Public Notice: Get Your Meeting On
A roundup of civic events to start the year off right
By Nick Barbaro, Fri., Jan. 9, 2015
It's been a long, long couple of weeks. Family, holidays, travel, marathon football (and fútbol), sniffles, snuffles, and way too much sugar. I promise I'll be back next week with my usual array of snark attacks, as we welcome the brand-new City Council to City Hall, and the biennial clown circus to the Capitol; this week, all I've got for you is a selection of ... well, actual Public Notice items.
AISD community forums continue throughout January to give students, families, staff, and community members the chance to meet AISD Interim Superintendent Dr. Paul Cruz, the sole finalist for superintendent. Cruz will share his vision for the school district at each forum and then will address questions from attendees.
• Thu., Jan. 15: 4pm at Summitt Elementary, 12207 Brigadoon Lane (with Vietnamese interpretation), and 6pm at Pickle Elementary, 1101 Wheatley Ave. (in Spanish with English interpretation).
• Wed., Jan. 21: 6pm, Austin High School, 1715 W. Cesar Chavez (with Spanish interpretation).
• Sat., Jan. 24: 10am, Crockett High School, 5601 Manchaca Rd. (with Spanish interpretation).
In addition, KLRU will host a townhall with Dr. Cruz, this Tuesday, Jan. 13, 6:30pm at KLRU Studio 6A, 2504 Whitis. It's free, but admission is limited, and you must RSVP at www.klrusupport.org/civic-summit-student-teacher-townhall.
In other AISD news, the district has announced that 29 schools will be frozen to transfers for the 2015-16 school year, and another 24 will be monitored to see if their enrollments exceed their capacities, and to maintain stability in tracking patterns. Those lists are available at www.austinisd.org, but meanwhile, parents should be aware that:
• AISD has begun accepting requests for student transfers for 2015-16.
• Requests for transfers may be submitted in person or by mail to the Office of Student Services; for more info, visit the AISD website or call 512/414-1726.
• Deadline for priority transfers is Jan. 30.
• Application deadline for LASA is Jan. 24. The deadline for Fulmore and Kealing magnet schools and the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders is Feb. 6.
Capital Metro will implement fare and route changes beginning Sunday, Jan. 11. As part of the second phase of a fare change policy adopted in 2013, the base fare for a local bus ride will go up 25 cents, to $1.25. The Premium fare will become $1.75, and the Commuter fare will be $3.50. New prices will also take effect for daily, weekly, and monthly passes, MetroAccess, and the Reduced Fare and RideShare programs. Pick up the 2015 Fare Change brochure on buses, or at www.capmetro.org/farechange2015, or call 512/474-1200. New passes go on sale beginning Jan. 11, but all passes and Stored Value Cards purchased before Jan. 11 will be valid until they expire.
Some route changes take effect Sunday as well; schedules and maps can be found in the "Destinations" schedule book, available for $3 at the Capital Metro Transit Store (209 W. Ninth), or free at www.capmetro.org/schedmap.
Want to learn more about the Austin Police Department? If so, join the 82nd Citizen Police Academy, a 14-week program designed to give the public a working knowledge of APD. Weekly classes begin Tuesday, Feb. 10 at Austin Police HQ; the deadline to enroll is Friday, Jan. 9. More info at austintexas.gov/department/police/services.
The Austin Parks and Recreation Dept. will hold a community meeting to discuss the issue of space and access at Walsh Boat Landing on Tuesday, Jan. 13, from 6:30-8:30pm at O. Henry Middle School, 2610 W. 10th. Notes from two previous focus group meetings are posted online at austintexas.gov/department/walsh-boat-landing.
The Downtown Austin Alliance has a new president and CEO: Dewitt ("De") Peart will be relocating here from Pittsburgh, and effective Feb. 2, will replace Executive Director Charlie Betts, who is retiring after 18 years with the organization.
The Guadalupe Corridor Improvement Program survey deadline has been extended to Feb. 6, in order to accommodate college students who are still away on winter break. This Austin Transportation Department project is intended to "identify and recommend short- to long-term transportation improvements to enhance mobility, safety, and quality of life along the Guadalupe Street Corridor," between MLK and 29th. Visit www.austintexas.gov/guadalupe to get involved.
Attention, Downtown bike commuters (or potential commuters): St. David's Episcopal Church now offers outdoor bike lockers, indoor bike storage, on-site showers, a central Downtown location at 301 E. Eighth, and affordable prices. See more info at www.stdave.org/about/on-campus/garage.
Towel & blanket drive for puppies and kitties: Micklethwait Craft Meats (1309 Rosewood) is doing a towel and blanket drive for Animal Trustees of Austin. We'd love any donations you could spare. Drop them by the trailer to give the animals a soft place to rest after surgery and for cleaning up.
The Austin Public Library is hosting a series of educational presentations on coin collecting, highlighting the value of gold and silver coins and jewelry, conducted by Dave Ekstrom, a lifelong coin collector and retired school teacher. Participants can get their personal coins, gold, and silver appraised for free following each presentation.
• Sunday, Jan. 11, 2-4pm, Faulk Central Library, 800 Guadalupe
• Saturday, Jan. 17, 2-4pm, Manchaca Road Branch, 5500 Manchaca Rd.
• Wednesday, Jan. 21, 6:30-8:30pm, Windsor Park Branch, 5833 Westminster
• Wednesday, Feb. 11, 6:30-8:30pm, Yarborough Branch, 2200 Hancock
All Library events are free and open to the public. For more information: 512/974-7400, or library.austintexas.gov.
Send gossip, dirt, innuendo, drugs, and other useful grist to nbarbaro@austinchronicle.com.
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