ATX PULSE 7/29/24: President Biden Visit to Snarl Traffic by Airport, UT Campus // Broadnax to Slow Down APD Chief Search // Council Facing Budget Challenges on Parks, Animal Services, Homelessness // CapMetro Stops Shift to All-Electric Bus Fleet // $175 (2024)

ATX Pulse

Everything YOU NEED TO KNOW about Austin.

Monday, July 29, 2024

By Matt Mackowiak

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Today’s Weather: H: 95° / L: 77°. Chance of rain. Latest forecast from Fox 7 Austin’s Zack Shieldshere.

TOP NEWS

~ “President Biden to speak at LBJ Library in Austin on Monday: How to watch the livestream,” Austin American-Statesman’s Alexis Simmerman – “President Joe Biden will travel to Austin on Monday for a rescheduled appearance at the LBJ Presidential Library to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. The library announced the new date of the event last week.

The visit, originally set for July 15, was pushed back after the July 13 assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally.

How can you watch the livestream of Biden's LBJ speech? Here's what you need to know:

What time is Biden's speech Monday?

Biden will deliver the keynote address in Austin at 4 p.m. Monday.

This differs from the original July 15 schedule.

Why is Biden speaking at the LBJ Presidential Library?

The White House-sponsored event will commemorate then-President Lyndon Johnson's signing of the Civil Rights Act on July 2, 1964. It will be Biden's first trip to Texas' capital city since before his election in 2020.

Mark Updegrove, president and CEO of the LBJ Foundation and a presidential historian, said the library is honored to host Biden for the keynote address.

“It is fitting that he returns to the Library to mark this milestone as our 46th President whose administration is committed to pursuing a ‘comprehensive approach to advancing racial equity for all,’ ” Updegrove said in a news release.

How to watch Biden's speech at LBJ Presidential Library

The speech will belivestreamed via YouTubebeginning at 4 p.m. and will include other dignitaries and tribute performances, the LBJ Presidential Libraryannounced last week.Media members will be allowed to attend, but no tickets are available to the public.

Biden exits 2024 presidential race, endorses VP Kamala Harris

Biden's days as the president are numbered, he revealed in a shocking announcement July 21. He ended his reelection campaign as fellow Democrats called for him to step down, beginning with U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin. Concerns about the incumbent's fitness for another term were raised after a disastrous debate performance last month against former President Donald Trump.” AAS ($)

~ “What to know about traffic during Biden’s visit to Austin on Monday,” KUT’s Katy McAfee – “President Joe Biden will arrive in Austin on Monday to deliver a speech at the LBJ Presidential Library. His address, scheduled for 3 p.m., will commemorate 60 years since the Civil Rights Act was signed by former President Lyndon B. Johnson.

His visit was originally planned for July 15 but was postponed after the attempted assassination of former President Trump. The event will mark one of Biden's first public appearances since dropping out of the presidential race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination.

The LBJ Library's program will also feature Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston and United Nations ambassador Andrew Young. The event isn't open to the public, but you can watch it on YouTube.

We don’t know the exact route Biden will take around Austin — that’s confidential. But officials said to expect delays and rolling closures on roads to and from the airport and the LBJ Library on 2313 Red River St.

TxDOT issued a traffic alert Monday morning and said there would be rolling closures on both I-35 and State Highway 71 between the airport and UT Austin from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. "Expect delays and seek alternate routes," the agency said.

Robert Dedman Drive will be closed between DeLoss Dodds Way and 25th Street from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to UT Austin. The university will post any updates to street closures here.

You should also avoid driving or parking on Clyde Littlefield Drive, Red River Street, E. Dean Keeton Street, Comal Street and Manor Road near the library.

This is what Google Maps shows as a direct route between the airport and LBJ Library.

To be clear, we don’t know if this will be his actual route.

City officials recommend taking public transit Monday, as routes will be adjusted to accommodate the road closures and you won't have to worry about parking. Capital Metro delays and detours are posted here.

If you’re flying on Monday, keep an eye on your flight status and double check traffic conditions.

When Biden arrives and departs in Austin, all planes will need to stay put. So if your flight lands at the same time Air Force One touches down, you won't be able to deplane until Biden leaves. You also won't be able to take off until the process is over. This will delay some flights for a few minutes.

Details on when Biden will leave Austin haven't been announced.” KUT

THE BLOTTER

~ “Suspect in custody after SWAT Call to SE Austin apartments,” CBS Austin’s Stephanie Becerra – “One person has been taken into custody following an Austin Police Department SWAT call to a barricaded subject situation in southeast Austin Sunday night.

Police said at around 12:11 p.m., officers responded to a physical disturbance call between a male and a female at a residence at the Paradise Oaks Apartments, located at 1500 Faro Drive.

Upon arrival, they spoke to the female victim who had some injuries that required medical attention. Austin-Travis County EMS evaluated and treated her injuries and was released.

The suspect was not on scene at the time.

