After years of deliberation and planning, the Housing Authority of the City of Austin will celebrate a groundbreaking today for the renovation of Rosewood Courts. The complex, which is located at East 12th and Chicon, was built as part of the New Deal when then-U.S. Rep. Lyndon Baines Johnson lobbied for its construction as the first African American public housing project in the nation. That, and its location atop the original Emancipation Park, made Rosewood’s redevelopment a flashpoint for the city and led to the current plan, which promises preservation alongside modernization. Thursday, Dec. 15, 10 a.m.

The Lower Colorado River Authority is offering grants of up to $50,000 for community projects throughout LCRA’s service areas in Central Texas. The applications will be up online starting in January and the deadline is Jan. 31. While most of the community grants are in the neighborhood of $25,000 or less, several grants of up to $50,000 are awarded every year. According to LCRA’s news release, “Eligible organizations include volunteer fire departments, emergency responders, local governments, schools, libraries, civic groups, museums and other tax-exempt nonprofit organizations. The grants are not available to individuals, for-profit entities, professional associations, social service projects or limited-use facilities.” LCRA grants have been used previously “to purchase new vehicles, equipment and protective gear for first responders; renovations to community centers, libraries and arts venues; and improvements to parks, youth athletic facilities and outdoor community trails and exhibits.”

The first human case of West Nile virus in the region this year has been confirmed in a local resident. Though Central Texas is at the tail end of what’s considered mosquito season (May-November), recent rainy weather has extended the dangers and Austin Public Health is recommending taking all due precautions. Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes said in a news release, “Warm, wet weather is prolonging the mosquito season and we should take steps to prevent getting mosquito bites when around standing water.” The health department did routine testing in July that identified the first positive mosquito pools in ZIP codes 78759, 78754, 78723, 78721, 78704, and 78744. Find more details about symptoms and precautions here.

Austin’s Trail of Lights returns to its traditional stroll-through format this year, which means more traffic and parking woes for visitors. Organizers of the glittering seasonal spectacle recommend leaving the car at home and walking or biking along the Hike-and-Bike Trail and/or taking a Capital Metro bus. Barton Springs Road and the MoPac Expressway frontage roads will close nightly during the event around 5:15 p.m. Find more information about transportation and road closures here. The Trail of Lights will be open through Dec. 23 and is free Dec. 13-15 and Dec. 18. On other nights, a shuttle service is available at the Toney Burger Center and Republic Square for $7/person (which includes admission to the event).

Austin’s runoff election concludes today, Dec. 13, deciding races for mayor and City Council districts 3, 5 and 9. Since the citywide mayoral race is on the ballot, all registered voters in the city are eligible to vote in the election. Those who live in district 3, 5 or 9 should also cast ballots for candidates in their district (you can find out which Council district you live in using this interactive map). Voters have their choice of 85 locations in which to cast their ballots across Travis County. You can find a map of the locations, a sample ballot and a voting guide at the Travis County clerk’s website. For a deeper dive into all of the candidates, check out the Austin Monitor‘s voting guide.

Shay Roalson, Brian Steglitz and Michael Brinkmann are the top three candidates in the running to be Austin’s next water director. In February, Director Greg Meszaros stepped down from the position after 15 years when a citywide boil-water notice was issued due to an employee error. The director heads the Austin Water utility and is expected to be appointed within a few weeks, according to a press release from the city. That same release contained bios of the three candidates, who will be present at a Dec. 15 meet-and-greet with the public, 6-7:30 p.m. at the Permitting and Development Center, 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Drive.

Shay Roalson: Starting as assistant director of Austin Water in April 2020, Roalson took responsibility for engineering services. Her team includes more than 80 staff in four divisions: Facility Engineering, SCADA Engineering and Operations Support, Pipeline Engineering and Operations Support, and Pipeline CIP Project Delivery. Prior to joining Austin Water, Roalson was the CTX Water Business Group Manager at HDR Engineering, Inc.

Brian Steglitz: Appointed as the interim public services area administrator for the Ann Arbor Water Treatment Plant in January 2022, Steglitz oversees engineering, systems planning, solid waste, recycling, storm water management, wastewater treatment/collection, and drinking water treatment and delivery. Prior to this, he was the water treatment services unit manager from October 2014 to January 2022.

