Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Thursday released a monthly update on its passenger and cargo traffic.

Courtesy of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport

According to the airport, 1,981,813 passengers flew through the airport in May, down 1.98 percent compared to the same month in 2022. Southwest Airlines accounted for the most passengers by far – 754,917 – but that number was still down 4.2 percent from last year. Year to date, however, the Austin airport has seen 8,738,900 passengers, which is up 9.10 percent compared to January-May 2022.

Air cargo in May totaled 23,983,486, down 8.8 percent compared to the same month last year. Crunch some more numbers at the city’s website.

Visitors to the Rainey Street District, take heed. Red River Street will be closed from Cesar Chavez to Driskill streets starting at 7 a.m. on Saturday. It will reopen at 7 p.m. on Sunday. “The closure will allow construction crews to conduct restoration in the area for the forthcoming development at 98 Red River Street called The Waterline,” according to a news release from the city. This part of the street had been closed earlier in the year to install chilled water lines. Get more transit news here.

On a vote of 6-4, City Council voted last week to postpone consideration of an item that would have taken decisions about water and wastewater service extension requests within the drinking water protection zone (DWPZ) away from Council and put them into the hands of city staff. These requests are how landowners and developers ask the city to extend water or wastewater service to a property. Council Member Alison Alter sought the postponement of the item sponsored by Council Member Leslie Pool. Numerous citizens showed up to oppose the change, which would remove not only City Council authority but also the authority of various environmental and land use commissions to weigh in on such requests. Interim City Manager Jesús Garza said he and his team would like to take the opportunity to work with Watershed Protection Department management and the Austin Water utility to “identify any weaknesses in what we’re doing.” At least one speaker intimated “that somehow Watershed was not allowed to express fully what they believed needed to be done. So, we need to go through that process and then we want to work with each of the Council offices that are interested in this as we go forward for that postponement,” Garza said. The item was postponed to Aug. 31, but that agenda already has numerous controversial items, so it could be postponed again. In addition to Alison Alter, those voting in favor of postponing the item were Mayor Kirk Watson and Council members Chito Vela, José Velásquez, Ryan Alter and Mackenzie Kelly. Kelly and Ryan Alter were both co-sponsors.

The city’s Heritage Preservation Grants are open, with $2.7 million poised to be distributed to capital, planning, educational or marketing projects that promote Austin tourism. According to a press release from the city, all grants will be awarded on a competitive basis after being evaluated by a panel that reviews its “impact on preservation, tourism, access, and project viability.” The release continues, “Grant projects must engage new audiences, be history-informing, promote diverse stories, and attract tourism to historically designated sites. Eligible applicants include for-profit, government, and non-profit entities. Applicants may submit either a capital, planning, educational, or marketing proposal per funding cycle.” Eligibility requirements and applications can be found online.

In addition, applicants can get more information by watching a prerecorded webinar, or by attending a workshop:

• August 9: Virtual Awareness Workshop I (noon)
• August 9: In-Person Office Hours (6310 Wilhelmina Delco Drive, 5:30-6:30 p.m.)
• August 14: Virtual Awareness Workshop II (10 a.m.)
• August 21: Virtual Awareness Workshop III (noon)
• August 23: In-Person Office Hours (George Washington Carver Museum, 10-11 a.m.)
• August 29: Virtual Awareness Workshop IV (6 p.m.)
• August 31: Virtual Awareness Workshop V (noon)
• September 6: In-Person Office Hours (Austin City Hall, 5-6 p.m.)
• September 8: Virtual Awareness Workshop VI (noon)
• September 13: In-Person Office Hours (6310 Wilhelmina Delco Drive, 5:30-6:30 p.m.)

Applications are due by September 22 at 5 p.m.

This month, St. David’s Foundation has announced $20.4 million in grant funding to advance health equity for Central Texans. In total, 38 grants were awarded this year. The grants were distributed to local and grassroots groups that support the foundation’s mission, with a focus on resilient children, healthy women and girls, older adults, thriving rural communities and clinics as community, according to a press release, with each of the 33 awarded organizations “selected for their meaningful impact helping underserved and marginalized Central Texas residents.”

The list of 2023 grant recipients are:

