| | Dear Neighbors,
Over the last few years, my office has worked closely with the Public Works Department and their Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program to improve the safety for students as they walk and bike to school in District 10. I am pleased to share updates on the work we have completed. Though many of our students continue to take COVID-19 precautions and are learning from home, several SRTS projects are in progress right now to help ensure student safety upon their full return.
Projects: Below are summaries of some of the projects we have completed at various District 10 schools, accompanied by some before/after photos. More projects are in the works and will be finalized in the coming months.
Casis Elementary
Recently completed improvements at Casis include a new shared-use path along Exposition Boulevard, new curb ramps along Hillview Road to help kids biking and parents with strollers to be able to use the sidewalk, new signal timing and curb ramps at the intersection of Exposition Boulevard and Hillview Road, and reconfigurations of the slip lanes at Mopac and Westover. In the coming months, the SRTS team will install new curb ramps and a new high visibility crosswalk with signage at Spring Lane and Westover Road.
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| | Hill Elementary
At Hill Elementary, the Safe Routes to School program built a new 7 foot-wide sidewalk on the south side of Hyridge Drive to provide space for students walking and biking and installed a new sidewalk on Tallwood Drive leading to the school entrance. Earlier this year, crews also completed new ADA ramps and curb extensions to improve visibility and shorten crossing distance at Tallwood and Austin Woods.
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| | Highland Park Elementary
The Safe Routes to School Program recently added a new sidewalk along Hancock Drive leading to a new crosswalk at Fairview Drive. A rapid rectangular flashing beacon (RRFB) flashes yellow lights when pressed and gives more warning to people driving that somebody is about to cross. This can especially help on winter mornings when kids are walking to school before dawn!
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| | Doss Elementary/Murchison Middle
The Safe Routes to School Program is coordinating with AISD to build wider and more comfortable sidewalks to Doss Elementary and Murchison Middle. The sidewalk along Northledge Drive will give more space for kids to walk and bike to school. This sidewalk is currently underway, and is expected to be completed later this fall.
Bryker Woods
The Safe Routes to School Program installed a new sidewalk on 34th Street and improved ADA curb ramps on 34th Street and Kerbey Lane. They are also working on a new pedestrian crossing at Shoal Creek Boulevard and 39th ½ Street. In the coming months, work will begin to reconstruct some driveways and construct a new sidewalk on W 33rd Street.
O. Henry Middle School
O. Henry received some of the “early out” projects to kick off the Safe Routes to School projects. New sidewalks were installed along Norwalk Lane, along with a new crosswalk and curb ramps. In the coming months, the SRTS program will install a new pedestrian refuge island on Exposition and improve crossing safety with a new high visibility crosswalk and repainted markings at existing crossings.
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| | Bridge Point Elementary, Laurel Oaks Elementary, and Kathy Caraway Elementary
The projects at these schools are still being determined or finalized, and the projects will move forward in the coming months. Recommended improvements include new curb ramps, new refuge islands, improved crossings, and more.
Background on Safe Routes to School: From November 2017 to July 2019, the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) team connected with parents, neighbors, and schools to learn about needed projects at each of the ten elementary and middle schools in District 10. The SRTS team conducted walk audits at each school, attended public meetings, asked for feedback via an online interactive map, and conducted an online survey on the District 10 infrastructure report. Each district received $2.75 million for mobility projects from the 2016 Bond, and I have dedicated the remaining balance of District 10 Quarter Cent funds (money each Council office was allocated for use on mobility improvement projects) to increase our impact on school safety and complete more SRTS projects. These are important initial investments in critically needed infrastructure. The total amount of potential improvements identified at the ten District 10 schools is estimated to top $66 million, with over $12 million needed for projects rated to have a “Very High” overall benefit. Using the limited funds we have for this round of projects, city staff, the schools, the community, and my office have worked together to install high-benefit projects for students walking and biking to school.
In this newsletter, you’ll find updates on Council’s latest action, Halloween and Dia de los Muertos tips from Austin Public Health, a great story on our recent EMS investments, and more.
Don't forget, early voting is underway! Visit VoteTravis.com to find polling locations, wait times, sample ballots, and more.
Kind Regards,
Alison Alter Council Member, District 10 |
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| | Table of Contents - Council Recap
- City of Austin and University of Texas Formalize Research Partnership
- Statesman Highlights New EMS Budget InvestmentsCity of Austin COVID-19 Dashboard
- Halloween and Dia de los Muertos Safety Tips
- Help Clear the Right of Way!
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| | | Council Recap
Save Austin’s Vital Economic Sectors (SAVES): Yesterday, the City Council took the next steps in implementing the Save Austin’s Vital Economic Sectors (SAVES) initiative to assist childcare centers, legacy businesses, and live music venues. We passed additional funding mechanisms for the program, approved immediate relief grants, and provided direction on long term strategies to support vital businesses. Finally, Council approved the program guidelines for the childcare center relief grants. Details and eligibility requirements on these funds will become available soon at atxrecovers.com.
$2.3 million in additional SAVES funding was identified from the Austin Transportation Department and was put towards a business preservation fund. This new approach allocates $1.5 million for urgent relief for eligible businesses who would be at risk of shutting down without immediate support. Over the coming weeks, city staff will identify strategies and mechanisms (from direct financial assistance to legal counseling) to support the long-term viability for these business sectors.