At about 5:47 p.m., a second 9-1-1 call came from the same residence reporting the same incident.

When officers arrived, they were advised by witnesses and involved subjects that the male was barricaded inside the apartment and was believed to be armed.

Due to concern over the officers and the suspect's safety, the SWAT team was called to assist.

At about 10:35 p.m., the situation came to a peaceful resolution and the suspect was taken into custody.

An arrest warrant was issued: felony family violence strangulation assault.

Police say there is no danger to the public and police presence will continue at the complex while they investigate the incident.

This is an ongoing investigation.”” CBS Austin

CITY HALL

~ “Austin’s city manager was supposed to name his pick for police chief next week — now he’s taking more time,” KVUE’s Britny Eubank – “It'll be a while longer before Austin has a permanent police chief.

Earlier this month, the city announced two finalists for the Austin Police Department's next chief: Jeffrey Norman, the current chief of police in Milwaukee, and Lisa Davis, the assistant police chief in Cincinnati. Earlier this week, Norman and Davis took questions from the media and met with community members.

All this with the expectation that City Manager T.C. Broadnax planned to pick a sole finalist for the city council's approval on Tuesday, July 30.

Now Broadnax says he has decided not to request that specially-called meeting to ask the mayor and council to confirm a new chief.

In an update on Friday, Broadnax noted that choosing a permanent police chief was a top priority for him when he took office in May. He said the city has worked diligently to find the best possible candidates and to provide the community with the opportunity to share what they want to see in a chief of police and provide feedback as the field of candidates has narrowed.

Broadnax said he is currently reviewing that feedback, as well as input from stakeholder interview panels and the city council. It's for that reason that he has pushed back when he will have a decision.

"This position is too critical to our Police Department, the City organization as a whole, and this community to rush," Broadnax said. "Therefore, I’m going to take additional time to consider our two very qualified candidates before making a final decision."

It is not clear at this time when Broadnax plans to share his choice with the council.

What makes this search different?

KVUE Senior Reporter Tony Plohetski asked both the president of the police union and a well-known community activist about why this search for a police chief is different than past searches.

Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock said he thinks factors include strained relationships with previous city councils, unprecedented protests in 2020 and more frequent prosecutions of police officers under District Attorney José Garza.

"There is just a very tumultuous relationship that we have here. The politics here, I think, are a deterrent," Bullock said. "The political factor here in Austin is, I believe, a big part of what drove some people away or just not to apply."

Chas Moore, who heads the Austin Justice Coalition, said he thinks the city manager is doing the right thing by pausing the process – at least for now.

"I actually had the privilege of talking to the recruiter for the position, and they just very blatantly said, 'The talent and skill to fill this position in Austin just wasn't out there, and we go with the best of what was available,'" Moore said.

The city paid $60,000 to a search firm to find candidates, and that firm said they found applicants through advertising within police chief associations, direct outreach to possible candidates and social media campaigns.

The city said it does believe the search firm fulfilled its obligation and worked tirelessly to recruit applicants.” KVUE

~ “Council will face tough budget decisions on parks, animal services and homelessness,” Austin Monitor’s Jo Clifton – “City Council is anticipating a tight budget ahead and will have to balance funding for the Parks and Recreation Department as well as the Austin Animal Center, the Homeless Strategy Office and Human Resources.

The Austin Animal Center is over capacity, with a shelter population of 123 percent of capacity for kittens and cats, 129 percent for small dogs and puppies, and 122 percent for medium and large dogs, Chief Animal Services Officer Don Bland told City Council at its budget session on Wednesday. As of July 2, the center is taking in pets only on an emergency basis.

Bland said the city had a contract with Austin Pets Alive!, but the group shelter had lowered the number of animals it would accept from Austin, particularly animals with behavioral problems. Instead, the organization started taking more animals from outside the five-county Central Texas area. He explained that Austin has maintained 96 percent live outcomes for the pets it has, but other cities have much lower numbers. Another problem is that Austin has in the past sent animals to other parts of the country for adoption, but that is no longer happening, presumably because of Covid-19 concerns.

“We have used these boarding facilities,” Bland said, which charge $500 per day for large dogs and $250 for small dogs and cats. He estimated the cost of such an arrangement at APA for the upcoming budget at “no more than $2 million.”

“We have secured Shelter Planners of America, and they actually were here all day yesterday with us working on what we need to do from a facility standpoint and staffing standpoint,” Bland told Council. “And they’re crunching those numbers. And in about eight weeks we’ll get the results.”

Although that will help the Animal Center for planning in the future, Mayor Kirk Watson pointed out that the budget will be voted on in August.

Currently, 514 animals are in foster care, and only one full-time employee and one part-time employee act as foster and rescue coordinators. Watson asked how many more foster coordinators the shelter needs. Bland said the shelter has asked for one part-time and two full-time additional foster/rescue coordinators in the upcoming budget.

