City to Open Short-Term Safe Havens to Help Community During Severe Weather March 2nd, 2023

 

Most severe impacts of storm expected between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.

The City of Austin will extend the hours of dozens of Parks and Recreation and Public Library facilities this evening, March 2, to help anyone needing a safe place to wait out the expected thunderstorm.  A total of 20 recreation centers and four public libraries will remain open until 10 p.m., by which time the worst of the storm is forecast to have passed Austin.   A full list of the locations opening late can be found at www.austintexas.gov/alerts.  “It’s important as we go into the severe weather season the community stays on top of rapidly changing weather conditions and be prepared take action necessary to remain safe,” said Juan Ortiz, Director of the City’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. “We’re urging families to ensure that when these thunderstorms come they know where they’re going to wait them out so they’re not caught in the middle. We hope that by extending the hours of several City facilities we’ll help those who need somewhere to go.”   The National Weather Service has warned of severe weather threats across most of South-Central Texas, including Austin, this evening. Risks include damaging straightline winds, with gusts of up to 60 mph, large hail and possible isolated tornadoes. The most severe impacts of the storm are expected be felt in Austin between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.  The City of Austin and Travis County established a Situational Awareness Team this afternoon and public safety departments are monitoring the weather and providing regular reports to the Emergency Operations Center.  Here are some essential emergency preparedness steps and tips for severe weather:    Make a plan: Create an emergency plan with your family that includes designated meeting spots and emergency contacts. Make sure everyone knows what to do and practice your plan.    Build an emergency kit: Prepare an emergency kit with essentials such as non-perishable food, a flashlight, water, first-aid supplies, and any necessary medications. Don't forget to include supplies for pets.    Know Your Neighbors: By knowing your neighbors and building a strong network, you can increase your community's readiness level in an emergency.   Stay informed: Keep your cell phone charged or a battery-powered radio to monitor local weather conditions. Sign up for emergency notifications from WarnCentralTexas.org to receive important information during emergencies.   Protect your property: Secure loose items such as outdoor furniture and garden tools that could become dangerous projectiles during high winds. Keep trees trimmed to prevent damage from falling branches.   Seek shelter: If severe weather is approaching, seek shelter in a safe location such as an interior room on the lowest level of your home. Go to the safest location in your home such as a room with no windows or exterior walls.   Turn off utilities: Know how to turn off gas, water, and electricity in case of an emergency.   City of Austin updates Austin Energy  Trees may still be damaged from February’s ice storm, and these conditions could cause outages if limbs and branches connect with power lines. Austin Energy is preparing crews to respond to the potential weather and outages. Power outages can be reported at outagemap.austinenergy.com, by texting OUT to 287846 or by calling 512-322-9100.  Austin Transportation  Staff will be monitoring Austin’s 1,100+ traffic signals and working to keep the community safe. If you approach a dark traffic signal in your vehicle, please treat it as an all-way stop. You may report dark traffic signals, signal damage, road damage or any other weather-related concerns by contacting Austin 3-1-1 via phone (dial 3-1-1 or 512-974-2000) or the Austin 3-1-1 mobile app. Austin Transportation will be providing updates in case of an emergency on the department’s Facebook and Twitter channels.    Please take steps to travel safely in response to the forecast. Anyone traveling during potentially windy conditions is advised to:   Monitor weather conditions before setting out on your trip and avoid traveling, if possible.  Plan additional time for travel, go slowly and turn carefully.     Ensure you have packed emergency supplies in your vehicle such as blankets, jumper cables, emergency lights, and a cell phone charger in case of a crash or emergency.     Animal Services  Advice for pet owners: Check your fencing and your gates before you let your dog out to go potty - an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If your dog does get loose, text ‘LostATX’ to (844) 764-2125 to get immediate tips on what to do. Learn more about weather safety for pets: www.austintexas.gov/page/weather-safety-pets.  Public Works  Austin Public Works crews are on standby to respond to weather-related 3-1-1 requests during the duration of the storm, including clearing tree limbs and debris blocking streets to ensure access for emergency services vehicles.    Today’s Barton Springs Road Bridge Project Meeting at McBeth Recreation Center has been postponed due to expected  inclement weather. The project team will share a new in-person date soon. In the meantime, Austin residents can still provide comments and feedback. A virtual public meeting will be available starting today, March 2: bit.ly/BartonSpringsBridgeVirtualOpenHouse.  Watershed Protection  Some users of ATXFloods.com may experience problems accessing the website. Flooding is NOT expected with tonight’s severe weather. Should weather conditions change, any City of Austin road closures due to flooding will be announced through ATX Floods on Twitter. Watershed Protection staff are working to resolve the website issue as soon as possible. Please stay tuned to local media for updates on severe weather.    Austin Public Library  The four library locations that will remain open until 10 pm this evening, to help the community avoid the severe weather, are: Central Library, Little Walnut Creek Branch, Terrazas Branch, and Old Quarry Branch. No library services will be available (ie, checkouts, computers, etc.) but the buildings will be open. All in-person programming at APL locations after 5:00 p.m. are cancelled.    Parks and Recreation  A full list of the recreation centers remaining open until 10 p.m. this evening to help the community avoid the severe weather is available at www.austintexas.gov/alerts. Inclement weather may affect programs and facility operations. Check PARD’s closure page for any cancelations and closures: www.AustinTexas.gov/ParkClosures.

