Austin saw another record year in air travel in 2023, having its busiest year for the second year in a row. Last year Austin-Bergstrom International Airport helped more than 22 million arriving and departing travelers, which is 4.77 percent higher than 2022. The year ended on a high note, passenger-wise, with a record-breaking 1.8 million travelers in December alone. However, July was the busiest month of the busiest year, with more than 2 million passengers passing through the airport. In addition to those metrics, AUS released a number of Austin-type metrics that measure the impact of the busy travel year. For example, 50 tons of Salt Lick brisket and over 1 million tacos were eaten. In addition, the airport hosted 1,470 live shows. The new Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Lanyard Program, which was launched in April, processed more than 500 requests. More stats and facts about 2023 at AUS can be found here.

Students and job seekers in Del Valle just east of Austin have new resources for training in skilled trades and advanced manufacturing. Skillpoint Alliance, which offers training in a wide array of trade and manufacturing disciplines, has opened a campus in Del Valle just east of State Highway 130 specifically targeting potential plumbers and HVAC technicians. Students at Del Valle Early College High School now have training for a possible career at Tesla, with the electric car manufacturer recently donating $600,000 to the school’s Gigafactory P-TECH Manufacturing Studio. Since Tesla moved into the area and began a partnership with Del Valle ISD, more than 100 students have secured full-time jobs with the company. The recent donation was part of Tesla’s agreement with Travis County to donate $750,000 as part of the $64 million tax incentive deal the company received for its East Austin factory.

FiberLight LLC, an Atlanta-based fiber network provider, has announced plans to complete a $20 million infrastructure project along the nearly 100 miles of State Highway 130 east of Austin. The project is a partnership with the Autonomy Institute, a nonprofit that seeks to promote commerce and autonomous systems. The goal is to turn SH 130 into a fully autonomous corridor, providing 100-gigabyte connectivity to the highway’s public infrastructure network nodes to support the software needed to manage autonomous systems. “SH 130 is the modern-day equivalent of Route 66, supporting dozens of communities, and enabling 21st-century solutions,” said Jeffrey DeCoux, chair at the Autonomy Institute. “Intelligent Infrastructure touches the day-to-day life of each of our citizens and is crucial to competitiveness and prosperity.”

The Home Builders Association of Greater Austin will host its annual housing forecast at 7 a.m., Feb. 15, at the AT&T Conference Center on University Avenue. The forecast will feature more than 600 area real estate professionals including builders, real estate agents and brokers, vendors, architects, developers, engineers, lenders and bankers. The discussion looks at the national and local economic trends impacting housing through the rest of the year. Speakers include: Eldon Rude, principal for 360 Real Estate Analytics, discussing single- and multifamily and commercial product types; Robert Dietz, chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders, discussing methodologies for researching housing markets and trends; and Thom Singer, CEO of Austin Technology Council, discussing how Austin’s tech community engages with the greater Austin area. Registration is available online.

While there have been a few bumps in the city manager search (and city manager status quo) of late, City Council continues to press on with its quest to fill what is probably the most important job at City Hall. To further that effort, which has been underway in earnest since June, the city is reaching out for info on what Austinites would value in a new city manager. A new survey, which is being facilitated by the search firm hired by the city, Mosaic Public Partners, can be found here. If you have something to say, though, act fast. The survey will remain open only through the close of business on Friday, Feb. 16, in an effort to have top contenders available for a public process in April or May.

The city’s Development Services Department is celebrating “new beginnings” with the release of its 2023 annual report. The report, which details advances over the past year or so, is full of information: Last year, the department reviewed 36,034 building plans and performed 374, 307 development inspections, for example. 2023 also saw the arrival of a new director, José G. Roig, and a new department, Code Compliance. The report includes information on artificial intelligence, the Do I Need a Permit? wizard, affordability programs and advances in safety over the last year. It can be read online.

