Austin remains one of the most popular relocation destinations in the country, according to one of the biggest players in the home moving industry. U-Haul, which provides moving vehicles to those looking to relocate, reported recently that Austin was the No. 5 most popular destination for its customers in 2023. The company also found Texas was again one of its fastest-growing states. Those findings came from analysis of more than 2.5 million one-way vehicle rentals U-Haul transacted last year. Researchers studied the gross number of vehicles entering versus leaving a market, with one-way rentals predominantly representing someone moving to a new area. Dallas and the College Station-Bryan market were also among the company’s top 10 relocation markets.

Through the end of this year and the beginning of the next, the Austin Monitor will be publishing insightful interviews with 16 local officials, covering their reflections on their work in 2023 and their goals for 2024. Those interviews will hit your inbox if you’re subscribed to our morning email featuring headlines and whispers, but we’re pushing pause on our daily news roundup email, “Austin, Monitored.” Subscribe here to make sure you don’t miss a thing. Our news team will be back in full force on Monday, Jan. 8. From all of us to all of you, we wish you a happy, safe new year.

The Austin Parks Foundation announced that it’s giving $205,600 in grants for work on parks across town. The Fall 2023 ACL Music Festival grants will fund the following improvements and amenities identified by community members:

• $88,000 to Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River Metro Park (District 3) for nature trail installation and maintenance
• $50,000 to Dottie Jordan Neighborhood Park (District 1) for a shade structure over the playground
• $25,000 to the Elisabet Ney Museum (District 9) toward the new Restoration Master Landscape plan
• $27,000 to Clarksville Community Garden & Haskell House (District 9) to establish a freedmen’s colony heritage food garden, interpretive plan and garden improvements
• $10,000 to Armadillo Neighborhood Park (District 2) for removal of poison ivy and invasive species
• $5,600 to Parque Zaragoza (District 3) to plant shade trees around the playground

For this year’s annual holiday lights on 37th Street, residents of Austin’s twinkliest block have partnered with the city’s Living Streets Program to close the street to car traffic during event hours. The Living Streets Program envisions local streets as places where communities can walk, bike, gather and connect. The annual event, which dates back to the mid-1980s, runs along 37th Street between Guadalupe Street and Home Lane from sunset to 10 p.m. until New Year’s Day.

Chito Vela, the District 4 City Council member who took over the seat after a special election to replace Greg Casar when he vacated the post to successfully run for Congress, is reaching out to raise funds for his reelection campaign. Vela won the seat two years ago, with the support of the Austin Firefighters Association, Austin EMS Association, Austin AFL-CIO Central Labor Council, Workers Defense Action Fund and a variety of Democratic clubs. In an email to supporters, Vela wrote, “My official reelection campaign kickoff isn’t until next year, but I’ve already started the planning and fundraising to make sure I have the strongest campaign possible going into election season. So I’m reaching out to my most reliable supporters from 2022 to start this cycle off strong.” He noted that he was proud of the work he and his team at City Hall have done to increase the city’s housing supply and address Austin’s affordability crisis. Although several candidates have announced their intentions to run for other Council seats, so far there are no other candidates in the District 4 race.

The next phase of the William Cannon Railroad Overpass is underway and expected to be wrapped up by April. In early December, the Capital Delivery Services Department completed the first phase of stabilization of the overpass, and the next step includes replacement of the sidewalk and the wall cap, adding a traffic barrier and a new privacy fence and repairing the guardrail and pavement. Funding for both phases was secured by the city’s Transportation and Public Works Department.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is expected to break its record for the most travelers in one year, with about 1 million more in 2023 compared to 2022. The holiday travel season is always crunch time regardless, so the airport has sent an advisory to make this year’s holiday go a little more smoothly. Basically, plan ahead, arrive early and follow these airport travel tips.

• Those using general TSA screening are advised to arrive at least 2.5 hours before departure for domestic flights and at least 3 hours before departure for international flights.
• Those with TSA Pre-Check or Clear and not checking bags are advised to follow TSA’s general rule of arriving 2 hours before departure.
• The airport’s parking system website, ABIAParking.com, makes it possible to save a spot in advance. Reservations can be booked up to 24 hours before a traveler’s arrival time at the airport. Spots tend to fill up fast during holiday periods, so it’s highly advised to check real-time parking availability with ABIA Parking before coming to the airport.
• A tip for those being dropped off: If you see a long line of cars heading to “Departures” as you approach the airport, veer left and go to “Arrivals” for a quicker drop-off. Once dropped off, head upstairs to go to your airline ticket counter and security screening.
• For more advice from the Fly AUS Blog about traveling with gifts, following TSA rules and packing food, click here.