Budget Officer Kerri Lang told Council an analysis by city staff compared parks maintenance levels in 2014 to maintenance levels in 2023. They estimated that in 2014, restrooms in 69 percent of the city’s parks were cleaned every day and the other 31 percent were cleaned five days a week. In 2023, 3 percent of restrooms in the city’s parks were cleaned every day and 97 percent were cleaned five days a week. Staff removed litter and trash and provided recycling services in an estimated 45 percent of parks in 2014, and that figure fell to 10 percent in 2023, she said.

City staff submitted a request for an additional $1.5 million that would be used to hire 16 new full-time ground maintenance employees. That would help restore the frequency of service to the Fiscal Year 2014 levels.

Council members Ryan Alter and Paige Ellis asked numerous questions about funding parks, including the most difficult question about how the city can afford to purchase new parkland, especially given the new state law that prevents the city from collecting parkland dedication fees from commercial properties and delaying collection of fees from other property developments until there is a certificate of occupancy.

Council members asked about what funding is “permanent” and what should be considered one-time funding. Council Member Alison Alter said, “We hear a lot of complaints about what the restrooms are like. We’ve all walked by the park and seen the grass, you know, up above, well above our ankles, and people trying to play on it. And I think that we really do need to find a way, at minimum, to get back to 2014. And we need a plan moving forward, city manager. You know, we talked and you said you were ready and you were going to tell us how we were going to do this. … So I would like to know what the plan is moving forward.”

City Manager T.C. Broadnax responded, “I think this demonstrates, at least to me, that there probably needs to be a greater conversation around basic and ordinary levels of service across all operations and how we fund those in some cases, as opposed to funding new items. And starting to focus on the unmet needs areas. And so in this regard, you know, having a conversation around temporary staffing, particularly around homeless encampments and cleanup, which I know is a big issue outside of parks, but oddly, in trails and other areas where in some cases you can’t see and find places to enjoy the outside, I think we probably need to figure out how we fund that now. Trying to get back to 2014 levels in 2024 is an odd statement and comment in and of itself to have in 2024, as if that is an unfound and unrecognized need and experience.

“I want to put on our realistic goggles and make sure that people understand those choices and priorities come at some deficit to some other area. And if those are things that you’d like us to go back and explore, we will do that.”” Austin Monitor

~ “CapMetro stops shift to all-electric bus fleet,” KUT’s Nathan Bernier – “Capital Metro is slamming the brakes on an ambitious goal of transitioning to an all-electric bus fleet, citing problems with the range of battery-electric buses.

Austin voters were promised a transit system with exclusively electric vehicles when they authorized a tax increase in 2020 to fund Project Connect, the largest transit expansion in the city's history. Zero-emissions buses are quieter and don't blast hot exhaust in the faces of people on the sidewalk.

"Honestly, we thought and hoped that the technology would progress a little faster than it has," CapMetro CEO Dottie Watkins told KUT. "The biggest downside of a battery-electric bus today is its range."

Diesel buses can run from early in the morning until past midnight. A battery bus only runs about 8 to 10 hours before it needs to be recharged, creating tough logistical hurdles in scheduling routes.

An analysis by the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) — a state-funded research agency at Texas A&M University — found battery-electric buses could only cover 36% of Capital Metro's bus schedules.

"If [the route] is too long, it won't make it," said John Overman, a research scientist with TTI. "You're going to have to charge them mid-route or wherever it is." Austin's hills drain batteries faster. So does trying to cool buses in the city's oppressive heat.

But range shortcomings are only part of the problem.

Data obtained by KUT through the Texas Public Information Act revealed CapMetro's battery-electric buses are far less reliable than their diesel counterparts. E-buses had mechanical failures on average every 1,623 miles over the last year — less than half the typical distance between failures for the fleet as a whole.

Mechanical problems, coupled with challenges in procuring parts and doing repairs, mean battery-electric buses are often unavailable for service. In 2022, almost 52% of e-buses were down, on average. In 2023, the number of vehicles out for repair improved slightly to an average of just under 50%.

"Getting the expertise up and being able to have those vehicles be as reliable as our old workhorse diesel buses have been is a challenge," Watkins said. "It's something that we are up to."

On top of range and reliability issues, both companies Capital Metro hired to build its battery-electric buses faced major financial challenges. Proterra and New Flyer blamed the problems on pandemic-related supply chain issues and inflation that drove up manufacturing costs after major contracts were signed.

One of the two bus builders didn't survive.

Proterra, a company from the San Francisco Bay area, went bankrupt last year and sold off the firm in pieces to pay back debtors. The new owner of Proterra's e-bus business — Anaheim, California-based Phoenix Motorcar — still has no battery provider or vehicle software ready to deploy, TTI's Overman said.

The other supplier — New Flyer — bled almost $300 million after the pandemic but appears to have staunched the wound. The Winnipeg, Canada company reported a smaller loss of $9 million in the first quarter of 2024 thanks to record-breaking order numbers.

CapMetro is operating 23 battery-electric buses among a fleet of 402 buses, not including commuter buses or shuttle buses. Another 87 e-buses already ordered are expected to be delivered by the end of the year. Some will replace aging diesel vehicles.