Keep Texas Beautiful is now accepting nominations for its Beautify Texas Awards. The annual awards recognize individuals and organizations that have made a positive environmental impact in education, projects, programs and the like. Anyone can nominate those whom they think most deserving (even themselves) through March 22 at 5 p.m. A list of the awards and information on the nomination process can be found here.

The long-in-the-works Equity-Based Preservation Plan now has a draft, and the city is asking for your feedback. The plan, which is “built on an inclusive, equity-focused, and community-oriented framework,” recommends a number of historic preservation policies and tools and, if approved, will replace the current preservation plan that has been in place since 1981. According to a press release from the city about the draft, “Draft recommendations take a proactive and strategic approach, recommending more community engagement and up-front information-gathering. They propose a range of incentives and tools to ensure that preservation equitably benefits people across the city. And they consider how to better tell Austin’s full, complex story while maintaining a high bar for historic designation.” The city is currently taking feedback about the plan online, with additional physical copies of the draft available at all Austin Public Library branches, through May 31. A more formal open-to-the-public launch will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13, at Huston-Tillotson University’s King-Seabrook Chapel. In addition, coming months will see city-hosted events, pop-up community outreach and presentations from the city to get the word out about the plan. Anderson Community Development Corporation, Creative Action, East Austin Conservancy, the Austin chapter of Taiwanese American Professionals and Tomorrow’s Promise Foundation have also been brought into the process to help engage historically marginalized communities.

Austin ISD Police Department has a warning about fraudulent phone calls from people posing as police officers. Community members are reporting to the police dispatch for Austin ISD that they have gotten phone calls from people identifying themselves as Austin ISD Police Department employees and repeatedly claiming the call recipient has an arrest warrant. The caller then asks for Social Security numbers and other sensitive information. Such calls are fraudulent, the department says, reminding the public that Austin ISD would not ask for that kind of sensitive personal information over the phone. If you you have been a victim of this potential scam, call 311 to make a nonemergency report.

The sun is out and swim season is upon us, according to the Aquatic Division of the city’s parks department. Season swim passes go on sale on Feb. 12, ahead of a March 9 reinstatement of entry fees at pools for the season. While swim passes do include a parking pass, this year’s swim season will be complicated by the Barton Springs bathhouse rehabilitation, which will remove parking on the north side of Barton Springs Pool. In addition, William Barton Drive will be limited to emergency and construction vehicles and those needing accessible parking. The parking squeeze will be in effect from Feb. 15 until spring of 2025. Barton Springs will be closed altogether from Feb. 24 through March 8 for normal maintenance.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport’s Checkpoint 3 will remain closed until “sometime in 2026,” according to the city. The checkpoint, which is located at the far west end of the terminal, was shuttered on Monday night in order to move forward with the West Infill project that will expand the terminal as part of Journey With AUS. To help mitigate the impact of the closure, Checkpoint 2 has added two new lanes. When it reopens, Checkpoint 3 will have six to eight new lanes.

This year’s It’s My Park Day will take place on Saturday, March 2, and registration for volunteers is now open. Anyone hoping to chip in for the long-standing volunteer event is encouraged to register now. Preregistered volunteers will get a T-shirt that provides special discounts and treats at places like Cosmic Coffee, Jo’s Coffee, Zilker Brewing, Shake Shack or Tiny Pies. (A complete list of partners participating in the program can be found here.) “With nearly 100 projects happening simultaneously across the city, It’s My Park Day is unlike any other volunteer experience in Austin,” Colin Wallis, CEO of Austin Parks Foundation, said in a statement to the press. “At its core, It’s My Park Day is about community. Year after year, we are impressed by the outpour of support from dedicated Austinites all across the city who come together to improve their local parks and green spaces by participating in projects led by community members themselves.” It’s My Park Day was established in 2003 by Austin Parks Foundation and takes place twice yearly, contributing about $650,000 in volunteer labor for city parks. To register and get a full list of park projects and hours, visit the It’s My Park Day Spring GivePulse page.