Update: The city announced Monday that the celebration and removal of Flo will be delayed while other options are explored. Stay tuned for more details. 

In light of news that the beloved Barton Springs pecan tree known as “Flo” will be removed following a diagnosis of Kretzschmaria deusta, the city will be holding a “Celebration of Life” ceremony. The event, which will feature a water blessing and opportunity to say farewell to the tree, will take place at the pool on Sept. 13 at 7 p.m.. The Parks and Recreation Department is also collecting remembrances and photos of Flo at treestories@austintexas.gov. Because there is no effective treatment for brittle cinder fungus and it can cause the tree to collapse, all four city arborists recommended its removal due to safety concerns and the lack of treatment options. Removal of the tree is currently scheduled for Sept. 14.

Photo by city of Austin. An iconic pecan tree at Barton Springs Pool has been diagnosed with a wood decay fungus.

A new coalition aimed at educating Texans about a $1 billion parks conservation fund has formed, enlisting 77 organizations in support of the constitutional amendment proposed by Proposition 14. The proposition, which will appear statewide on Nov. 7 ballots, is being hailed as a “once-in-a-generation effort to grow Texas parks” by the newly formed Texas Coalition for State Parks. “The fund would be an essential tool in ensuring Texans have access to public park lands for generations to come,” said state Rep. Armando Walle, who sponsored the bill in the Texas House. “This effort is a transformational effort, a Teddy Roosevelt kind of initiative.” Money for the conservation fund would come from a budget surplus that is currently in the general revenue fund, not from an increase in taxes, and was placed on the ballot after approval by both chambers of the Texas Legislature and the governor. More information about the group, its mission, and the organizations involved can be found here.

 A new memo from Planning Department Director Lauren Middleton-Pratt gives an update to active code amendments aimed at increasing housing in the city. The new chart detailing the timeline can be found here, but the memo notes a number of changes to the previous one. Though a number of the slew of amendments to the Land Development Code still have timelines that are to be determined, a proposal to eliminate minimum parking requirements across the city is scheduled to be adopted in mid-November. An amendment that would eliminate occupancy limits for unrelated adults is slated to go to the Codes and Ordinances Joint Committee on Sept. 20. “The timing presented is subject to change based on future changes to priorities, resources, commission and community bandwidth, and additional analysis related to the complexity of certain amendments,” wrote Middleton-Pratt. “Additionally, an updated Active Code Amendments table on the LDC Amendments website provides further detail about each active code amendment on the chart, including a description of the amendment, the stage within the code amendment process (initiation, development and engagement, or review and adoption), current status, and the lead department.”

Huston-Tillotson University has opened enrollment for a new Music Business Foundations certificate program open to adult learners and non-students. The professional education program will detail topics like music marketing, the legal aspects of music deals, music publishing and live music promotion. The first cohort will consist of 25 students, with classes beginning on Oct. 25. “This marks a significant milestone in our mission to prepare students and adult learners for careers in the music industry. We’re excited to introduce a revolutionary new way of learning about the business side of music with a curriculum we’ve been developing for over a year,” said For the Students founder Ogden Payne in a statement to the press. “We want to express our gratitude to the City of Austin for helping this partnership come together, as well as thank our internship partner C3 Presents for providing graduates of the program with an opportunity to grow in their professional journeys.” Through the partnership with C3 Presents, the program will offer paid internship opportunities and a limited number of scholarships.

The Economic Development Department has announced 65 grant recipients receiving a total of $1.5 million from the latest installment of the Creative Space Assistance Program. The program was created to help arts organizations and commercial spaces in music and arts avoid displacement. The grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 can be used for rent subsidies, improvements to generate more revenue, or to provide gap financing for the purchase of a creative space. Demographic data on the award winners show 43 percent identify their leadership as majority racially diverse, and 46 percent of leadership identify as majority female or nonbinary. More than 1,700 people are employed by the 65 recipients, which have a median of 16 years of operation. The full list of winners is available online. Those who captured the full $50,000 amount are: Antone’s Nightclub, Austin Creative Reuse, Creative Action, Hotel Vegas, Juno Black Music, Motion Media Arts Center, and Museum of Human Achievement.

The University of Texas-Austin has committed to open Impact Labs, a 10,000-square-foot wet lab space that will be part of the innovation and research spaces at Karlin Real Estate’s Parmer Austin project on Parmer Lane just east of I-35. The life sciences lab space will be managed by UT’s Discovery to Impact program, which helps to cultivate promising research into the commercial marketplace. Life sciences have a growing footprint in the Austin economy and real estate marketplace, with prices reaching $369 per square foot in July, according to real estate services firm Commercial Edge. That figure put Austin fourth among major metro areas, behind only the Manhattan submarket, San Francisco and San Diego. Other tenants planned for the Parmer Austin project include Apple, 3M, Infosys, Cognizant and Qualcomm.

