Parks and Recreation Department Director Sara Hensley expressed surprise at the Parks Board meeting Tuesday when several residents brought up the MoPac Improvement Project, and a proposed elevated double-decker bridge over Lady Bird Lake and parts of Zilker Park. Hensley said she had just heard about the plan Monday by “happenchance” when she met with a council member from Rollingwood who expressed concerns about noise from the bridge affecting the experience of park visitors. The plan, Hensley and the board learned at the meeting, also calls for plexiglass to go around the bridge in the hopes of keeping traffic noise to a minimum. This, too, was news. “I didn’t even know about the plexiglass,” Hensley said Tuesday.

Art in Public Places seeks to commission temporary public artworks for the 2015 cycle of the TEMPO program. TEMPO is a program of the city’s Cultural Arts Division of the Economic Development Department. Professional visual artists and designers who live and work in Williamson, Travis, Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Burnet and Blanco counties are eligible to apply. Multiple commissions will be awarded. The budget for artwork ranges from $3,000 to $10,000 for each commissioned work. Artists may select from a list of city-owned sites, including parkland, libraries and right of way, and craft a proposal for a short-term artwork or time-based performance that responds to that specific site. Selected artworks will be installed for varying periods of time between July and December 2015. Proposals must be submitted by 5 p.m. April 24,  through www.PublicArtist.org, an online application system. To read the complete Request for Proposals, go here.

The city will host a community meeting April 7 for the public to meet candidates for the next chief animal services officer position and provide input about who is selected. This position oversees the operations of the Austin Animal Center, which provides shelter to more than 18,000 animals annually and serves Austin and Travis County. The officer will lead a staff of 98 with an annual budget of $10.6 million. At the community meeting, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from and interact with the winnowed applicants and will be asked to offer feedback regarding the candidates’ strengths and weaknesses. Those scheduled for interviews include: Dustin Deel, assistant director of Municipal and Community Services, Weatherford, Texas; Tawny Hammond, Animal Shelter director, Fairfax County, Virginia; Kevin Hertell, executive director, Second Chance Center for Animals, Flagstaff, Arizona; and Anne Martinez, assistant director, Department of Youth Services, Bernalillo County, New Mexico. Deputy Animal Services Officer Chris Noble has served as the interim chief officer since the departure of Abigail Smith in December. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Road.

City Council will convene at 9 a.m. today to learn more about the city’s role in public health and health care delivery. Trish Young Brown, CEO & president, Central Health; Shannon Jones, director, City of Austin, Health and Human Services Department; and David Evans, CEO, Austin Travis Integral Care will look at how health care services impact a community and discuss upcoming issues for Council. Council members will also hear from St. David’s Foundation’s Earl Maxwell, Gray Panther’s Clint Smith, Dell Medical School’s Dr. Dean Clay Johnston, Community Care Collaborative Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mark Hernandez and representatives from Children and Youth Mental Health Planning Partnership, Recovery Oriented System of Care, the American Heart Association, People’s Community Clinic and the Austin Independent School District. At 12:30 p.m., the focus will turn to social services. Stephanie Hayden, assistant director of the Austin Travis County Health and Human Services Department, and City of Austin ADA coordinator Dolores Gonzalez will give an overview of the topic. During that discussion, Council will hear from United Way for Greater Austin Navigation Center’s Kay Garza, Travis County Executive for Health & Human Services and Veterans Service Sherri Fleming, One Voice Central Texas Chair Tod Marvin, Ready by 21 Coalition coordinator Sabine Foster and Ending Community Homelessness Coalition Executive Director Ann Howard. Council members will also hear from representatives from the Aging Services Council of Central Texas, AARP, the Reentry Roundtable, the Central Texas Afterschool Network, the Child and Youth Mental Health Planning Partnership and the Immigrant Services Network of Austin.

The Austin Public Library’s Recycled Reads program will stay at its Burnet Road location for the time being. City Council approved the renewal of the program’s lease with a tight 5-5 vote, with Council Member Ann Kitchen off the dais. The lease can be negated after one year with a Council vote. It lasts seven years at $14,000 per month, up from the previous $8,000 per month rent set in 2008. Council discussed moving the program to city-owned land or finding partner nonprofits to shoulder some of the cost. The lease agreement will be evaluated at Council again in one year. Recycled Reads takes discarded books from the Austin library system and sells them at reduced prices ranging from 50 cents to $2. Recycled Reads manager Mindy Reed was awarded the Library Journal’s “Mover and Shaker” award earlier this month for pioneering the program.

