Young Austinites aged 15 to 25 will have the chance to hear from and talk to local civic leaders next Thursday, April 13. Registration for the Young Austinite Civic Summit, hosted by St. Edward’s University, is free and open now. The event aims to provide local students with solutions they face in the city through panels and small group sessions focused on things like “Finding Your Voice” and “Civics 101 Training.” The event will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. at St. Edward’s University.

Austin’s bike infrastructure will continue to expand with the upcoming start of construction on the Austin to Manor Trail this month. The trail, which is about 3 miles long, will consist of a 12-foot-wide path that (as you might have guessed) connects Austin’s trail network to Manor following Capital Metro railroad tracks, which makes for a nice, flat path through the Blackland Prairie. Construction is expected to take one year and will, eventually, connect to the proposed Gilleland Greenway allowing bikes to travel from Ben E. Fisher Metropolitan Park to Northeast Metropolitan Park in Pflugerville.

The urban trail will be funded through a combination of mobility bonds, a CAMPO grant and a Travis County interlocal agreement.

Civically minded procrastinators, take heed! Today is the last day to register to vote for the May 6 election that features two similar but opposing propositions about police oversight in Austin. In general, United States citizens that are at least 17 years and 10 months old are eligible to vote in their county of residence, with exceptions for some convicted felons or those deemed by a court as ineligible to vote due to mental incapacitation. Texans can check to see if they are registered, and registered under the correct address, here. As today is the deadline for registration, election officials advise submitting an application in person at a county voter registrar.

With the resignation of Board Member Tony Elkins, the Austin Transit Partnership is now looking for a community expert in finance to join the ATP board. They are looking for someone to complete Elkins’ term, which ends in January, 2025, according to a memo from Assistant City Manager Robert Goode.

In that memo, Goode laid out a proposed timeline for selecting a new member. The board is looking for someone “with at least 10 years of experience in finance, financial management, banking, or investing with a focus on large capital projects.” The director will be selected through a nomination process, which involves chairs of the City Council Audit and Finance Committee (Alison Alter) the City Council Mobility Committee (Paige Ellis), the CapMetro Finance, Audit and Administration Committee (Matt Harriss), and the CapMetro Operations, Planning and Safety Committee (Eric Stratton). According to Goode’s timeline, the Council will consider the nominating committee’s recommendation on July 20 and the Capital Metro Board of Directors will consider the recommendation on July 24. The new member will begin serving on August 23.

This whisper has been changed to correct the Audit and Administration Committee representative. 

After collecting 239,432 cubic yards of debris during the first round, Travis County Transportation and Natural Resources is poised to begin its final round of debris pickup from Winter Storm Mara. The collection will occur on public streets in the unincorporated areas of the county starting on Monday, April 17.  Residents that have tree limbs and brush (not trash) to be collected are asked to place debris by the curb by Sunday, April 16, making sure the piles are not under low power lines and branches or blocked by anything in the street. More information about storm recovery for county residents can be found here.

Austin’s Broken Spoke will celebrate the dedication of an official Texas Historical Marker on Wednesday, April 12, in a ceremony that will feature dedications from the likes of Mayor Kirk Watson and Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott and, of course, music. The ceremony will kick off at the Spoke at 5:30 p.m., with a free concert from Alvin Crow and Ian Stewart at 7 p.m. in the historic dance hall. Though City Council has not yet approved historic zoning for the honky-tonk, the case sailed through the Historic Landmark Commission and was initiated by City Council along with a proclamation, so odds are that honor is on the way as well.

Austin-Bergstrom and Transportation Security Administration officials have announced that installation of new computed tomography (CT) scanners at airport checkpoints has begun and is expected to be complete by late summer. What does that mean for air travelers? Ultimately, the hope is that the machines will reduce wait times and inconvenience by using a technology that allows everything (electronics, food, etc.) to be left in carry-on luggage.  Installation of the new machines will be phased, with one lane at a time being upgraded weekly and opened in the hopes of minimizing impact to passengers. “Use of CT technology at our security checkpoints is a win-win for TSA and passengers,” said Gilbert Almaraz, TSA Federal Security Director for AUS, in a statement to the press.  “We get increased detection capability which leads to fewer bag checks, and passengers get to leave their electronics and 3-1-1 liquids in their bags.”

More than 500 people attended a March 21 Project Connect open house that offered a drastically scaled-back light rail plan. But transportation officials (and the Austin Monitor!) want you to know that open house was only the beginning of a six-week comment period currently underway. To take advantage of said comment page, visit Project Connect’s “get involved” page, register for a virtual open house, or attend a virtual community update on the evening of Thursday, April 6, via Zoom.