Once all the e-buses arrive, Watkins says, about a quarter of CapMetro's fleet will be battery-powered. The agency will then "sit for a minute while we wait for the battery technology to catch up."“ KUT

~ “Tourism Commission looks at how city can welcome more major events,” Austin Monitor’s Chad Swiatecki – “The Tourism Commission has indicated it may ask the city to be more hospitable toward major events that can bring large numbers of visitors to the area. Areas they could focus on include the availability of major gathering areas in the downtown core, working to allow more street closures and other possible disruptions to accommodate large productions, and generally finding ways to meet the needs of major companies interested in spending millions of dollars locally.

At its most recent meeting, the commission heard from Ben Blocker, director of events for local event and festival producer C3 Presents, who shared his experience producing large events in Austin as well as other major U.S. cities where he said local leaders tend to be more enthusiastic and accommodating. Blocker said the CMT Music Awards, which have filmed at the Moody Center for the past two years, eliminated its downtown activation on Congress Avenue in front of the state Capitol this year because of difficulties with road closures and securing enough police officers as required by the city.

“Everything in Moody looked spectacular. Everything on Congress looked spectacular. The pain points of getting there were difficult and worth sharing because I think there are things that we can all do better to make these type of events want to come back, which was not the feedback I was getting in the moment,” he said, noting that CMT’s former host city of Nashville has earned a national reputation for advance problem-solving and making events easy to produce. “There are a lot of little things that to a big events company or sports league or whatever it may be like CMT, it came down to things that seem like nickel-and-diming.”

Blocker said the pace of construction throughout downtown has eliminated many parking lots and other areas that for many years had offered bandwidth to put on sponsored events downtown, making it important for the city to find ways to allow more events at Auditorium Shores or other locations that may require cooperation of multiple city departments.

“There’s only a certain amount of spots available each year at a place like an Auditorium Shores or closing streets downtown, but I think the very outspoken voices of a few that may not want those things probably tip the scales in the wrong direction,” he said. “With supporting services, everyone understands those and we want to pay our firefighters, we want to pay our police, but we don’t want to climb a mountain to get through that process. Sometimes just getting the pricing, getting the numbers that are needed can be like pulling teeth.”

Commissioner Ed Bailey said Blocker’s feedback will be helpful in looking at how the city and the Austin Convention Center can structure their deal-making process to improve the chances of large conventions and events choosing Austin over other large cities.

“One of the things that is really important in the conversation with teams that try to win conventions to their destination – there’s a pretty sophisticated playoff between cities that the convention holder pushes the designated cities that are on the short list to bid each other out until they get what they want and it all comes together,” he said. “One of the conversations we’re having about the convention center expansion is based around that competition and how hard it is to get the right scale of conference in the city. Their challenge has been, at one point there weren’t enough hotels to take on a huge booking and they couldn’t compete with Vegas.”

Chair Daniel Ronan said he’d like to push the city to find ways to lower the costs and timelines for producing major events that can lead to more business for local hotels and generate more Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue.

“​​If the city can’t deliver on its own requirements, then maybe we should reassess and be more flexible and not stating a nonnegotiable and try and work with folks that are trying to come into town and bring this investment,” he said. “Every city is doing this across the country, so the ways that we can make it easier is something to think about and reflect upon as we interlay topics in tourism.”” Austin Monitor

~ “Austin breaks ground on first carless affordable housing project,” CBS Austin’s Andrew Freeman – “The city of Austin celebrated the groundbreaking of its first carless community Saturday morning, an affordable condominium in East Austin that will be powered completely by solar energy.

The Ivory condominiums will be named after Scottie Ivory, a longtime advocate for equal opportunity in East Austin. In an effort to be even more affordable and sustainable, this community won't have parking lots or garages, but will instead eliminate the need for car payments and gas by providing residents with electric bikes instead.

Jame Houston Jr.'s family has lived in this East Austin home for three generations. He says it's just not the same neighborhood anymore.

"The neighborhood changed. They did a lot of new remodels, you know, a lot of building new houses and stuff." Houston said. "People just moved in, you know, it came from, you know, just different parts of the states and different parts of the world, and they're just buying in."

Gentrification has been a longstanding concern in East Austin.

"It's hard for us to, you know, to try to keep, you know, making that payment," Houston said.

In fact, nearly everyone CBS Austin tried to speak to for this story was from out of town, staying in remodeled AirBNBs.

“They knew that one day this property would be the most valuable property in the city and let you pay rent for 27 years," District One Austin city councilmember Natasha Harper-Madison said. "And didn’t fix nothing.”

But the Chestnut Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation is trying to fight back with the groundbreaking of The Ivory condominiums, a new affordable housing project on Chicon Street between 12th and 13th. 40 of its 53 units will be for low-income families.

“Austin right now, I and the city council, are dedicated to affordability first," Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said. "Affordability first.”

