Austin Public Health has launched a new campaign in an effort to educate parents about the importance of vaccinating their children against Covid-19. Rates of vaccination among kids in Travis County “continue to lag far behind those of adults,” according to a news release from APH. With Covid subvariants becoming increasingly transmissible and in the midst of flu season, “it’s important that all parents take action to protect children from serious illness and hospitalization.” The bilingual campaign, called Be Your Child’s Hero, combats vaccine hesitancy “by emphasizing vaccines’ proven safety and efficacy.” As Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin-Travis County health authority, said, “I’m concerned about the low vaccine uptake we’re seeing among our children. We want to do everything we can to help empower parents to protect their families from these vaccine-preventable illnesses.”

PARD’s Urban Forestry Unit is holding a reclaimed log pickup for community members who need a large log to use in a furniture or garden project, artwork or one of the myriad other uses one might have for a big, heavy, long piece of wood. Aside from the desire to own a log, there are a few guidelines for the event, as follows: You are responsible for loading up and hauling your own log (though parks staff will cut the log down to size if needed); you must sign a liability waiver before picking up your log; and each participant is entitled to one log and one log only. Friday, Feb. 3, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., John Treviño Jr. Metro Park, 9501 FM 969.

The Public Works and Transportation departments have just released three draft plans that offer guidance for how the city will build sidewalks, crosswalks, urban trails and bikeways. Community members are invited to review and leave comments on Sidewalks, Crossings, and Shared Streets; Urban Trail; and/or Bicycle draft plans now through March 20. As James Snow, the interim director of Public Works, explained, “Our sidewalks, trails, bikeways, and roads are a direct result of planning decisions that have impacts beyond our travel options. These decisions impact our environment, our health, and our access to resources. These updated plans consider impacts beyond mobility and build upon the past two years of public input. Now it’s time to reflect back what we’ve heard and confirm that we’re on track.” Just select the plan you’d like to comment on from the list here.

City Council made multiple appointments to city boards and commissions Thursday, including appointing Stephanie Bazan to the Parks and Recreation Board. Council Member Ryan Alter made the motion to appoint Bazan, who was his opponent in the City Council District 5 runoff in December. Sarah Faust, who was appointed by former Council Member Ann Kitchen, will step down at the end of February and Bazan will take her seat in March.

Austinites who have questions or opinions about the Texas Department of Transportation’s proposed expansion of Interstate 35 (and who doesn’t?) are invited to attend a town hall event hosted by City Council members Chito Vela and Zo Qadri. Residents of Council districts 2, 3, 4, 5 or 9 are especially urged to attend, but everyone is welcome. Thursday, Feb. 2, 7-7:30 p.m., Permitting and Developing Center, 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Drive. RSVP here. Not sure what Council district you live in? Enter your address and find your district on the city’s Council district map.

Austin parents know it’s never too early to register their offspring for one of the Parks and Recreation Department’s “accessible, diverse and inclusive” summer camps for kids 5 through 15. PARD is offering early registration opportunities for those who have approved financial aid or are seeking adaptive and inclusion support programs.

• Registration for therapeutic summer programs starts Feb. 18 at 10 a.m.
• Registration for visual and performing arts, culture and history summer camps starts Feb. 25 at 10 a.m.
• Registration for nature-based summer camps begins Feb. 25 at noon.
• Registration for community recreation center summer camps begins March 4 at 10 a.m.

You can find an overview of all of PARD’s summer camps here.

At the end of this month, the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority will be kicking off construction on the Barton Skyway Ramp Relief Project. What is that, you ask? Well, it’s a project that “will add pavement for auxiliary and merge lanes on southbound MoPac at the Bee Caves Road and Barton Skyway entrance ramps. These improvements intend to alleviate congestion at Winsted Lane, Enfield Road, Bee Caves Road, and Barton Skyway, and improve travel time throughout the corridor.” Most importantly, the additional merge space created by the work is expected to reduce the bottleneck that travelers on MoPac are currently forced to endure. As Mobility Authority Executive Director James Bass explained in a news release, “Backups between Bee Caves Road and Loop 360 cause congestion extending far beyond those short limits. We hope to provide meaningful relief to the region with these improvements.”

An app called Way.com now provides a convenient method for motorists to pay for parking in Austin. The app’s search function finds nearby parking; drivers then simply enter their parking space number or license plate number, their vehicle type and how long they’d like to stay. It’s easy to extend the parking session through the app if necessary. People are already using Way for off-street parking; now the app can access on-street parking as well. According to the city’s Transportation Department, this new opportunity is “part of Austin’s efforts to make paying for on-street parking as easy and convenient as possible.”

At a special event next weekend, local musicians Andrea Magee and Kevin Russell of Shinyribs are debuting music videos featuring original songs that whimsically highlight the importance of following Austin’s leash laws and keeping your dog leashed. The event will also feature adoptable and adorable animals from Austin Animal Center looking for their “furever” homes and free desserts from Street Sweets, as well as leash giveaways and customizable pet tags. Park rangers will be in attendance representing the Bark Rangers program. The music videos are part of the city’s leash awareness campaign in partnership with local animal advocacy organizations. Saturday, Feb. 4, noon-2 p.m., rain or shine, Fiesta Gardens, 2101 Jesse E. Segovia St. Read more about Austin’s leash ordinance and find designated off-leash areas to walk your pup here.

Texas State Parks is holding a photo contest to celebrate its centennial anniversary. The contest will have four seasonal prize winners and the public will have the chance to vote on the grand prize winner at the end of the year. Prizes include park passes, HEB gift cards and “a curated state park experience.” Texas Parks and Wildlife Department spokesperson Whitney Bishop said in a news release, “We can’t wait to see the parks through our visitors’ eyes. There are so many special moments to capture, from watching a beautiful sunset to catching your first fish. This contest is about more than taking pictures. It’s about making memories.” All photos must be taken at a state park or natural area. Multiple entries are welcome. Read the contest rules here.

Mobile Loaves and Fishes announced yesterday that its Community First! Village for people exiting homelessness has partnered with Mark Odom Studio on the design of a new collection of micro homes. The architecture firm has designed six different models of homes that are 144 to 200 square feet in size, and all have porches. The 700 homes are part of phases three and four of the village, which will begin building out infrastructure this year in preparation for habitation in 2025. According to a press release from the group, the Mark Odom Studio homes are part of a site design concept called Neighborhoods of Knowingness, which is a “cluster of homes centered around a communal area and shared community buildings, such as outdoor kitchens or laundry/restroom/shower facilities, so that neighbors can connect and socialize regularly in a shared area of the neighborhood.” Currently, Community First! is home to more than 350 formerly homeless residents with plans to expand to 1,900 homes across 178 acres.

Rendering by Mark Odom Studio

Know a teen who needs a summer job? Travis County and the city of Austin collaborate on a paid summer youth employment program, or SYEP, for teens 14-17 and young adults with disabilities from 14 to 22. There are two five-week sessions between June and August, and a recent pay bump brings the compensation up to $13/hour. SYEP “provides an opportunity for young people to develop competence, confidence, and workplace skills in a real-world environment. The participants will have an opportunity to gain job-specific skills and work with positive role models who can provide guidance in setting and achieving long-term goals.” If all this sounds interesting, get started on the application process by signing up to attend a mandatory job readiness training.