City of Austin announces pay package for Austin Police Department

Interim City Manager developed plan following Council directive

Today, the City of Austin announced details of its plan to pay, provide benefits and implement a retention strategy for officers of the Austin Police Department. This is the result of an ordinance Austin City Council unanimously passed on February 23 that directed Interim City Manager Jesús Garza to develop such a plan.   “This is a good day for our City and for the women and men of the Austin Police Department,” Mayor Kirk Watson said. “We are delivering on our promises, and just one week after a Council directive, the Interim City Manager has presented us with a substantial pathway to financially supporting the officers who serve this community.   “This is how I expect our government to work, and I am encouraged by how effectively, and in short order, we are making progress for the people of Austin. There is still much to accomplish, but this is a significant step as we work to solve big problems with real solutions. I want to thank all members of this Council, the Interim City Manager, Chief Chacon and the staff who made this possible.”   The plan, which is summarized here, includes the following tenets: A 4% increase in pay for all officers under the rank of assistant chief, effective April 1, 2023 Up to a $15,000 incentive for new cadets Retention incentives for current officers, including a pay increase for officers nearing retirement, which may help alleviate the current concern for officers considering retirement Additional provisions within the plan include continuation of longevity pay, field training officer pay, mental health certification pay, bilingual pay, shift differential pay, assistant chief pay, among others.   “This plan demonstrates the commitment this City has to keeping its word and supporting our officers,” Joseph Chacon, Chief of the Austin Police Department, said. “APD officers keep this community safe, and they deserve to be compensated well for doing so; this plan is an important part of ensuring officers feel valued by the people they serve.”   The ordinance was originally introduced by Council Member Ryan Alter (District 5), which was approved as a substitute offered by Mayor Watson. Those joining as co-sponsors were Council Member Alison Alter (District 10), Council Member José Velásquez (District 3), Council Member José “Chito” Vela (District 4) and Council Member Leslie Pool (District 7).   “This compensation plan is a result of the process working to make Austin safer for its residents. When the Mayor called for increasing pay for our officers so that we can recruit and retain more police officers, the Council took action to let the professional staff determine how to best achieve that result,” Austin City Council Member Ryan Alter, District 5, said. “Keeping our public safe is a core responsibility that this Council takes to heart. I look forward to making progress on the other provisions in the ordinance and believe that, as we do, it will instill confidence across this city that they can trust in their elected officials and City leadership.”   Mayor Watson and Council Member Ryan Alter also acknowledged contributions to the ordinance from Council Member Mackenzie Kelly (District 6), who wanted to find ways to incentivize officers living in the city, and Zohaib “Zo” Qadri (District 9), who also added to the ordinance.

Barton Springs Rd. Bridge Community Meeting POSTPONED 3/2/23

Virtual open house available for review today

Today’s Barton Springs Road Bridge Project Meeting at McBeth Recreation Center has been postponed due to expected inclement weather. The project team will announce a new in-person meeting date as soon as possible. 

In the meantime, Austin residents can still provide comments and feedback. A virtual public meeting will be available starting today, March 2 bit.ly/BartonSpringsBridgeVirtualOpenHouse.

Project Background
The City of Austin is planning for improvements to Barton Springs Road Bridge to provide mobility enhancements for all users. Many of its features are functionally obsolete and require rehabilitation or replacement to ensure safety and longevity. This project will weigh the benefits of bridge rehabilitation or a full bridge replacement.