Plans to rehab or replace the Barton Springs Road Bridge are well underway, and those that want a say in how they play out can stop by a feedback open house today from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The open house will take place at the McBeth Recreation Center located at 2401 Columbus Drive. Those that can’t attend in person, or want to do so fully equipped with knowledge about the current proposals, can visit the city’s website or subscribe to the project newsletter for ongoing updates.

Last week the Central Health Board of Managers voted unanimously to allow about $90.5 million in certificates of obligation to be used toward establishing a new medical complex that will serve low-income patients. According to a press release from Central Health, the funds will be used to purchase and renovate buildings in Northeast Austin and the facility will serve those experiencing homelessness. The location of the complex has not yet been made public. However, the complex is expected to have clinical space and a short-term detox center as well as 50 respite care beds that will give those experiencing homelessness a space to recover from medical care.

“We know from our data analysis and being in the community there are serious gaps in healthcare services for Travis County’s low-income residents. Central Health is in the process of addressing those gaps by adding new services for more people in more locations,” President & CEO Mike Geeslin said in a statement to the press. “This new Northeast Austin location will be an important asset for us as we work toward our goals, but more importantly for the residents who so desperately need the services it will provide.”

At the same meeting, which was held on March 29, the board voted to authorize about $9 million toward the Rosewood-Zaragosa specialty care clinic that will open later this year.

This week, the Travis County Commissioners Court will be asked to approve the funding. If they do so on April 4, “the annual debt service amounts will increase the average homestead property tax bill by approximately $12.84,” according to the press release.

This week, the San Antonio Spurs and the Austin Parks Foundation will celebrate a newly renovated basketball court at Dove Springs District Park. The April 4 ribbon-cutting ceremony will also mark a $500,000 donation by Spurs Give and the Austin Parks Foundation to launch Play ATX, a multi-year program to renovate parks and basketball courts throughout the city. In a press statement, Austin Parks and Recreation Director Kimberly McNeeley thanked the Spurs and community partners for making the project a reality. “Through creative collaboration and teamwork with Austin Parks Foundation and the Spurs, the newly refurbished basketball court is a wonderful addition to Dove Springs District Park,” she said. Upgrades to the Dove Springs court include resurfacing and restriping, new goals, and new benches and lights. “Our Parks and Recreation Department is severely underfunded and partnerships like this help amplify our work and allow us to make much-needed improvements to our city’s parks,” said Colin Wallis, CEO of Austin Parks Foundation. “Outdoor activities, such as playing basketball, are so important, not only to foster a sense of community but for the tremendous physical and mental health benefits.” Play ATX is an expansion of the Spurs’ Play SA program, which it launched in 2020. In its third year, the program has completed 11 renovations including revamped basketball courts, playgrounds and a skate park.

This story has been updated to clarify the donation.

The Austin Parks Foundation has released its 2023 schedule of free, outdoor summer movies. After a weather delay, Movies in the Park relaunches April 13 with a 7 p.m. screening of “Back to the Future” at Dick Nichols District Park. The schedule in its entirety is:

• “Back to the Future” @ Dick Nichols District Park: Thu., April 13, 7 p.m.
• “The Lego Batman Movie” @ Dove Springs District Park: Thu., April 27, 7 p.m.
• “Free Guy” @ Gus Garcia District Park: Thu., May 25, 7:30 p.m.
• “The Sandlot” @ Govalle District Park: Thu., June 29, 7 p.m.
• “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” @ TBA: Fri., Sept. 29, 7 p.m.
• “Hocus Pocus” @ Mueller Lake Park: Thu., Oct. 26, 7 p.m.
• “Moana” @ Mabel Davis District Park: Fri., Nov. 10, 7 p.m.

Guests to the screenings are encouraged to bring (non-glass, non-Styrofoam) picnics, blankets, chairs and on-leash dogs. This year, APF is also hosting a series of “Playdates in the Park” with Creative Action that include story times, arts and crafts, music and more. Information about the playdates can be found here. And the playdates include:

• Garrison District Park: Wed., April 12, 10 a.m.
• Alderbrook Pocket Park: Sat., April 29, 10 a.m.
• Armadillo Neighborhood Park: Wed., May 10, 10 a.m.
• Patterson Neighborhood Park: Sat., May 27, 10 a.m.

“We’ve seen the sense of community that park-centered events like our In the Park series fosters among our neighbors and attendees,” said Colin Wallis, CEO of Austin Parks Foundation, in a statement to the press. “Giving Austinites access to free programming allows for more opportunities to get the community to enjoy our parks and green spaces and provides a safe, fun atmosphere for family and friends to gather.”