Not only will the community be entirely solar-powered, but it will also be completely carless. Residents won't need a vehicle but instead will be provided an electric bike. And there will be two communal electric vehicles for when public transportation won't work.

“They get to go where they make their money, it’s easy for them to jump on the bus, walk, whatever..." Harper-Madison said.

Harper-Madison lives within walking distance of The Ivory and hopes this kind of community becomes a blueprint for the future.

“This is the kind of template for the rest of the city, rest of the nation," Harper-Madison said. "These people don’t need parking, in which case, if they don’t need parking, it made it more affordable.”

And while James isn't so sure about the carless situation, if it keeps people in East Austin, he's in support of his new neighbors.

"If they're building it and people can live, I think it's a good arrangement. I think it would be a good place to live," Houston said.

This project is possible because of the Affordability Housing Unlocked Ordinance Madison helped get passed in 2019, which modified certain development restrictions.

The Ivory's website says tenants are expected to move in by the Summer of 2025.” CBS Austin

BUSINESS NEWS

~ “South Korean company plans to invest $175 million in new plant in Taylor to supply Samsung” Austin American-Statesman’s Claire Osborne – “A South Korean company that makes materials for semiconductors is investing $175 million in a new plant in Taylor, officials said.

Soulbrain TX LLC plans to start building the 60,000-square-foot plant to produce phosphoric acid on Jan. 1, 2025, said Ben White, president of the Taylor Economic Development Corp.

The plant will serve Samsung, which is building a $17 billion semiconductor facility in the Taylor area, according to a news release from the city. Electronic grade phosphoric acid is used as an etching agent in semiconductor manufacturing.

The city of Taylor, about 30 miles northeast of Austin, was once a farming community but is now on the verge of explosive growth because of Samsung's investment.

Soulbrain has agreed to provide a minimum of 50 jobs, the release said.

The first phase of the Soulbrain plant will be built at the RCR Taylor Rail Logistics Park at 201 FM 3349, White said. The company is also thinking about investing $400 million in a second construction phase, according to the release.

Soulbrain has agreed to make an annual civic donation of $25,000 per year, create an internship for local high school students and join the Taylor Chamber of Commerce, officials said.

The city has agreed to give the company a 25% property tax abatement for 10 years for each phase of construction, according to the release. It said the city and the economic development corporation also agreed to give Soulbrain a 25% rebate on the local use tax collected on construction materials.

“Adding Soulbrain to our community adds yet another diverse, international company that will expand our tax base and create new jobs for our citizens," said Betty Day, chairperson of the Taylor Economic Development Corp., in a statement in the release. "Ever since Taylor landed Samsung, we have been working hard to recruit their top suppliers."

Jon Park, the vice president of technology and general counsel for Soulbrain, said the company was excited to expand its business to Taylor.

"The City and the Economic Development Corporation have been great partners in helping us through the process of this expansion," Park said in the release.

Soulbrain's North American headquarters for lithium-ion research and development and production is in Northville, Mich.” AAS ($)

OTHER NEWS

~ “How a Texas Historical Commission vote may further delay plans for new UT football field,” Austin American-Statesman’s Lily Kepner – “The Texas Historical Commission on Friday granted State Antiquities Landmark status to the University Junior High School building – a 91-year-old building most recently home to the University of Texas School of Social Work but eyed as a location for a UT football practice facility.

The State Antiquities Advisory Board recommended the building for landmark status in April after a UT alum submitted an application. The advisory board's recommendation delayed UT’s scheduled demolition of the building over the summer, and the commission's designation Friday further prevents UT from making significant alterations to the property before obtaining a permit from the commission, Chris Florance, the commission's communications director, told the American-Statesman.

"We were shocked and utterly delighted," Barbara Anderson, a retired social work professor who had worked in the building for 25 years and co-founded the "Save the Past for the fUTure coalition," which created a petition against the demolition, told the Statesman in an interview after the commission's vote Friday at its quarterly board meeting in Tyler. She and six others who testified before the commission wore homemade shirts with pictures of the historic building.

The landmark status doesn’t bar UT from demolishing the building, but it adds a more rigorous permitting process before any changes can be done. Depending on UT's action, it could initiate an administrative hearing to determine if the space's historic significance outweighs its benefit to UT's educational mission, Florance said.

What's UT's response?

UT could have contested the designation ahead of the July meeting, seeking an administrative hearing, but it did not. UT spokesperson Mike Rosen has said the institution respects the process and is committed to capturing the history in other ways, such as through a 20-minute documentary created in December.

Kim Barker, UT's preservation planner, said at the meeting that the building's use for academic purposes is impractical as it's farther from the majority of academic buildings at the center of campus. UT System Board Chair Kevin Eltife told commission board members that UT has a history of prizing preservation — the university plans to make an exhibit from the building's artifacts, build a fountain to celebrate UT's first Black students and create a "360 virtual video" of the building.

