Council may pass Rec Center

Published 3:01 pm Sunday, June 5, 2016

The Austin City Council has a busy schedule ahead for its regularly scheduled meeting and work session on Monday, June 6, at 5:30 p.m. at the council chambers in Austin City Hall.

Perhaps the most anticipated item on the agenda is the pending approval of the proposed $35 million rec center.

Heated negotiations were recently finished and the council pushed it forward with a 5-2 vote from its work session at the last meeting.

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Council members Michael Jordal and Jeremy Carolan voted “no.”

If the council passes the vote, the city will acquire the former downtown Austin Municipal Plant as the home of the community rec center, which would feature public spaces and a new YMCA.

“I think it’s going to draw people to Austin,” Mayor Tom Stiehm said, calling it the flagship Vision 2020 project.

Council members Dave Hagen and Janet Anderson agreed.

“I think we ironed out all our differences and came to a very good conclusion,” Hagen said.

“There were some tense moments here and there but I think it’s a very good outcome,” Anderson added.

Earlier in May, city officials and YMCA leaders differed over daily passes to access the facility, as YMCA leaders offered an $8 all-access pass, which would only be available four times throughout the year before a person is expected to become a monthly YMCA member, which city leaders questioned.

But Assistant City Attorney Craig Byram said the differences were ironed out when the city and YMCA officials agreed upon an all-access day pass for $12.50 and an aquatic daily pass rate for $8, both with no limits to the number of visits.

 Other business:

• Planning and Zoning Administrator Holly Wallace is asking the council to grant her department the power to contract for removal of refuse and junk at several properties in Austin. The property owners have been notified of the violations, but have failed to resolve the issues, she said in a letter to the council.

• The council is scheduled to approve a fundraiser hosted by the Austin Police Department K-9 program. The K-9 fundraiser time has been changed to 4 to 7 p.m. on Monday, June 20, at the Band Shell Park on South Main Street. There will be K-9 demonstrations at 5 and 6 p.m.

Hot dogs will be served for a freewill offering. This is the first time the police department has organized a fundraiser.

• The council is scheduled to approve two minor subdivisions of properties. At 1202 12th St. SW, the adjoining property owners plan to purchase the subdivided property for their use.

At 610 Second Ave. SW, Austin Utilities owns both parcels and plans to sell one at a public auction. The property being sold is residential and could only be used as green space unless combined with an adjacent lot.

• Public Works Director Steven Lang will talk to the council about the Americans with Disabilities Act. The city is required to perform a self-evaluation of its current transportation infrastructure policies, practices and programs.

Lang said they have about 2,500 locations in the city where sidewalk intersects with curb and gutter, all of which need to be evaluated.