Northern Walnut Creek Trail (aka big sidewalk thru Walnut Creek Park)

[cxagent]

10 hours ago, WatersPark said:

You can find project costs for previous Ncwt sections online here https://www.austintexas.gov/financeonline/account_services/solicitation/closed_solicitations.cfm

Search construction, Walnut Creek trail, NCWT, etc.

Here is the most recent

https://www.austintexas.gov/financeonline/account_services/solicitation/solicitation_details.cfm?sid=118968

Note above where I said the "soft costs" (design and management) would be close to the "hard costs" (labor and materials to build the sidewalk). WatersPark links to why those costs are so high. It costs money to 'manage, report, comply with laws, and make transparent'. Note that I am pointing out reality. I am not complaining or blaming anyone. When the 'rules' are made to cover any project no matter the size, the costs of complying with those rules becomes a MAJOR percentage of smaller projects.

Edited September 10, 2019 by cxagent

[WatersPark]

Huge cleanup of the homeless camp west of Mopac along the NCWT yesterday.  I talked to one of the workers who said the were hired by the property owner.  I imagine he was cited by the city.  Incredible what all they had down there.  Propane tanks, car ramps, oil change pans.  

[GFisher]

Thanks for taking those. I saw that too and considered taking a picture but they were actively loading up a FULL 30'? long dumpster. I did thank them and applauded them. 

The 'residentially-challenged' folks need to learn to pack it in - pack it out!

[cxagent]

1 hour ago, GFisher said:

The 'residentially-challenged' folks need to learn to pack it in - pack it out!

I refer to them as "Austin's Protected Class". If you or I did the things they do we would be arrested/ticketed. They are rewarded.

The places they live need to be known as "Adlerville" in honor of His Majesty,  wait, I mean Mayor Steve Adler.

[June Bug]

That's the second massive clear out in the last year or two.  The first was definitely the city. 

[June Bug]

One solution:  Community First! Village, an outreach of Mobile Loaves and Fishes

[AntonioGG]

13 hours ago, June Bug said:

One solution:  Community First! Village, an outreach of Mobile Loaves and Fishes

I donate big to them and big to the food bank every year.  Our company also organizes volunteer days with them. It's an awesome concept. 

Nobody likes the trashy underpasses, but the problem was always there.  It was just brought out to the forefront.

[Anita Handle]

I've volunteered to clean up a homeless encampment near onion creek and it was done in coordination with APARD, Bethel Austin, and an org called The Other Ones Foundation (TOOF). TOOF offers direct support to homess people by hosting showering/cleanup facilities, short term housing and by lowering the barrier to reemployment by directly hiring the homeless to clean up the very spaces that they are inhabiting. I worked directly with people who were currently or previously homeless, some of which who had been in recovery from drug addiction. It was humbling.

What I learned is that they are treated like discarded souls, injured by normal society as well as other homeless people. Insulted, ignored, physically beaten, raped... you name it.

TOOF and orgs like the one above are doing very hard and valuable work. I've donated to TOOF.

http://toofound.org/