Michael Brinkmann: Brinkmann is the current vice president of distribution & collection operations for San Antonio Water System. Prior to this role, he was the vice president of operations services from October 2005 to May 2013. Before becoming an executive, he started at San Antonio Water System in 1994 and promoted through the ranks of engineering, program management, and project management.

Lamar Senior Activity Center in Central Austin is hosting its annual nut sale and nut-cracking event. You read that right: it’s a nut-cracking event. The center has several old-time mechanical pecan-cracking machines that have to be seen to be believed. The machines hoist the pecans into the maw of the machine on a tiny conveyor belt and crack them one at a time. You can bring your own pecans to get them cracked, 50 cents a pound, up to 20 pounds, or buy fresh nuts on-site. Mondays-Thursdays, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. 2874 Shoal Crest Ave.

Jerry Rusthoven, the city’s chief zoning officer, got choked up when saying goodbye to his friends and colleagues Thursday. The occasion was his final appearance at City Hall after 29 years with the city. But he confided to a number of people that he’s not going very far. He has accepted the job of planner for the small city of Sunset Valley, which is only eight minutes from his house, he told the Austin Monitor. He will be the only planner for Sunset Valley and he’s looking forward to that. Rusthoven told colleagues in an email how much he values their friendship. He noted, “Public service can be very challenging and not well compensated, but all of us have chosen to do this because we want our city to be the best it can be, right now and for future generations.” He thanked former bosses George Zapalac, Alice Glasco and Jackie Goodman and former city managers Jesus Garza and Toby Futrell. And he singled out Kay Gudea, who has helped both staff and Council members for more than 40 years with hot food and good advice.

The city and county are working on reviewing the FCC’s new National Broadband Map, an interactive map that “shows where high-speed internet service is or is not available, based on information the FCC received from internet service providers.” County residents and business owners are urged to look up their addresses on the map to see if the information listed is accurate. If any of the list info is not correct, residents and businesses may file a challenge. As Travis County Commissioner Margaret Gómez pointed out, high-speed internet is critical for most people, yet, “in 2021, 32,347 homes in Travis County still did not have internet subscriptions, and 11,403 pre-K-12th grade students in the county did not have computers or internet subscriptions.” While the county is committed to improving internet access, reviewing the map thoroughly will “help us ensure internet availability in our county is documented correctly and help the FCC identify communities most in need.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, hospitalizations due to Covid-19 are up 15 to 20 percent nationwide since Thanksgiving. And according to Austin Public Health, Covid cases “are trending upward locally as well.” In AHP’s latest newsletter, the health department says while our Covid Community Level is low, another metric called Community Transmission Level is now considered high. “Community Transmission is one of many metrics health officials and epidemiologists monitor. It’s related to the presence and spread of the virus that causes Covid-19. Community Level is a framework used to consider the impact of Covid-19 in terms of hospitalizations and health care system strain. Transmission factors into Community Levels and when disease transmission is high, the CDC recommends masking in health care settings.” What this adds up to is a strong recommendation to use the preventive measures – masking, avoiding big indoor gatherings with strangers, and getting up to date on your vaccinations and boosters – that we know so well from the last few years.

Construction on a project to extend East Braker Lane 0.75 miles from Dawes Place to Samsung Boulevard is set to begin in fall 2023. The draft environmental assessment for the project is now available for review. The city and the Texas Department of Transportation, which are partners in the project, are holding a public hearing to give community members a chance to review materials and offer feedback. The in-person hearing will be held Jan. 5, 6-8:30 p.m. at 8900 Cameron Road. A virtual meeting will also be available on the same date, including a pre-recorded video presentation and the draft environmental assessment. For more details, visit the project website.

Community members are invited to attend an online meet-and-greet with the finalists vying to manage the Parks and Recreation Department’s aquatic division. Attendees will hear about the hiring process and the candidates’ backgrounds, and have the opportunity to provide feedback on each candidate. The selected candidate “will manage 45 public aquatic facilities; work with diverse populations and communities, including interacting with individuals from a variety of social, cultural, economic, and educational backgrounds; provide guidance and support to 24 full-time staff and approximately 800 part-time staff; and oversee aquatic safety and certification programs,” according to the job description. Thursday, Dec. 15, 6-7 p.m. Register for the Zoom meeting.