The Central Health Board of Managers has elected a new chair to succeed its retiring leader. Ann Kitchen will follow Dr. Charles Bell as the board chair of Travis County’s hospital district, which provides health care and coverage to people with low income. After eight years as a City Council member representing South Austin, Kitchen was appointed by the Travis County Commissioners Court to the board of managers earlier this year. She is also a board trustee for Integral Care, Travis County’s local mental health authority. Kitchen is a former member of the Texas House of Representatives, the Capital Metro board of directors and the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization policy board. The board of managers also reelected Dr. Cynthia Brinson as vice chair of the board and Maram Museitif as treasurer and chair of the board’s budget and finance committee. Brinson is a practicing family medicine physician, a coordinator of clinical trials and the co-founder of KIND Clinic. Museitif holds a doctorate in public health and chairs the Texas Public Health Association’s Legislative, Policy and Advocacy Committee. Her primary focus as a public health professional is on cancer research tailored for underserved and vulnerable communities. Dr. Manuel Martin, a family medicine doctor practicing in Austin and focusing on the Hispanic community, was named secretary of the board, succeeding Cynthia Valadez, who continues to serve on the board.

The city of Austin and Visit Austin are holding a free, family-friendly shebang at Auditorium Shores to ring in the new year. Live music from Austin’s Band of Heathens and the Gulf Coast soul band the Suffers, plus a caravan of food trucks and beverage vendors and a fireworks show, are all part of the festivities. CNN anchors will be on hand for a live countdown to midnight that will be broadcast on “New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen.” Check out the road closures map to plan your transportation to the event and find parking options. The event will be held 7 p.m.-midnight Sunday, Dec. 31, with countdown beginning at 11:55 p.m., at Auditorium Shores, 800 W. Riverside Drive.

Rosie Truelove, director of Austin’s Housing Department, is retiring at the end of December after 25 years with the city. But she’s not going to quit working: She has accepted a job with the city of Kyle as the director of administrative services. In a post about her retirement, Truelove notes that she started her career at the city as a 22-year-old college graduate, never imagining she would retire as director of the Housing Department. In awarding her certificate of appreciation on Thursday, interim City Manager Jesús Garza noted that Truelove was in his urban management class at the LBJ School of Public Affairs when both of them were much younger. When she came to work for the city of Austin, she started in the IT department and then moved to the city manager’s office before spending 14 years in the Capital Contracting Office. In 2017, Truelove moved to the Housing Department, which was then called Neighborhood Housing and Community Development. “I can’t be more proud of our executives who progress through our organization and make huge contributions to our community, and Rosie has truly done that,” Garza said. Garza has asked Mandy DeMayo, who is currently serving as the deputy director for the Housing Department, to step in as interim director.

Leana Mann is officially the Travis Central Appraisal District‘s next chief appraiser, replacing outgoing Chief Appraiser Marya Crigler, who is retiring early next year after more than 33 years of service in the district. Mann is currently TCAD’s deputy chief appraiser and has served as staff accountant, finance and facilities director, and deputy chief of operations in her 12 years at the district. “I am excited for the opportunity to continue to serve Travis County taxpayers and ensure that our appraisals are equitable, accurate, and fair,” said Mann in a statement to the press. “The District will remain committed to being accessible and transparent so that all residents have the support they need to navigate the property tax system.”

Defying trends and thwarting closure, Peter Pan Mini Golf will live to putt another day. The mini golf course is on state land, and questions about its future operation were raised this fall, when its owners expressed concern that they did not know whether their lease would expire in the spring. On Wednesday, owner Margaret Dismukes Massad announced that their lease had been extended six months, with a goal of working toward a new multiyear lease in the future. “We wish to thank Mayor Watson for expressing his desire to advocate for a longer term lease, preserving Peter Pan Mini Golf for the people of Austin,” Dismukes Massad wrote. “We appreciate the well wishes and show of support expressed by our wonderful fans. We are humbled by the affection for Peter Pan Mini Golf. Our sincere and heartfelt thank you!”