Archives for February 2010

Downtown Austin Link Roundup

Jude Galligan | February 10, 2010 |

OK, not really troubled water, but I couldn’t resist a title so apropos for a city that likes to bitch and moan about growth, yet doesn’t make the hard decisions necessary to steer growth and prefers to react to it, (breath) imagine the hostility we’re going to see for this bridge. One look at the notoriously poorly moderated comment sections of the Statesman’s online posts (seriously, take a look to feel less good about humanity) is all you need to run far, far away from the headaches of local public policy making and sound urban planning.

2) Rainey Street getting smart about traffic

Last week’s commentary by a Milago resident about the perils of walking in the Rainey Street district has spurred the City into action. “Those people” move into the district and now they want to change it with crazy things like sidewalks. Less than 48 hours after this video editorial aired, there were pneumatic traffic counters straddling the district’s streets recording passing cars, and adolescent kids (primarily DAB readers/writers) jumping on them.

3) Oh, hi! Ummm… We’ll be needing your land. KTHXBAI

City approves the use of eminent domain, should it be necessary, to get control over an important piece of land for the Waller Creek Tunnel Project. For decades this assemblage of lots that front I-35 has been a surface level parking lot. For the next 4-5 years it will be a staging area for creek diggin’.

Operation Reclaim Waller Creek

Jude Galligan | February 5, 2010 |

Photo of volunteers from December's Waller Creek clean up. Yours truly on the far left.

Just received this note from Carolyn Perez with the City of Austin, “In 2008 APD, together with the Watershed Protection and Parks Departments, launched an initiative to clean up the creek and enforce ordinances, including those related to vagrancy.”

Operation Reclaim Waller Creek helps clear urban waterway

The City of Austin will launch next week the next phase of Operation Reclaim Waller Creek, an initiative to improve the safety and environmental conditions along this urban waterway.

Austin Police officers, along with crews from Watershed Protection and Parks and Recreation will be focused on cleaning up the ¼-mile stretch of the creek from Cesar Chavez Street to Lady Bird Lake. Previous efforts have cleared areas upstream.

Work will include:

Cutting overgrowth in and along the creek.

Removing graffiti.

Picking up trash and debris.

Concentrated enforcement of City ordinances.

“This operation will help improve the quality of life for those who work, live and visit the downtown area,” said APD Officer Jason Huskins, Downtown Area District Representative. “We have had issues with illicit activity along this portion of the creek. This cleanup will allow us to have better access to the area and better means to protect our community and the environment.”

Downtown Austin Community Court will assign persons needing to fulfill community service requirements to help with the cleanup.

This month-long operation will help prepare for the Waller Creek Tunnel Project, which will alleviate flooding and reduce the amount of debris in the creek. Construction on the project is due to begin later this year in the area targeted by this phase of Operation Reclaim Waller Creek.

Will The Austin Planetarium’s Stars Shine Over Downtown Austin?

Jude Galligan | February 3, 2010 |

One of my favorite podcasts is Astronomy Cast, because… well, I’m a geek for science, especially physics and astronomy.

So, I was very excited to learn that Torvald Hessel, executive director, and his colleague Dr. Ron Johns with the Austin Planetarium would be visiting with the DANA board last night to discuss the future of this $60MM planetarium in downtown Austin. Lest you believe this is just a wacky idea, they’ve got some heavies involved including local Cosmonaut, Richard Garriott and Astronaut Rick Linnehan.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17jymDn0W6U]

Austin is the largest city without a planetarium, or a full-dome theater with projection against the ceiling (not to be confused with an observatory which is a telescope at a remote location). Of the 50 largest cities in the U.S., Austin is the only city without a planetarium of any kind.

Planetariums boost tourism and tax revenue, and are a family oriented destination for city residents and visitors. Studies suggest that planetariums increase interest in sciences as a career – a big concern for our government – and facilitates worker retention, especially in the high tech industry. In other words, “Nerds like to do nerdy things.” says Hessel.

The facility would include:
-planetarium
-science museum
-technology center, a showcase for locally developed technologies.

The venue under consideration would be 115,000sf and located on the Southeast corner of Congress and MLK. This site is currently a surface level parking lot owned by the State of Texas. The planetarium is seeking a long term lease and would include three stories of underground parking that the State could still use.

Can you see a [real] “Museum District” in the making? I can. With the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum ($80MM) to the west and the Blanton Museum of Art ($85MM) to the north, the addition of another exhibiting destination like an Austin Planetarium ($60MM estimate) should generate increased traffic to all three. See economies of agglomeration (or locally by Chris Bradford who introduced me to the concept).

[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&q=bob+bullock&fb=1&gl=us&hnear=&cid=0,0,7857427179010506862&ei=jPxoS43UCYH4NaL5_IsG&ved=0CBEQnwIwAA&t=h&source=embed&hq=bob+bullock&ll=30.279944,-97.738484&spn=0.006295,0.006295&layer=c&cbll=30.280567,-97.737913&panoid=85Vxxvs5jvByJGfMnztOUA&cbp=12,305.97,,0,-2.9&output=svembed&w=600&h=350]

The Austin Planetarium is operated as a not-for-profit 501(c)(3). You can donate and become a sponsor here. 2010 goals for the Austin Planetarium are to acquire land and formalize city and state commitments, enlarge donor pool, and lock-in corporate sponsorships.

So, is the Austin Planetarium just another piece of Austin real estate vaporware? It appears they have a great team, passion, and access to big corporate and university money. The site selection is inspired, and we’re told that no other group is at the table proposing a higher and better use of the parking lot. The earliest we would see ground breaking is in 2011.

-Jude

Downtown Austin Crime Watch Suspect

Jude Galligan | February 2, 2010 |

Keepin’ it real. The real money has always been in sanitary napkin dispensers.

Begin forwarded message:

From: 6th Street Austin <info>
Date: February 2, 2010 8:01:41 AM CST
To: jude
Subject: Crime Watch Suspect

CRIME NOTICE FROM APD
We just received the attached photograph of a person of interest taken earlier today in a downtown high-rise office property. The individual is suspected of going floor to floor, breaking into sanitary napkin dispensers and stealing the coins.

Please circulate this among your property staff and security. If this person is seen on your property, please call 911 immediately to notify the police and to file a criminal trespass warning against him.

Yours,

Tim League
chairman
6Ixth Street Austin

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