For more information about the project, residents can visit our website and subscribe to the project newsletter for updates.

Pop-up ATX Brings Accessible Services to Austinites

 

Multiple City Departments Partner for Resource Fair

Several City of Austin departments have teamed up to host Pop-up ATX, an event that aims to make City programs and services easily accessible to all Austinites. The next pop-up resource fair will take place on Saturday, March 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Givens Recreation Center, 3811 East 12th Street, Austin.   A variety of free City resources and services will be provided to the public through this initiative. Austin Resource Recovery will be hosting its popular Soil Kitchen, where community members are invited to bring soil samples from their food gardens for metal screening and nutrient analysis. The Soil Kitchen provides an opportunity to inform gardeners of what’s in their soil and what can be done to improve soil quality and food safety. A number is assigned to each sample and results are made available four to six weeks after the event. Information on preparing samples and more is available at AustinTexas.gov/SoilKitchen.       Other City services at this event include free vaccines, blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol screening provided by Austin Public Health. Austin Water will share information on rebates that save water and money on your utility bills.   Other participating City departments include Austin 3-1-1, Animal Services, Austin Transportation, Housing and Planning, Municipal Court, Office of Police Oversight, Watershed Protection and more.  ##   About Austin Resource Recovery    Austin Resource Recovery (ARR) is a department of the City of Austin. We provide essential services that protect people and our planet. We collect recycling, composting, trash, large brush, bulk items and dead animals. We also sweep the streets, recycle and safely dispose of household hazardous waste, and provide community outreach and education. ARR is driving the global transformation of traditional waste management to sustainable resource recovery. Learn more at austinrecycles.com

Austin's Parks and Recreation Department Receives Two Awards

Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) was honored with two awards by the Texas Recreation and Parks Society (TRAPS) in ceremonies at the association’s annual institute in Frisco on March 2, 2023. Pan American Neighborhood Park was honored with designation as a Lone Star Legacy Park, and PARD’s Historic Preservation and Tourism Program won the Promotions & Marketing Excellence Award – Class I for the production of the documentary Parque Zaragoza: Communidad, Cultura, y Resiliencia



Pan American Neighborhood Park is 5.23-acre park located at 2100 East Third Street in East Austin. Although the park and recreation center moved to this location in 1956, the roots go back to 1940 when the former Comal School building was transformed into the Latin American Community Center by the National Youth Administration (NYA), one of the 1930s New Deal programs that brought federal investment to communities across the country. By 1946, Austin’s Recreation Department assumed management of the center.

In 1956, a new Pan American Recreation Center opened in the newly created Pan American Park adjacent to Zavala Elementary School. The new recreation center was the first in the city designed and built by the City of Austin for recreation purposes, and it was the first time a municipal park and recreation center were used to support a school in Austin. The famous and popular Hillside Theater was added at the base of the grassy hill beside the center in 1958. Today, Pan American Park is a physical reminder of the significance of this public space in the cultural history of Austin’s diverse community. A Lone Star Legacy Park is a park that holds special prominence in the local community and the state of Texas. 



Parque Zaragoza: Communidad, Cultura, y Resiliencia is a short documentary about Parque Zaragoza, established in 1931 as the first public park for Austin’s Mexican American community. The video features community members and former PARD staff members recounting the remarkable history of a park that emerged from discriminatory city plans and policies, overt racism, and systemic inequities that pushed that pushed the Mexican American community into East Austin. Having only a small playground for themselves, community leaders formed an organization to lobby the city for a full-sized park of their own.

Throughout its history, Parque Zaragoza has hosted many of the largest Cinco de Mayo and Diez y Seis celebrations in Austin. Residents recall vividly festivities spanning four-day weekends where families from across the county would travel to the park with makeshift tents, food, and brightly colored traditional outfits. Highlights would include parades, barbeques, live music, and dancing. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the park’s namesake, General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín. 

The documentary was produced by PARD’s Historic Preservation and Tourism Program. Funding for the documentary was made possible through the City of Austin Historic Preservation Fund in partnership with the Economic Development Department’s Heritage Tourism Division. Parque Zaragoza: Communidad, Cultura, y Resiliencia was selected from over 140 submissions for this award.