"It should not be lost on anyone the millions and millions of dollars the UT System spends on preservation," Eltife told commissioners at the meeting before the vote, pointing to other UT System renovation efforts like the restoration of the UT Tower. "But there does come a time when it just isn't feasible to maintain and keep the building. ... We can leave it and let it sit there, but it's not in the best interest of the university."

UT has said the building would be too cost-prohibitive to renovate, with 2015 estimates exceeding $50 million, but Bautisa said the university's recent renovations such as the Hogg Memorial Auditorium — also designed by Cret — and UT Tower's planned $70 million renovation prove the university has the resources to protect it.

“It really just goes beyond a building, but really a connection that can't be severed to the past. Because it can never be replaced," Bautisa told the Statesman before the commission's vote.” AAS ($)

~ “Water contamination concerns spark pushback against quarry construction above Edwards Acquifer,” Austin American-Statesman’s Eric Henrikson – “Milann Guckian has one well on her property just north of New Braunfels.

“This is all … my only source of water. That’s it,” Guckian said about the small pump and the nearby reservoir.

Just 350 feet from her front door, she says a threat to her well and livelihood could soon move in: a quarry. Guckian worries it could contaminate her water.

“We bought this property in 1996. Planning on retiring here, you know, a good 20-plus years out,” Guckian said. She built what she called her dream home. Vaulted ceilings are crossed with wooden beams. Photos of dogs, nieces, nephews, godchildren and “grand god-children” line the walls.

In one corner of the home, a book room. Thousands of first edition hardcovers (mainly James Patterson and Tom Clancy) line the shelves, stacked high and organized by author.

She expected she would have more time to read following a long career working in refineries along the Texas coast.

“We had built this house, got it ready and finished it in 2016. Retired May of 2017. Got here and within just a few short weeks, the property across the street had been sold,” Guckian said.

“One of our neighbors noticed an 18-by-24 inch sign behind the weeds on the fence line and realized what it was and immediately called, ‘hey, we need to have a little meet,'” Guckian recalled.

The group of landowners who all lived surrounding the land discovered Vulcan planned to build a quarry.

Vulcan Materials declined an interview for this story. But a company spokesperson with Vulcan Materials said in a statement:

“At Vulcan Materials, we are committed to meeting environmental regulations and we take pride in being responsible stewards of the land, air, and water we all share. We’ve operated in San Antonio, and surrounding counties, for decades and will continue to maintain the safe and reliable operations that the communities and customers we serve trust us to deliver.”

Retirement plans disrupted

Guckian and her neighbors formed a group, the Preserve Our Hill Country Environment Foundation, to push back against the quarry’s construction. Guckian had to learn about the law, the steps that would be taken to build the quarry and what she could do to prevent it.

At first, she admits, the fight was a sort of “not in my backyard,” but over time she has learned more about the impact the quarry could have on everyone around her.

Over a seven-year period, Guckian said the group has waged numerous battles against Vulcan and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, or TCEQ. One legal fight over an air quality permit led to victory, but it was quickly overturned on appeal.

The little office in Guckian’s home that was once supposed to be a little oasis has transformed into her “command center.” Stacks of files fill the room. In one corner, several binders are stacked containing public comments, permits, legal documents and letters to and from state representatives.

One binder is stuffed with comments, all obtained through Public Information Requests from the TCEQ, regarding the most recent fight: water.

Building a quarry atop an aquifer

In March, the TCEQ approved Vulcan’s Water Pollution Abatement Plan, or WPAP.

According to the TCEQ, a plan must be drawn up to outline best management practices for protecting water quality on properties built within the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone. The Vulcan quarry property lies within this zone.

“The recharge zone is where the Edwards limestone is exposed at the surface in the Balcones fault zone,” said Jack Olivier, a retired geologist and member of the Preserve Our Hill Country Environment Foundation.

According to Olivier, any rainfall or water that falls within the recharge zone can enter the ground and down to the aquifer below. The aquifer provides water to 2.5 million people and runs from Uvalde, along the I-35 corridor, to northeast of Austin.

The recharge zone runs along the southern side of the aquifer and includes parts of Austin.

Olivier particularly worries about the explosives used in the quarry.

“The explosive used by quarries is called ANFO, which stands for ammonium nitrate,” Olivier said. “It’s fertilizer and diesel. Two things you really don’t want in your water supply.”

According to a drilling report filed with the Texas Water Development Board, Vulcan dug a test well on the property.

“Air was being blown down to blow the dust, the rock cuttings out, but when it got to the depth, which is around 80 feet, the dust was not coming back out anymore. It was just going — staying underground,” Olivier said.

According to Olivier, and a hydrology report filed by Dr. Brian Smith, this means the air was likely moving into nearby caves. This means, according to Olivier, that water in the quarry could flow into one of these gaps and deeper within the aquifer.

WPAP and the Edwards Aquifer

This is what the WPAP is designed to do. The WPAP is a plan to prevent contaminated water from spreading into the recharge zone. It includes setbacks from a dry creek that runs through the property.

