The Other Ones Foundation was the beneficiary of a weekend concert fundraiser that brought more than $1 million to the nonprofit that provides aid and job opportunities to those experiencing homelessness. The Been There 2 event took place Nov. 11 at the Esperanza Community, where the foundation manages shelter services for homeless people. The event was produced by Aaron Brown of Onion Creek Productions and Lenny Barszap of Entertaining Entertainment, and it featured performances from Adrian Quesada of the Black Pumas, the Pharcyde and Brownout.

The Economic Development Department has distributed nearly $7 million in 2023 through three arts grant programs. A total of 271 grants have been administered to organizations and individual artists via the Arts Education Relief Grant program as well as the Elevate and Nexus programs. Elevate sent more than $6.2 million toward 200 arts organizations and creative businesses to produce works for the public. Nexus distributed $255,000 to 52 creative businesses and artists, with the goal of nurturing emerging voices in the creative community. There were 19 grants totaling $475,000 distributed from the Arts Education Relief Grant program, which was funded through the National Endowment for the Arts and intended to help local arts organizations recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. Both Elevate and Nexus were funded by revenue from the city’s portion of Hotel Occupancy Tax collections.

The Trail Conservancy is hosting A Sense of Place, a public art conversation, from 1 to 5 p.m. Thursday at the Seaholm Waterfront Intake Building on West Cesar Chavez Street. The event will focus on how art in public places such as business districts, streetscapes, parks and trails can shape and impact the environment. A keynote address from Nate Cormier, landscape architect with RIOS, will begin the event, followed by a case study and facilitated discussion and ending with a panel talk about the importance of creating a sense of place in Austin’s growing landscape. Tickets and complete info are available here.

Last week, City Council voted to settle three unrelated lawsuits, ranging from damages stemming from an alleged unlawful arrest to a construction delay and taking of land next to the Kent Butler Ecological Reserve.

Fabrizio Bisetti filed suit against the city and one officer after his arrest in connection with a domestic violence investigation. Although Bisetti was arrested, the officer admitted having serious doubts about whether he had assaulted his wife. According to court documents, the officer later testified on behalf of the man during a divorce proceeding. The city settled the case for $575,000.

Council also approved a settlement in the amount of $1 million to settle a claim from Jay-Reese Contractors, Inc., related to its construction contract for Austin Energy’s Rainey Street Substation. The construction company sought compensation for delays it claimed the city caused.

In addition, the city will pay $1.5 million plus closing costs of up to $50,000 to purchase property adjacent to the Kent Butler Ecological Reserve, which the plaintiffs owned. The lawsuit sought a declaration of an implied easement to access the plaintiffs’ approximately 33 acres of land. Under the settlement, the city has agreed to pay $1.5 million plus closing costs of up to $50,000, and Austin Water will pay for the property. The lawsuit was styled Neal v. City of Austin but there was no further information about the case, and the city’s attorney referenced a confidential memo to Council.

The Trail Conservancy has launched a $15 million capital campaign to pay for the second phase of improvements to the Seaholm Waterfront project. The second phase will include the addition of a cafe, overhead doors, a front porch, lake overlook and public Wi-Fi at the former intake facility. The campaign will also pay for seating areas, landscape plantings, upgrades to the Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail and creation of a food truck area, as well as expansions of restrooms with the addition of catering and office space. The first phase, which was completed last fall, included cleaning of the building’s exterior, restoration of original windows, installation of a new flooring system, a new roof and improvements for access for people with disabilities. In addition to the capital campaign, the conservancy also announced it surpassed its $500,000 fundraising goal for this year’s Twilight on the Trail gala event.

Organizers of the Austin Record Convention would like the city to provide some form of financial assistance or partnership to the twice-annual event that has become a major tourist draw for the city. Show manager Nathan Hanners, who took over from his father Doug Hanners in 2016, recently made a presentation to the Music Commission about the impact of the event that has become the largest record convention in the U.S. and second-largest in the world since its founding in 1981. Hanners told the commission the $5 admission has remained flat for more than a decade to promote attendance and bring in potential customers for the more than 150 vendors, many of whom travel from across the country or from other countries. Possible ways to assist the show include reducing or eliminating parking fees at the garage for the Palmer Events Center, reducing the Palmer rental rate so the convention could expand into a second hall featuring live music performances, or assisting with promotion to reach larger audiences. Commissioners encouraged Hanners to discuss his ideas with the Music and Entertainment Division, with the possibility of deciding on specific measures at a future meeting.