About Texas Recreation and Parks Society
TRAPS is a non-profit 501(c)3 professional and educational organization founded in 1937 with a membership of over 2,000 Park and Recreation professionals. TRAPS is committed to advancing the field of parks, recreation and leisure services in Texas, while advocating for enhanced recreation opportunities and the increase of public green space for Texans.

Prepare Now for Possible Severe Weather Tomorrow, Thursday 3/2/23

 

Kick-Off to Spring Severe Weather Season

Springtime in Austin, Texas also brings severe weather. Isolated thunderstorms are expected tonight with severe weather – risk of isolated tornados, straight-line winds and hail - possible tomorrow, Thursday. City of Austin urges the community to prepare now by monitoring weather conditions, knowing safe places to shelter, and have a way to receive watches and warnings. Severe weather events such as tornadoes, hailstorms, straight-line winds, thunderstorms, and flash floods can occur unexpectedly throughout the Spring severe weather season.    The City of Austin’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) urges Austinites to take proactive steps to prepare for severe weather.  Emergency preparedness is critical to minimizing the impact of these events in our communities.  Severe weather can be unpredictable and can cause injury, risks to life, and significant damage to property.  It's important for community members to take steps to prepare themselves, their families, and property for these potential emergencies.   “We have seasons of inclement weather in central Texas. As we move into severe weather season, we want to make sure our community is prepared for the specific types of hazards this season can bring,” said Juan Ortiz, Director of the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.    Here are some essential emergency preparedness steps and tips for severe weather:   Make a plan: Create an emergency plan with your family that includes designated meeting spots and emergency contacts. Make sure everyone knows what to do and practice your plan.   Build an emergency kit: Prepare an emergency kit with essentials such as non-perishable food, a flashlight, water, first-aid supplies, and any necessary medications. Don't forget to include supplies for pets.   Know Your Neighbors: By knowing your neighbors and building a strong network, you can increase your community's readiness level in an emergency.  Stay informed: Keep your cell phone charged or a battery-powered radio to monitor local weather conditions. Sign up for emergency notifications from WarnCentralTexas.org to receive important information during emergencies.  Protect your property: Secure loose items such as outdoor furniture and garden tools that could become dangerous projectiles during high winds. Keep trees trimmed to prevent damage from falling branches.  Seek shelter: If severe weather is approaching, seek shelter in a safe location such as an interior room on the lowest level of your home.  Turn off utilities: Know how to turn off gas, water, and electricity in case of an emergency.  To further increase your level of readiness, visit an Emergency Preparedness Pop-up Event  in one of Austin’s 10 Districts and check out these tools and resources to learn more about being prepared for severe weather:  ReadyCentralTexas.org - Online hub for emergency preparedness information.  Ready Central Texas app (on iOS and Android) - Notifications, checklists, videos, and guides to stay informed and prepared. WarnCentralTexas.org - Register for free emergency warnings by text, email or phone.  Ready.gov - Preparedness resources from FEMA.

City of Austin Interim City Manager Jesus Garza announces key leadership changes

Today, Jesus Garza, City of Austin Interim City Manager, announced the following leadership changes.

• Rey Arellano, Assistant City Manager, has announced his retirement.
• Jacqueline Yaft, Executive Director, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, has announced her resignation.

“Rey and Jacqueline have each served this city for several years, and it is important to me that we thank them for their many contributions,” Garza said. “I wish them all the best.”
 
Additionally, Garza has recruited a group of seasoned professionals who will join him on the interim leadership team.

• Joe Canales, former Deputy City Manager for the City of Austin, will serve as Special Assistant to the Interim City Manager.
• Bruce Mills, former Assistant Chief of the Austin Police Department, will serve as Interim Assistant City Manager over Public Safety.
• Jim Smith, former Executive Director of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, will reprise this role in an interim capacity.
• Laura Huffman, founder of Civicsol and former Assistant City Manager for the City of Austin, will serve as a consultant in change management.

Since taking on the role of Interim City Manager on Feb. 15, Garza has started an organizational review, which includes working with department leadership to identify areas of immediate need to help define priorities.
 
“There are many important issues, and I recognize and support the Council’s sense of urgency in meeting our community’s expectations for quality service,” Garza said. “I am confident that this group of seasoned professionals—who are here on an interim basis—can help deliver on those issues the way the public and Council expects, laying a solid foundation for the future.”