Water Quality Protection Lands: The Edwards Aquifer is a key part of our water supply, however, the aquifer is very vulnerable to pollution that can travel through porous limestone layers from activities on the surface. The mission of our Water Quality Protection Lands (WQPL) program is to acquire land in fee title and conservation easement in the Barton Springs contributing and recharge zone to maintain the safety of the City's water supply. The objective is to produce the optimum level of clean, high quality water from project lands to recharge the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer. Yesterday, Council approved two items to acquire conservation easements over 560 acres of land in the Barton Springs Recharge Zone for the WQPL Program. The City funded these acquisitions through the voter-approved 2018 Bond Funds for Open Space. The acquisitions will prevent pollution from potential development entering the aquifer and impacting downstream aquatic resources. As required by state law the purchase prices were determined by an independent third-party appraisal. These important voter-approved funding programs help us protect our water quality and preserve the environmental features of our hill country.
Code Department Efficiency Actions: As Chair of the Council’s Audit & Finance Committee, I take the efficiency of our city departments very seriously. Waste, fraud, abuse and inefficiency must be identified and addressed in every part of our system. Recent audits related to our Code Department required action to ensure our employees and our community members who interact with this department deliver and experience consistent, efficient, and effective service. I recently co-sponsored a “Special Request” to our City Auditor to examine this department, and yesterday I co-sponsored a resolution asking the City Manager and the City Auditor to identify and implement efficiency measures and improvements to this department. From illegal STR mini-hotels to disruptive noise violations in commercial zones, we need our Code department to effectively work for all Austinites and to prioritize real issues. I anticipate bringing additional actions in this area in the near future.
Caregiver Meals: The City has been partnering with local businesses and school districts to provide meals to students and families needing food assistance during COVID. We’ve taken multiple actions to fund and sustain these efforts and yesterday Council took additional action to continue to fund these efforts through the end of 2020. This important program will not only address food insecurity for vulnerable Austinites, it will also assist local small businesses as they weather the economic fallout of the pandemic. To learn more about this program visit https://www.austinisd.org/openforlearning/meals or call 2-1-1.
Park Master Plans: Council approved Vision Plans for Walter E. Long Metropolitan Park and John Treviño Jr. Metropolitan Park at Morrison Ranch. Walter E. Long Metropolitan Park was first developed in the mid-1960s with the construction of the Decker steam turbine plant, which necessitated the development of the man-made lake. John Treviño, Jr. Metropolitan Park at Morrison Ranch is a 330-acre undeveloped park located at 9501 FM 969 in east Austin. This former ranch was purchased by PARD in 2003 and named after former Council Member and Mayor Pro Tem, John Treviño, Jr., in 2006.These plans serve to guide the City when making choices about how to develop and manage the parks and to help the City maximize recreational benefit to the public in a thoughtful and sustainable manner through private grants and public funding.
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| | City of Austin and University of Texas Formalize Research Partnership
On August 27th, I was proud to support a five-year interlocal agreement (ILA) between the City of Austin and The University of Texas at Austin that will streamline and coordinate research efforts between the two organizations, ultimately saving time, money, and allowing staff to more easily meet the needs of City residents. Prior to the adoption of the ILA, the process to identify research partners and secure funding was time consuming and decentralized. Now, the ILA streamlines city research projects by establishing pre-negotiated terms and conditions, removing administrative barriers and pre-approving $7.5 million for research, consulting and technical assistance from UT faculty and researchers. The agreement allows the City to commission research with UT without approval from the Council on each individual project. Research partnerships between the City and UT create opportunities across academic disciplines to address complex civic challenges, such as affordable housing and mobility. While UT and the City have often partnered on projects, such as gentrification research or the “downtown puzzle,” there had not been a streamlined process for connecting researchers to city project managers until now. |
| | Statesman Highlights New EMS Budget Investments
In August, I led a budget amendment to create and fund an Office of the Chief Medical Officer, which will help us improve our approach to medical care in our City. As part of that amendment, I added funding for Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services paramedics to provide care to folks who may need emergency medical services, but not need to go to the emergency room.
I am happy to see the program in action in this Austin American-Statesman video. Check it out here or by clicking the photo below:
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| | | | City of Austin COVID-19 Dashboard
Our community is still at risk for COVID-19 transmission. The City’s COVID-19 website is a centralized resource for Austinites seeking information and help related to the pandemic. Go to austintexas.gov/COVID19 to find info on testing, dashboards with the latest Travis County data, the most recent local and statewide orders and emergency rules, and more. Please share this resource with friends and loved ones.
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| | Halloween and Dia de los Muertos Safety Tips
Fall celebrations are around the corner! Austin Public Health released risk guidance for celebrating Halloween and Día de los Muertos.
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| | Low-risk Halloween activities include carving pumpkins with members of your household, decorating your living space, hosting a virtual Halloween gathering with a costume contest or pumpkin carving show-and-tell, and having a candy hunt or piñata within your home.
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| | | | Help Clear the Right of Way!
Many residents are unaware that they have a shared duty with the City to keep the ROW clear of obstructions. The City handles repairs on select right of ways, and property owners are responsible for maintaining private trees and other vegetation growing into the ROW from private property or that they plant in the ROW.
It is estimated that the percentage of functional sidewalks in Austin could be doubled if residents addressed vegetative obstructions. Maintaining the right of way not only helps pedestrians, it also provides safety for motorists and bikers who may not otherwise see other drivers, signs and obstacles due to overgrown vegetation.
Guidelines for pruning vegetation include:
- Clear from the edge of the sidewalk and at least 8 feet above
- Clear from the edge of streets and at least 14 feet above
Overgrown vegetation and debris that are obstructing public right of ways can be reported by contacting 3-1-1. The ROW consists of public spaces that everyone uses to travel. These spaces include roads, alleys, sidewalks, trails, and the strip of land about ten feet from the back of the curb or road to the private property line.
For more information about the right of way, including the distinction between City and resident responsibility in maintaining the ROW, vegetative maintenance tips, and a short video summarizing right of way standards, visit AustinTexas.gov/ClearTheROW. |
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