• Austin Child Guidance Center – $880,057
• Austin Clubhouse – $178,200
• Capital Area Initiatives Foundation – $182,443
• Capacity Catalyst – $121,500
• Center for Child Protection – $434,970
• Communities In Schools of Central Texas – $2,187,000
• ConferMED – $444,008
• Council on At-Risk Youth (CARY) – $267,300
• E3 Alliance – $405,000
• Every Texan – $121,500
• Family Crisis Center – $99,630
• Foundation Communities – $3,747,384
• half Helen Foundation – $243,000
• Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center – $498,059
• Healthy Futures of Texas* – $533,000
• Hope Alliance – $222,750
• Hope Medical Clinic* – $107,620
• Interagency Support Council of Eastern Williamson County – $324,000
• Jail to Jobs – $25,000
• LifeWorks – $3,126,639
• Mama Sana/Vibrant Woman – $324,000
• Sacred Heart Community Clinic – $16,200
• Smithville Community Clinic – $145,800
• Texas 2036 – $81,000
• Texas Accountable Communities for Health Initiative (fiscally sponsored by Episcopal Health Foundation) – $500,000
• Texas Center for Local Food – $35,000
• Texas Department of Agriculture – $1,500,000
• Texas Pediatric Society – $20,000
• The SAFE Alliance (SAFE | stop abuse for everyone) – $1,085,432
• The University of Texas at Austin, College of Education – $30,000
• Travis County Transformation Project (fiscally sponsored by Amala Foundation) – $50,000
• United Way for Greater Austin* – $2,243,708
• Volunteer Healthcare Clinic – $182,655

*asterisk denotes an organization that received multiple grants

Parents and caregivers can now contact Texas schools to request an application for free and reduced-cost meals for the upcoming school year. A news release from Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, whose office administers the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs in Texas, explains that an approved application is required in order for students to receive meals under the program. Schools determine eligibility based on income and participation in other aid programs, as well as whether students are homeless, runaways, migrants, displaced by disaster or in a foster care program. More information can be found at SquareMeals.org, and the Department of Agriculture encourages caregivers with questions to reach out to their school’s nutrition department with questions. “Children will go back to school before you know it and this year families have a new reason to get the application for free and reduced-price meals submitted as soon as possible,” Miller said in a statement. “The budget approved by the 88th Texas Legislature includes funding that lets students who are approved to get reduced-price meals get breakfast free. (The Texas Department of Agriculture) and schools are working now to get the word out about this great new resource. Submitting the application for free and reduced-price meals early will help schools prepare to implement this new benefit and provide healthy, balanced meals to more students.”

Central Health, the hospital district of Travis County, has announced a series of community conversations coming next month. Titled “Your Voice. Your Tax Dollars. Your Healthcare,” the sessions will include “a presentation on how Central Health’s 2024 budget will ensure healthcare is getting better in Travis County,” according to the announcement. There will be Q&As after the presentations. Topics up for discussion include new clinics and expanded health care coverage enrollment for people with low income. Residents have three different options to attend: 5:30 p.m. Aug. 17 at Asian American Resource Center, 5:30 p.m. Aug. 22 at Travis County Community Center in Pflugerville and 10 a.m. Aug. 28 at Central Health Southeast Health & Wellness Center. Meals will be served at all events. Find more info, including about free transportation and access in a language other than English, here.

City Council approved an unusually hefty batch of appointments last week – about 40 – most importantly, perhaps, for current members of the Ethics Commission, who will be joined by two new members. The commission has had trouble recently because of insufficient numbers to carry out its mission. Council Member José Velásquez appointed Alysa Nunez to the group, and Mayor Kirk Watson appointed Edward Espinoza. Watson also appointed former Austin American-Statesman editorial writer Alberta Phillips to the Planning Commission. Council Member Chito Vela appointed Yung-Ju Kim to the Board of Adjustment. All of the appointments can be found here.

Don’t junk that couch, kids. MoveOutATX, an annual donation event in West Campus, is coming this month, co-sponsored by local groups including Austin Resource Recovery. From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 28-31, students can visit one of eight donation stations in North and West Campus to drop off gently used furniture, household items, small appliances, clothing, cleaning supplies, unopened food and more. The items will go to local reuse organizations. Each day that the donations are accepted, some furniture will be taken to the Free Furniture Market, open 6:30 to 8:15 p.m. at UT’s Wright-Whitaker Sports Complex (287 W. 51st St.). Any Austinite can grab a piece of furniture there on a first-come, first-served basis. Item limits may be enforced, and participants must transport their finds on their own. Get more info – like how to volunteer and where to drop off unwanted goods – at MoveOutATX.org.

The city’s Parks and Recreation Department has issued a Parks Burning Restriction, effective as of Thursday, due to dangerous fire conditions in the region. In order to ensure people’s safety and minimize wildfire risk, parkgoers are prohibited from building fires and grilling in the city’s parks, greenbelts and preserves. “This includes the use of wood or charcoal BBQ pits/grills/smokers. Propane stoves are allowed in designated picnic areas only,” a news release states. The restrictions are in place until further notice, according to the department. The fine for a violation runs $300 to $500. Go to austintexas.gov/wildfire for more info.

An inventory of generators and emergency backup power at fire and EMS stations has found the city is, indeed, lacking adequate resources to keep emergency services powered in the event of a blackout. Winter Storm Mara brought to light that many of the facilities were without power backup during the storm, and the recently completed survey drove that point home. The city’s Building Services Department found that 72 sites require new generators at an estimated cost of $20,521,000.

According to the memo from Building Services Department officer Darrell Alexander, “BSD will work with the City’s contracted vendor to ensure that we receive the generators as quickly as possible.”