“They think they can come in here and they can blow it up and they can. This is a business for them. Because that is their gold. Limestone is their gold,” Guckian said.

After the TCEQ approved the WPAP, the agency held a 30-day public comment period. Guckian, through public information requests, discovered 785 public comments were filed with the TCEQ. The comments include letters from State Sen. Donna Campbell and the Texas Water Company.

TCEQ decided not to hold a public meeting for the WPAP. A TCEQ spokesperson told KXAN that it does not require a public meeting for a WPAP within the Edwards Aquifer Protection Program.

We confirmed through a public information request that no record exists for a public meeting regarding a WPAP since 2019.” KXAN

~ “Volunteers pull dozens of shopping carts from Shoal Creek,” KVUE’s Alex Delcid — “The event started after a 2021 report by the Watershed Protection Department found there were 500 shopping carts throughout Austin's creeks.

Community volunteers removed shopping carts from the creek, as well as other pieces of litter.

The event started after a 2021 report by the Watershed Protection Department found there were 500 shopping carts throughout Austin's creeks.

"If at all possible, we like to partner with the retailers to reclaim the carts and take them back to their stores to fix up and put back to use … That is really the main goal. Sometimes it's not possible, so we work with Austin Resource Recovery to recycle all the carts we collect during these events," said Ivey Kaiser, executive director of the Shoal Creek Conservancy.

During last year's event, the Shoal Creek Conservancy recovered 48 shopping carts. For Saturday's event just yet, the group tells KVUE they collected 50 shopping carts along with other litter.

If you would like to volunteer, the conservancy cleans up Shoal Creek about two to three times a month.” KVUE

~ “Move out day brings headaches for UT students in West Campus,” KXAN’s Nabil Remadna – “Apartment leases are coming to an end for some students in West Campus and that means students will have to find somewhere else to move.

“I have a lot of boxes and bags mostly,” said Tyler Hom, a student at the University of Texas.

Hom and his roommate Youssef Bakr spent Saturday packing up boxes and getting things ready to move into another apartment.

“The dumpsters are kind of a mess,” Bakr said. “If you walk in any alley way in West Campus you will see trash everywhere.”

While he’s no fan of looking at all the trash build up in the alleys, these are the least of Bakr’s worries. He said he will be without a place to stay for a few weeks.

“I have a couple of weeks where I can’t really go anywhere other than home, which is in Dallas,” said Bakr.

Bakr did not re-sign a lease at his apartment complex and will soon move to another location in West Campus, but he cant move in until mid-August.

Many students KXAN spoke with tell us from the end of July until mid August they are essentially homeless and have to rent a hotel or stay with a friend.

One apartment complex employee told us the first few weeks of August are used to clean the apartments and make repairs for the next tenants.

“The primary descriptor that comes to mind is quite annoying,” Bakr said. “If I was going straight to the other place I would just do this moving thing once.”

Some students have to rent storage units, but Bakr said he found a friend that will help him.

“So, he is graciously allowing me to store all my stuff in his place where he can store it for a little while. Then I will be back on the 16th,” Bakr said.” KXAN

“CBS-Telemundo Austin distributes over 4,000 backpacks to students,” CBS Austin’s Monique Lopez – “CBS-Telemundo Austin’s 11th annual backpack giveaway kicked off Saturday at Circuit of the Americas.

With thousands of backpacks filled with essential school supplies, every year the event aims to make life a little easier and worry-free for local students and families by helping to prepare them for the upcoming school year.

Thanks to COTA, Walmart, and CARY we had more backpacks than ever before! This year, CBS-Telemundo Austin gave away over 4,000 backpacks to Texas students on a first-come, first-served basis, with many familiar faces volunteering to hand them out.

The yearly event took place at lot H from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.” CBS Austin

SPORTS

~ OLYMPICS / LONGHORNS:“Carson Foster, 13-time All-American with Texas Longhorns, wins bronze at Paris Olympics,” KXAN’s Billy Gates — “Three-year Texas Longhorns swimmer Carson Foster captured the bronze medal in the 400-meter individual medley Sunday at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Foster pushed past Great Britain’s Max Litchfield in the final 50 meters to capture his first Olympic medal, finishing with a time of 4 minutes, 8.66 seconds. Litchfield was in silver medal position at the 350-meter mark but fell off the pace as Foster and Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsush*ta made moves to get on the podium. Matsush*ta edged Foster for silver with a time of 4:08.62.

“There are so many people that deserve to have the medal with me, and I’m excited to go back and celebrate with them,” he said. “It feels so good, so awesome to soak that up.”

France’s Leon Marchand turned in an Olympic record time of 4:02.95, leading wire-to-wire to win gold in front of his home fans at Paris La Defense Arena. Marchand trained under current Longhorns head swimming coach Bob Bowman while at Arizona State University.

