. Find directions and more information at AustinTexas.gov/ShoptheBlock.

The holidays have finally arrived and the Austin Monitor is taking some time off to relax, eat some Christmas goodies and spend some socially distanced time with friends and family. We will be back soon with reports on our interviews with local leaders. We wish you the best for this season and for 2021.

Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty, who has served on the Commissioners Court since 2002, was honored during a meeting of the Commissioners Court and recognized for his advocacy for veterans issues, his true bipartisanship and his steadfastness in service. Commissioner Brigid Shea called him a “model Republican,” a sentiment echoed by Commissioner Jeff Travillion and in public comment from Zenobia Joseph. Travillion emphasized his willingness to work with the other side, “putting constituents over party.” U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett said, “He may have wanted to pave places that I didn’t want to pave, and he certainly voted for people that I didn’t vote for, but he has exercised throughout his tenure an integrity and a commitment that is impressive and that has contributed greatly to the benefit of our community, always putting his constituents first.” In early 2020, Daugherty was the only Republican of the 51 Travis County elected officials.

Just in time for New Year’s Eve, the Travis County Fire Marshal’s Office has lifted its ban on the sale or use of restricted fireworks outside the city limits of any city or town in Travis County. The class of firework included in the order are “skyrockets with sticks” and “missiles with fins,” if that means anything to you. The lifting of the prohibition comes with a slew of cautions, reproduced in full below:

Before you use fireworks, please remember:

• Fireworks cause almost 20,000 fires a year
• Hospital emergency rooms see more than 9,000 injuries a year caused by fireworks
• Most fireworks injuries are caused by legal fireworks
• Sparklers burn hotter than a welder’s torch – they are not for little kids
• More than one-third of all fireworks-related injuries are kids less than 15 years old

Photo: city of Austin

Christmas trees are not trash. Live, natural trees – not plastic, artificial ones – may be mulched and recycled, ensuring that the tree returns to the soil in another form. Travis County has been providing free tree recycling for years, allowing county residents to give their holiday trees (and Hanukkah bushes) another life. Drop-off is available from Saturday, Dec. 26, to Sunday, Jan. 10., 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Find a map of Travis County tree drop-off locations here.

Follow these simple guideline for recycling trees:

• Remove all ornaments, decorations, lights, and tree stands
• Remove all nails, staples and metal
• Trees sprayed with flocking or artificial snow are not accepted
• Do not place the tree in a “tree bag” or any plastic bag
• Trees taller than 6 feet must be cut in half

If you live in the city of Austin you may simply leave your tree at the curb on your usual yard trimmings collection day. All other Austin residents may drop their trees off at Zilker Park. As for Christmas lights that no longer work, they can be recycled, too: Bring old lights (and discarded Styrofoam and cardboard) to the Recycle and Reuse Drop-off Center at 2514 Business Center Dr. Visit the city’s Tree Recycling web page for more info. And if you want some of that sweet-smelling tree mulch for your garden, it will be available, for free, starting Jan. 14 at 9 a.m., on a first-come, first-served basis. Wear your face mask and bring your own tools and storage containers for loading and transporting the mulch.

Could there be a better tradition than starting the new year with a hike? Last year, 5,242 people decided to usher in 2020 by hiking, biking or riding a total of 9,564 miles in one of 89 Texas State Parks. This year, even more people may decide to take a First Day Hike, bike or paddle. Rodney Franklin, the director of Texas State Parks, said, “Personally, I am looking forward to saying goodbye to 2020, having some black-eyed peas and starting out the new year with a First Day Hike. Spending time outdoors is a great way to connect with friends and family in a healthy way.  While we must still recreate responsibly, I hope that everyone will join us in ushering in 2021 with a First Day Hike at your favorite state park.” Check out a list of self-guided First Day Hikes on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department website. Parks are operating at a limited capacity, so reserving a day pass in advance is highly recommended. Reserve day passes online through the TPWD reservation website or by calling (512) 389-8900.