The Austin Parks and Recreation Department has been awarded a Preservation Merit Award for the Preservation of a Cultural Landscape for the revitalization of historic Wooldridge Square Park. This is the second year in a row that the department has been recognized by Preservation Austin for its stewardship of historic sites. The work at Wooldridge Square, which was rededicated in September 2013, consisted of nearly a dozen new tree plantings, a new irrigation system, drought-tolerant turf grass, new light fixtures and benches, the installation of a mobile food vendor pad and the rehabilitation of the 1910 historic bandstand. The award will be presented at the 54th Annual Preservation Awards Luncheon on Nov. 21 at the Driskill Hotel.

Council members discussed an ordinance at Tuesday’s work session that would allow the city to issue permits for overnight concrete pouring on downtown mixed-use and publicly zoned properties, in addition to the central business district. Planning and Development Review Director Greg Guernsey said the city issued a record-high 108 permits for construction of the W Hotel. He also presented a survey of the permitting policies of other major U.S. cities, which varied widely. Council members generally resisted the ordinance. “I really think our efforts need to be directed principally at addressing the concerns we’ve got with the current ordinance,” Council Member Chris Riley said, adding that expansions could come later.

Just in case you thought downtown construction was tapering off, a new “Downtown Construction Conflict Map” has arrived to dissuade you of any such notions. The map, kindly sent to us by Mike Levy, is intended to help plan events downtown. You might find other uses for it as well, like providing visualized, concrete data for your complaints about navigating downtown construction for the next year or two. The map is available on the city’s website.

Austin officials announced Tuesday that the city is among five across the nation awarded technical assistance to “green” their capitals. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said it will provide technical assistance to develop infrastructure that contributes to greener, more vibrant neighborhoods. City and federal leaders will share how the technical assistance will be applied in Austin at a City Hall news conference today. Attendees will include Mayor Lee Leffingwell, EPA Region 6 Administrator Ron Curry, Waterfront Planning Advisory Board Chairman Brooke Bailey and other representatives from the City of Austin. The conference will begin at 11 a.m. in the City Hall atrium.

Austin Bergstrom International Airport kept its streak alive in August by posting a 9 percent increase in total traffic over August 2013. The 959,640 passengers in August meant that ABIA has seen passenger growth for 55 of the past 56 months. The airport topped 10 million passengers in 2013, a record for the facility that was opened to commercial traffic in 1999. Almost all of the 12 major airlines that serve ABIA reported a net increase in boardings in August. However, air cargo tonnage saw an overall drop of 9 percent in August, with the largest freight carriers, FedEx and UPS, shipping significantly less cargo. The only bright spot was a 76.5 percent increase in international shipments, which account for less than 10 percent of all cargo at ABIA.

A Crestview office building project that came under fire at the Planning Commission may be changing, but the developer needs a little more time to work out the details. Ron Thrower, who was representing developer David Kahn, asked City Council for a two-month postponement. He explained that they were currently “trying to find some middle ground” in their plans. Thrower said they needed a week to come up with new plans as well as time to talk to the neighborhood after those plans were drawn up. Neighbor Chip Harris said that in the month since the case was at the Planning Commission, the neighborhood had not heard from the developer. Harris said that he preferred no postponement, but would agree to a shorter postponement if there were substantial changes. Thrower said that, since the Planning Commission, there had been very few changes to the plans, but that more recently the developer had considered “softening up some of the elements” and establishing a list of conditions. Council members opted to postpone the case until their Oct. 16 meeting, with the understanding that they could postpone it further if necessary.

The Capital Metro board of directors approved a $322 million budget for Fiscal Year 2015 on Monday, along with the proposed service changes for spring 2015. The new budget will take effect Wednesday. The budget includes $222.8 million for operating expenses, $4.6 million for loan repayments and $12.8 million for interlocal agreements. Additionally, the agency plans to invest $81.9 million in capital projects, mostly through investments in its transportation system. The adopted budget also includes $350,000 for the Basic Transportation Needs Fund, which is designed to increase low-income, transit-dependent individuals’ access to transportation.

As of Oct. 1, the Planning and Development Review Department will implement new fees, raising some commercial, residential, zoning, site plan, building plan and permitting applications 25 percent. The department will also implement boat dock fees that had been approved as part of this budget cycle. The increases are in response to a study by Public Financial Management, which recommended the department limit increases of fees to 25 percent each year until they are brought up to rates comparable to other cities. For more details on the fee changes, visit the city’s website.

Since running the Whisper on the leaky Austin Neighborhoods Council news embargo, the Austin Monitor has been told that candidates were not, in fact, sworn to secrecy. Those who publicized their endorsements did so because they were told they earned the endorsement, and were excited to share the news with their supporters. At any rate, everything is out in the open now. Look for our story on the forum, and endorsements, Tuesday.

In a vote that had historically high turnout, the Austin Firefighters Local 975 voted down the latest offer from city management, with 93 percent of the 773 votes cast in opposition to the contract. Firefighters have been working without a labor agreement for about a year since, in 2013, the city removed hiring provisions that had previously been in place for more than a decade. A letter from AFA president Bob Nicks noted that the “no” vote means firefighters will have to go two years without a pay increase, adding that they have been put in a no-win situation “with the city playing professional standards against the livelihood of the firefighters’ families.” In another letter thanking union members for the vote, Nicks wrote, “the city manager and fire chief are killing the very spirit that they claim to instill in all city employees … honor, duty, family and sacrifice. We cannot hold out forever. Over time, if our bosses do not care, if the current Council does not care, then we will work hard to seat a new Council that will not let our department be destroyed, one that will protect it and support it so great things can continue to happen.” AFA recently formed a special political action committee to support eight candidates running for City Council, and has raised about $200,000 toward that goal so far.

Craig Smith, who sits on the board of the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, is home from the hospital after undergoing a quadruple heart bypass last week. Smith, a Travis County assistant attorney, has served on the aquifer board since 1998. Because no one filed to run against him, the district has canceled the November election for his seat and named him to another term. Smith missed last week’s board meeting because of the surgery but seems to be recovering quickly and intends to be at the next meeting in October. His wife, Mary Ann Neely, who serves on the city’s Environmental Board and is an active Democratic precinct chair, said Sunday that she is encouraged by Smith’s progress.

Capital Metro’s board of directors will consider adopting the agency FY2015 budget proposal today at noon. During the 2015 fiscal year, CapMetro will implement the second half of its fare restructuring, and single fares will rise from $1 to $1.25. Day passes will increase to $2.50 from $2, and monthly passes will now cost $41.25 instead of the current $33. Included in the restructuring is an elimination of MetroRail’s zoned fare structure.