Foster will swim in the 200 IM qualifying round at 4:44 a.m. CDT, Aug. 1. The semifinals are scheduled for 2:35 p.m., Aug. 1 with the finals at 1:43 p.m., Aug. 2.” KXAN

~ “Austin FC impressive as it knocks off Pumas UNAM in Leagues Cup opener,” Austin American-Statesman’s Colby Gordon — “Life suddenly got very interesting Friday night for Austin FC.

With its 3-2 victory over Pumas UNAM in the Leagues Cup opener at Q2 Stadium — arguably its biggest win since it knocked off Dallas in the 2022 Western Conference semifinals — Austin FC signaled the potential to make a run in the competition. But more important than the final result over one of the better clubs in Liga MX was the manner in which the Verde & Black accomplished it.

Austin FC played the final 55 minutes of the match down a man after midfielder Osman Bukari was ejected for receiving a second yellow card, and in that same stretch it scored twice, with backup goalie Stefan Cleveland also blocking a penalty in second-half stoppage time.

The Verde & Black’s general quality of play never dipped in the contest — in which it never trailed — and the club received phenomenal performances from multiple players. Alex Ring, Gyasi Zardes and Sebastián Driussi scored, and it was the club's second-highest offensive output of the season.

Here are some thoughts from the match as Austin FC will try to clinch a spot in the knockout round with a draw or win vs. FC Monterrey on Tuesday:

Man of the match: Alex Ring

Every now and then, Ring will flash why he spent 18 months at the peak of his career playing in the top division in Germany, and Friday was one of those times.

His goal in the eighth minute was perfect — a shot from more than 20 yards out on the ground that slipped just inside the far post — and his assist on a cross to Driussi on the team’s third goal early in the second half was just as good. He also was clutch defensively as the club played with 10 men.

An interesting note is that Ring wore the captain’s armband in the game even with Driussi on the field. Whether he continues to do so the rest of the season will be something to watch, but if he returns to being captain as he was in the club’s first two years, it shouldn’t be a major adjustment for anyone with his leadership capabilities.

Pereira making the case for a large contract

As he has been in every game since returning from Copa America, midfielder Dani Pereira was exceptional.

Though Zardes had a nice finish for the second goal, Pereira made it happen by making a steal and setting him up with a shrewd pass. If he keeps up this high level of play, it will mean good things for the club the rest of the season, but it also might mean his days in town could be numbered.

Austin FC has control of Pereira, who's 24, for another year with a club option in his contract, which it will obviously exercise in the offseason. But whether a team from Europe or South America can persuade the Verde & Black to sell him with a big offer over the winter will be intriguing.

Regardless of whether it’s this winter or the next, Pereira will receive a significant contract from someone.

Austin FC players looked motivated

Both Jon Gallagher, who started in the midfield on the wing for the first time since early 2022, and Matt Hedges said after the match that the team was energized by facing a new opponent. Each noted that a game vs. another MLS team would have felt like just another league game, so they appreciated the opportunity to play a club from another country with players they hadn’t competed against before.

That attitude showed throughout the team, with Austin FC being scrappy and playing sound, smart soccer.

Stefan Cleveland steps up

This was the first time Cleveland, who signed in the offseason as a free agent after spending four years in Seattle, stepped on the field for Austin FC. His save of Guillermo Martinez’s penalty attempt was a brilliant work of goalkeeping in which he guessed correctly to his right and stopped a shot that was low and relatively close to the post.

Brad Stuver received a night off for the first time in more than 27 months, and while he isn’t in danger of losing his spot as the team’s starting goalie, fans should feel good knowing the club has a capable backup.

(In other goalkeeping notes, this was Cleveland’s first appearance since July 12, 2023, and the first time since May 14, 2022, that someone other than Stuver had played goalie for Austin FC. Andrew Tarbell suited up on that date vs. Real Salt Lake while Stuver recovered from an injury.)

Bottom line: Sign of things to come?

The impressiveness of a team winning a match in which it played the majority of the contest down a man and without one of its best players in Bukari can’t be overstated. And the fact that it came against one of the bigger clubs in Mexico adds to the grandeur.

It’s only one result, which is something you can’t make too much out of in soccer, and Austin FC still isn’t guaranteed a spot in the knockout round, but this has the potential to give it some momentum as it heads into the final three months of the MLS season.

If the Verde & Black can come close to duplicating this performance Tuesday vs. Monterrey or just record a draw that assures they advance in the competition, it will be a major boost to the club.” AAS ($)

AUSTIN CULTURE

~ NIGHTLIFE: Austin Club Named a USA Today Club of the Year. AAS ($)

WHAT TO DO TONIGHT

~ LIVE MUSIC: Blue Monday: Soul Man Sam plus Lindsay Beaver and Brad Stivers (Antones, Austin). Doors 7pm. Show 8pm. Info here.

~ FOOD: “21 Fun Sports Bars in Austin”. Eater Austin

~ FOOD: “16 Great Bets for Fried Chicken in Austin”. Eater Austin

COOL JOB ALERT

~CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (CFO): Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). Salary Range: $117,383 - $174,000/year. Closing Date: August 19, 2024. Info / apply here.