As part of the creation of the first Statewide Active Transportation Plan, the Texas Department of Transportation will be holding an open house tonight in search of public input. The meeting will be one in a series of statewide meetings held to gauge how Texans feel about bicycling, walking and active transportation in general and, more specifically, the safety, challenges and experiences with these modes of transportation. The plan that is being crafted will “establish a unified vision for identifying and implementing strategic active transportation priorities across the state of Texas through 2050,” according to a press release about the open house. Anyone who can’t make the meeting but wishes to contribute to the discussion can attend an online version on TxDOT’s website. The open house will take place from 4:30 to 6:30 tonight, Nov. 14,  at the LCRA Dalchau Service Center, which is located at 3505 Montopolis Drive. It will be conducted in English, with a Spanish interpreter available. If you are in need of additional accommodations – language or otherwise – for future meetings, contact TxDOT at 800-671-9854 or at bikeped@txdot.gov at least five working days prior to the meetings.

After a lot of consternation about the city’s telework policy, City Council took a step toward enshrining remote work on Thursday, with the approval of a resolution that will make amendments to the city’s Climate Equity Plan, Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan and the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan. The changes, which affirm the city’s goals of conservation, reduced traffic and less car use as they apply to city employees, were recommended by the Planning Commission and are supported by the city employees’ union, AFSCME. In a post on the City Council Message Board, Council Member Vanessa Fuentes explained her sponsorship of the resolution, saying, “I believe it is essential for the City to show leadership in achieving our goals with regard to telework, and I am encouraged that the current work being done by our city management and AFSCME to determine our telework policies will exemplify that leadership.”

On Sunday, Nov. 12, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and Chiang Mai Provincial Governor Nirat Phongsittithaworn made the Austin-Chiang Mai Sister Cities initiative official. In the upcoming week, Phongsittithaworn will lead a delegation of 30 that includes government officials, business leaders, innovators and Royal Thai Police officials. The Austin delegation will include City Council members, public safety officials, UT Austin representatives, the Texas Department of Agriculture, venture capitalists from IC2 and Capital Factory, IBM’s X-Force Red team, Austin Region Intelligence Center, the Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce and prominent U.S. businesses, plus South by Southwest organizers. “Austin and Chiang Mai share many similarities. Both cities stand as global hubs for art, culture, music, food, and film,” Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said in a statement to the press. “We share a commitment to cutting-edge technology, creative industries, and a strong entrepreneurial spirit. We envision significant potential for both cities as we collaborate on shared goals.” Austin already has sibling relationships with a number of cities: Adelaide, Australia; Angers, France; Antalya, Turkey; Gwangmyeong, Korea; Koblenz, Germany; London Borough of Hackney, United Kingdom; Lima, Peru; Maseru, Lesotho; Oita, Japan; Pune, India; Saltillo, Mexico; Taichung, Taiwan; and Xishuangbanna, China. In addition, Austin is officially BFFs with Siem Reap, Cambodia; Tehuacán, Mexico; and Villefranche-sur-Mer, France.

The transportation management association Movability is seeking participants in its new survey of commuters, specifically their choices for modes of transportation and when they use them to get to work. The nonprofit has enlisted ETC Institute to administer what is expected to be an annual survey regarding travel patterns in Austin. Respondents will also be asked about the origin and destination of their commutes as well as how teleworking options impact their travel. Movability hopes the survey will give planners and policymakers information to invest in infrastructure that will help people access more transportation options. That data will also help the group be more strategic in its outreach, education and planning. The survey is available online.

City of Austin offices and the Austin Monitor will be closed in observance of Veterans Day this Friday, Nov. 10. A complete list of closures can be found here. The city closures include administrative offices, city museums and cultural centers, the Austin Animal Center and Austin Public Library branches.

The nonprofit group Diversity Awareness and Wellness in Action has scheduled a series of grand opening events at its new headquarters on Springdale Road near Bolm Road. The group, which helps promote and support BIPOC arts and community organizations, will host a soft opening weekend running Nov. 9-12 featuring an art exhibit opening and live music. The following weekend’s events will include a series of podcast recordings, concerts and DJ nights. DAWA, which was created during the Covid-19 pandemic, has raised and distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars in aid to local marginalized communities. In its former home on West Fifth Street, it helped local artists and musicians create more than 1,000 hours of content. At the Springdale location, it will offer free studio access on Mondays and Tuesdays, with funding provided by venue rentals, donor memberships, grants and sponsorships. A complete list of events is available online.