Mayor Steve Adler honored two retiring Municipal Court employees Thursday who between them have nearly 60 years of service to the city. Olga Delgado, who is retiring after 13 years of service at Brackenridge Hospital and nearly 20 years at Municipal Court, most recently served as administrative specialist to the Municipal Court judges, where she was known for her gracious customer service. Cheryl BonHomme was also honored for 26 years of extraordinary public service to the people of Austin. Her colleagues say she was known as a tireless worker who dealt efficiently with every project. Delgado and BonHomme follow Municipal Court Clerk Rebecca Stark into retirement. Two weeks ago, Stark accepted her own distinguished service award after 15 years as director of Austin Municipal Court and a total of 36 years in government service. In 2008, she was the recipient of the Excellence Award, which is the highest honor awarded by the Texas Court Clerk’s Association for distinguished service and extraordinary achievement. Later in 2008, Stark was named Clerk of the Year by the Texas Municipal Courts Association for her professionalism and pursuit of excellence. She was the first person to receive both awards in the same year. Also retiring March 12 was Leslie Libby, Austin Energy’s Solar Energy Services project manager. She had worked for the city for the past 23 years. Under her leadership, Austin Energy developed its solar rebate program, providing 2,100 customers with $32.5 million in solar incentives. Her friends and colleagues will gather for her retirement party at 6 p.m. today at Rising Sun Aikido, 1600 Stassney.

According to the Environment Texas Research & Policy Center, Austin is 17th in the nation in terms of total amount of solar power installed within city limits. In a news conference outside of City Hall on Thursday, the environmental advocacy group’s director Luke Metzger applauded Austin for jumping from 13 megawatts in 2013 to 21 megawatts at the end of last year — a 62 percent increase. “Austin is a star when it comes to solar power, and we hope that the new City Council will continue the policies to keep Austin shining,” Metzger said. Austin would likely be higher on the list, he added, if the measure included the 30 megawatt Webberville Solar Project located in the City of Manor. The organization’s new publication, Shining Cities: Harnessing the Benefits of Solar Energy in America, lists San Antonio in 7th place with 88 megawatts, Houston in 32nd place with 5 megawatts and Dallas in 45th with 2 megawatts.

Parks officials announced changes to the parking system at the Zilker Metropolitan Park on Thursday. The changes are an attempt to prevent traffic congestion on Barton Springs Road. Beginning this Saturday, there will be no entrance to the parking lot off Barton Springs Road on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Additionally, a $5 parking fee will apply on weekends, holidays and during special events from Saturday until Labor Day. A larger picture of the mapped traffic flow changes is available on the city website.

City Council members will hold their first Austin Energy Committee meeting at 9 a.m. today, which they will follow with a regular meeting at 11 a.m. As if that weren’t enough, city leaders announced Wednesday that they will also “launch a comprehensive plan to provide relief for thousands of daily commuters” during a 1 p.m. news conference. The conference will feature City Manager Marc Ott, Mayor Steve Adler and Council Member Ann Kitchen, who is the chair of the Council Mobility Committee. The Monitor, of course, will be there to report on all three meetings.

The Travis County Commissioners Court is now taking applications from qualified candidates looking to represent the county on the City of Austin Commission on Immigrant Affairs. The commission advises City Council on issues that affect local immigrants and their families, including health and education. The commissioners are looking for candidates who have connections to immigrant communities in Travis County, experience collaborating with broad networks and stakeholders, and a desire to participate in local government. The successful nominee should expect to fill a term that expires Dec. 31, 2018. More information and an application packet can be found at www.traviscountytx.gov. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. April 6.

The Austin Urban Forestry Program says it is negotiating with the organizer of January’s Cyclocross event at Zilker Park to ensure USA Cycling bears the cost of restoring 57 trees damaged during the races. At the first meeting of the Open Space, Environment and Sustainability Committee, Chair Leslie Pool emphasized the importance of finalizing that agreement soon so repairs could get underway before the summer months, with the season’s increased influx of people to city parkland. “It’s not just the money and it’s not just the willingness to make the repairs, but it’s how quickly they’re done,” she said.

City Council is seeking applications for two vacancies on the five-member Municipal Civil Service Commission, created by an amendment to the City Charter approved by Austin voters in November 2012. The commission helped establish personnel rules in 2013 and sits as the ruling body on appeals of disciplinary actions by certain City of Austin employees. The time commitment for volunteer commissioners is about 20-30 hours a month. When selected by Council, these two commissioners will serve three-year terms. Applications may be submitted online. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. April 22.