Doug Zachary, an activist's activist with the Austin Peace and Justice Coalition, is poring over his database of people signed up for the bus ride to Ft. Benning, Ga., for the 10th anniversary mass demonstration at the School of the Americas (aka School of the Assassins), where 10,0000 protesters are expected this month. "Let's see," Zachary says, scrolling down his list, "we've got Baptists, Presbyterians, Wiccans ... we've got a nun from West Texas and her friend, we've got socialists, anarchists, atheists ... " He pauses a beat. "And it's interesting that what started as a Christian-based movement has grown to include such a variety of ideological interests. There's even some old-time CP members -- Communist Party members -- going, so that should be interesting," he says with a chuckle. Zachary is working around the clock to line people up for the weekend road trip to Georgia, which begins when the buses pull out of Austin at 6pm Friday, Nov. 19. Zachary says one bus is already filled, and he expects to fill at least two more by the departure date. The deadline for reservations is Nov. 13. Cost for this politically charged weekend adventure, which includes transportation, a shared room, and maybe some material for that play you've been meaning to write, is $150. Sponsorships are also welcome. On the return trip, the bus puts you back here Monday morning, just in time to report to your day job. For reservations or more info, call Zachary at the P&J office, 452-7140...
The Texas Dept. of Transportation Web site was never what you'd call a big draw. Never, that is, until Monday morning of this week, when TxDOT officials -- in what could be a sleeper of a cheap ad campaign -- rolled out four portable roadway signs along I-35 reading simply: www.I35Austin.com. That apparently was enough to pique the curiosity of drivers on the crowded freeway, who began logging on to the site in record numbers. "We had been rocking along with maybe 100 hits a month," says Glenn McVey, TxDOT congestion management engineer, "but by 10:30 this morning [Tuesday] we had 900 hits." TxDOT Web viewers are greeted with a cheerful "Welcome to the IH 35 Austin area web site!" and "Building a Better IH-35 for Central Texas." Is this the same old TxDOT we used to know? Well, yes and no. The subtle roadside invitation is part of TxDOT's redoubled commitment to getting the public involved in its I-35 improvement project, which includes major changes to the freeway's lower deck in Central Austin. "TxDOT has in the past given the community the impression that we make all the decisions in a vacuum," McVey says. "We've always listened, but now we're trying to do a better job of it." TxDOT is also taking its show on the road with increased community meetings to lay out plans for the freeway's future. Next up is a meeting with the Robert Mueller Neighborhoods Coalition -- the neighborhoods that will be most affected by the lower-deck project -- at 6:30pm, Nov. 16, at Asbury United Methodist Church, 1605 E. 381/2...
Nobody's saying it for the record, but the Austin Design Commission wants its new set of downtown design guidelines to serve as a starting point for out-of-town developers wanting to cash in on the hot downtown real estate market. Commission members invariably point to the Gotham condo project on Town Lake as an example of what not to do, and they've been hard at work trying to define exactly what kinds of development the city does want to encourage. The last of three public hearings on the guidelines took place Wednesday night. Now the 109-page document is heading off to council for final approval.
