Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department and the board of the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center are inviting the public to a plática focused on the future 64 Rainey Street pocket park. The lot was dedicated as parkland in 2014. This year, City Council passed a resolution asking the project be refined though a community process. That will take place at the community meeting on Sept. 29 at the MACC Auditorium, 6-8:30 p.m. The city will also be distributing information and soliciting feedback at the MACC during the Viva México celebration on Sept. 17 and Austin Museum Day on Sept. 18.

A six-week street repair project managed by Public Works’ Street and Bridge Operations team started yesterday on Montopolis Drive between East Oltorf Street and Grove Boulevard. Motorists can expect alternating lane closures while crews keep Montopolis Drive accessible in both directions. The work will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and detour signage for pedestrians has been posted. If you’re traveling through the area, watch your speed and stay alert for workers and pedestrians.

Yes, it’s that time of year again – for flu shots! This fall, Austin Public Health recommends that families get up to date with their vaccines, including the seasonal flu shot, and of course, the Covid-19 vaccine. As Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes says, “Now is not the time to let our guard down. Everyone, especially children and seniors, need flu protection. This time last year we were fighting the Covid-19 delta variant, and we protected our most vulnerable from Covid-19 and flu with a combination of masking and vaccine. Let’s do it again.” It’s perfectly safe and even recommended to get your flu shot at the same time as your Covid booster. Austin Public Health Director Adrienne Sturrup adds that, “As a community, we realize now, more than ever, how health impacts our quality of life – our ability to work, play, and spend time with loved ones. Getting your flu shots is an easy way to keep your family safe and on track.”

The Austin Public Library is working on a new strategic and facilities plan that will help direct the library’s future. As a way to solicit input and ideas from the community and help create the best library service possible, APL asks community members to fill out a short survey that takes only a few minutes. It will also give you an opportunity to think about all of the ways the community benefits from having a public library. Complete the survey.

Austin Water’s Center for Environmental Research invites community members to attend a series of lunchtime lectures focusing on the life and legacy of the German explorer, polymath, abolitionist and naturalist Alexander von Humboldt. Among Humboldt’s many discoveries and contributions is the idea of the interconnectedness of all living things, which he called the “unity of nature.” The first lectures examined “our Western ideas of nature and the study of nature which laid the foundations for Humboldt’s ideas.” The lectures are free and open to the public. Masks are required. Tuesday, Sept. 6, 12:30-2 p.m., UT Austin, Norman Hackerman Building, 100 E. 24th St., room 1.720. View the full lecture schedule and recording archives here.

City administrative offices and other municipal facilities – as well as a lot of other places – will be closed Monday, Sept. 2, for the Labor Day holiday. City Council offices, cultural centers, museums, rec centers, senior centers, libraries, the animal shelter and utility payment centers will all be closed Monday. Trash pickup, recycling, composting and yard trimmings collection all remain on their regular schedules. City parks, playgrounds, tennis centers, and golf courses will be open Monday, and Barton Springs Pool, Big Stacy and Deep Eddy pools will be operating on their normal weekday hours. The Monitor is also taking the day off, and will return on Tuesday. Have a safe holiday!

An ongoing effort to make changes to the plan guiding development on parts of East 11th and 12th streets could be closer to passing today with an amendment from Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison. When last they voted on the plan, Council remained divided on the portion of the plan that could allow more bars in the area. Council then opted to postpone the changes until all Council members could be in attendance; since there is a valid petition against the changes, they can only be approved with nine or more affirmative votes from Council members. As promised, Harper-Madison has an amendment that would limit the number of conditional use permits issued for cocktail lounges. Originally brought forward by Harper-Madison in June, it reads, “A conditional use permit for cocktail lounge use may not be located on a lot that is within 200 feet of a lot on which another cocktail lounge use is located unless the cocktail lounge is a conforming use.”

It’s official, and it’s bad: Travis County’s Lake Walter E. Long is “infested” with “an established, reproducing population” of zebra mussels, according to a release from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Biologists with the city’s Watershed Protection Department found two adult mussels in the lake in early August, “indicating the presence of an established population.” TPWD’s Brian Van Zee said the invasive, non-native mollusks “have now spread to 34 Texas lakes, with 30 now fully infested, but there are far more lakes in Texas that still haven’t been invaded and are at risk.” Zebra mussels fasten themselves to the sides of boats, which is how they are easily spread to other waterways. Van Zee urged boaters to clean, drain and dry their boats and gear before leaving a lake – critical steps he says “can make a big difference in protecting our Texas lakes.” Any boat that has been stored at Lake Walter E. Long is likely infested with mussels and now “poses an extremely high risk for moving these invasive species to a new lake.” Owners of such boats should call TPWD at 512-389-4848 for guidance on decontamination.

Plan ahead, get there early and expect the unexpected. That’s the guidance from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, which is anticipating the upcoming Labor Day weekend to be a boom-time for air travel. Starting today through Monday, Sept. 5, passengers should check their flight status online ahead of time, “as impacts to flight schedules can occur due to changes in airline operations.” Those who don’t have TSA PreCheck or Clear are advised to arrive “at least two and a half hours before departure for domestic flights and three hours before departure for international flights, regardless of the day of week or time of day their flight is scheduled,” says a news release from AUS. While things have improved at the airport since earlier this summer when security screening lines stretched out the door, “unplanned staffing shortages and other unforeseen operational challenges can occur.” Budget some additional time and then add some more time on top of that and you should be fine.

Newly hired teachers in Austin will be getting a treat in their compensation packages. A resolution adopted by City Council this summer waives the entrance fees to Barton Springs Pool for a day for new public school teachers. As the resolution explains, the free one-day passes, which are planned as part of the welcome package from the parks department and local school districts, “could be part of a multi-pronged strategy to incentivize local teachers to join our local ISDs and also honor them for their commitment to children’s development and well-being.” A day at Barton Springs may not be the solution to all the world’s ills, but it could certainly help recharge a tired teacher’s batteries.

Pedestrians crossing Wickersham Lane and Oak Springs Drive no longer have to take their lives in their hands with a mad dash across the street. Thanks to Austin Transportation, the experience is now calm and civilized with the addition this summer of several new pedestrian crossing islands. Wickersham Lane’s new islands are near Sheringham Drive, Cromwell Circle and Oltorf Street. Oak Springs Drive’s crossings are near Webberville Road, Tillery Street, Gunter Street and Mercer Drive. In case you’re unfamiliar with pedestrian crossing islands, they offer many benefits, which the Transportation Department describes thusly:

• Shortening crossing distances so a person can cross one lane at a time
• Enhancing visibility by drawing attention to the crossing area
• Helping slow vehicle speeds; and
• Improving the likelihood that a motorist will yield to a pedestrian

There will be no MetroRail service over the upcoming Labor Day weekend – Friday, Sept. 2, to Monday, Sept. 5 – as construction for the future McKalla Station and additional track work along the rail line continue. Capital Metro will be operating a Sunday level of service on Labor Day itself, Monday. Pickup will be in service although there will be no MetroExpress or MetroRail shuttle service. To view alternative service from MetroRail stations, see the Service Alert.