Urban Land Institute Austin has announced the winners of the competitive projects categories in the organization’s annual Impact Awards, which were held Aug. 29 at ZACH Theatre. Austin ISD’s Rosedale School won the “Most Influential Project” award from a field of 15 nominees that also included Austin Community College’s Rio Grande campus and the Dell Jewish Community Center. Austin Community College’s Rio Grande campus won the “Best Project Innovation” award, besting 13 other projects, including The Campsite at Shield Ranch and Austin Energy’s District Cooling Plant 3. The “Best Project Design” award went to Block 185, which is known more commonly as the sail-shaped 35-story building that serves as Google’s downtown base. Austin Energy’s Corporate Headquarters at Mueller and the Music Lane project off South Congress were among the 20 nominees. Texas Capitol Complex was recognized with the “Best Public Place” award, ahead of five other projects, including the Blanton Museum of Art and ACC’s Rio Grande campus. The “Next Big Idea” award went to Austin Housing Conservancy, with the East 11th Street Urban Renewal District Development Study and the Live + Make Campus among the other four nominees.

The renovation of Brush Square is nearly complete, and everyone is invited to celebrate it. On Sunday, Sept. 17 at 1:30 pm, the Parks and Recreation Department will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony, featuring a performance by Big Wy’s Brass Band. The celebration coincides with Austin Museum Day, so there will also be activities at the Susanna Dickinson Museum and word games at O. Henry Museum replete with Texas-themed prizes. The renovation to the square includes new walkways, an event lawn, raised decking, new lighting and landscaping. In addition, the O. Henry Museum has been restored. Both projects were funded by the Historic Preservation Fund, through Hotel Occupancy Tax dollars.

Rethink35 announced this week that it plans to file suit against the Texas Department of Transportation later this year or in early 2024. The group, which opposes the proposed expansion of Interstate 35 through downtown, dropped an earlier lawsuit against the project in June. “Despite overwhelming opposition from the public and elected leaders, TxDOT has refused to listen and instead is opting to push on with a massive, damaging, and wasteful highway expansion,” said Rethink35 Board President Adam Greenfield in a statement to the press. “TxDOT’s unwillingness to substantively respond to and address the thousands of concerns about the plan give us no choice but to file a lawsuit.” The group cites a study that they conducted with the Restart Lone Star Rail District that found more than 75 percent of public comments submitted to TxDOT’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement opposed expansion of the highway.

This might soften the blow of your civic duty. Pay for Travis County jurors will increase by a big margin starting Friday. Jurors will now receive $20 for the first day of service – up from $6 – and $40-$58 on subsequent days. (Except for city of Austin jury trials, a news release notes.) The increase is due to House Bill 3474, an omnibus bill passed in the 88th Texas Legislature. “Travis County officials are thrilled about this increase in jury pay,” said Velva L. Price, Travis County district clerk, in a statement. “We hope the pay increase will improve participation and racial and socioeconomic diversity of Travis County jury pools. Combined with online registration and free rides on the public transit system, Travis County is working to make jury service easier and limit the impact to personal and work lives of jurors.”

Austin Public Health on Wednesday announced the death of a Travis County resident who developed an amebic meningitis infection after swimming in Lake Lyndon B. Johnson earlier this month. Now, the public health authority is warning people about the current risks of swimming in natural bodies of water.

“Although these infections are very rare, this is an important reminder that there are microbes present in natural bodies of water that can pose risks of infection,” Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin-Travis County health authority, said in a statement. “Increased temperatures over the summer make it ideal for harmful microorganisms to grow and flourish.”

Some things to know about amebic infections, per a news release from the city:

• “Primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) infections are rare, with only 39 known infected individuals in Texas between 1962 and 2022. PAM can cause severe illness up to nine days after exposure.”
• “Symptoms of an amebic meningitis infection – an infection of the brain – start with severe headache, fever, nausea and vomiting and progress to stiff neck, seizures and coma and can lead to death.”
• “Amebic meningitis does not occur if water is swallowed, but can be fatal if forced up the nose, as can occur when jumping into water, diving, water-skiing or other water activities. It is not found in salt water, or in properly maintained and chlorinated pools.”

According to Austin Public Health, residents should avoid aquatic activities in warm freshwater when the temperature outside is high and the water levels are low – so, right now. If you do go for a swim in a lake, limit the amount of water entering nasal passages and avoid digging in/stirring up sediment, per the news release.

Go here for more info.

Some literally groundbreaking news: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport just marked the start of construction on the West Gate Expansion project. It’s part of the airport’s Journey With AUS expansion effort “that will improve the Central Texas airport that continues to serve a record-breaking volume of passenger and airline activities,” according to a Wednesday news release.

The three new gates built during construction will offset the closure of existing gates during future construction at the airport, according to the news release. According to the airport, the West Gate Expansion project also will:

• Increase terminal space by an additional 84,500 square feet;
• Add new food and retail spaces, public art, seating areas, the largest restrooms in the terminal, relaxation spaces and private rooms for nursing or pumping; and
• Construct a third-level outdoor public patio with views of the skyline.

And about the money: “Like all airport improvements, no local Austin taxpayer dollars will be used to fund the project. The improvements will be funded through traditional airport development funding sources, such as airport cash reserves, current and future airport revenues and future revenue bond proceeds. AUS is currently evaluating opportunities for federal grant funding to support the project,” according to the news release.

The West Gate Expansion is slated to open in 2026. Get more info at the city’s website.