Riverwalk Capital Improvements and LED Holiday Lighting Program

The River Walk Capital Improvements Master Plan was finalized in 2008, and identified a prioritized list of capital improvements with an estimated total cost of $15 million to be constructed over four phases. The Master Plan identified the infrastructure needs for the historic river bend to include sidewalks, stairs, lighting upgrades, walkway retaining walls, and a number of aesthetic improvements.

A total of $3.5 million was spent on Phase I which was completed in March 2010. This phase made the entire River Walk ADA accessible from S. Alamo to the Museum Reach. Phase II is currently underway with a $3.6 million program. Work began in March 2011 and is estimated to be completed by May 2012. Improvements for the phase included the Chamber of Commerce area, La Mansion fountain to Presa St. linkage and the Commerce Street Bridge area which will begin in January 2012. The FY 2012 budget included $2.5 million for Phase III with an estimated start date of June 2012.
Complementing these capital improvements, are the holiday lighting improvements on the Riverwalk, creating a new holiday experience through the use of green technologies. The enhanced lighting replaces 85,000 multi-color incandescent bulbs with 1.8 million LED mini-bulbs. As part of the City’s commitment to long-term sustainability of resources, this 100% LED conversion features 20 times more lights and uses less than half the energy of the traditional incandescent lighting.

The project also includes the addition of multi-color programmable holiday accent lighting on street bridges from Lexington to the International Center. The holiday lighting officially begins on November 25 at the Holiday River Parade and lighting ceremony, we invite residents and visitors to enjoy our annual holiday spectacle.

4th Annual Rock 'n' Roll Marathon

San Antonio hosted the 4th annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 13. Events included a full and a half marathon; a half marathon relay; a wheelchair invitational; and, new this year, a 22-mile Bike Tour. This year’s event had 30,495 registered participants, with 23,822 finishers. Runners from all 50 states were represented in the field.

David Fuentes, 25 year old former standout in cross country at Boerne High School (now living in Austin TX), crossed the finish line in first. Liza Hunter-Galvan, 42 year old two-time Olympian was the first woman to cross the line.

Vince Neil was the headliner at the Finish Line Festival, with some 50 bands performing along the route throughout the day; many of the performers were local.

This year, the marathon’s exclusive national charity is Susan G. Komen for the Cure. We estimate between 35,000 to 40,000 out-of-town visitors. These visitors would occupy an estimated 30,000 hotel rooms over the Marathon weekend. The impact from this year’s event has not been completed, but the marathon is expected to have an approximate $40 million economic impact.

Our thanks to Several City Departments including SAPD, SAFD, Downtown Operations, Public Works, Development Services, Solid Waste, Convention Sports & Entertainment Facilities, Convention & Visitors Bureau, Parks and Recreation, and other entities worked with Competitor Group to ensure a safe and successful event.

Animal Care Services Update

The implementation of the comprehensive rescue strategy by Animal Care Services Department is underway. The live release rate (Which includes adoptions, rescue, and return to owners) was at a record high of 44% in October 2011 compared to 28% in October 2010. This increase from last year to this year is primarily due to the following increases:

• A 14% increase in Adoptions (326 adoptions to 373 adoptions),


• A 166% increase in rescues (181 rescues to 482 rescues)


• And a 35% increase in Return to Owners (100 returns to 135 returns).


• The number of animals Impounded was also up by 5%
  

The increased rescue rate is enhanced by a pilot program with San Antonio Humane Society and additional rescues from Austin Pets Alive.

In an effort to continue our comprehensive rescue strategy, ACS conducted sweeps of Area 1 (District 5, 6, and 7) in October resulting in the following:

• 225 hours of volunteers knocking on over 2,000 homes in the area


• ACS impounded 127 animals


• 354 spay/neuter surgeries were performed in Area 1


• Area 1 sweeps is still ongoing and the Department will continue to impound additional animals

The next comprehensive sweep will take place in Area 2. This area consists of District 4 & 5. The sweeps will begin this weekend (November 18th-20th) with comprehensive activities in November and December. Outreach to Area 3, which is District 2 & 3, will begin In December 2011 with comprehensive activities in January 2012.

City of San Antonio 2012 Proposed Budget Video and Input

Throughout the month of August, City Councilmembers and City Staff have attended several Community Budget Hearings with San Antonio residents to learn about the 2012 Proposed Budget. The 2012 Proposed Budget Video has also been shown at these events, and can now be viewed online. After watching the video, viewers can provide their own input on the Budget and receive a response from City staff.

To view the 2012 Proposed Budget Video and provide your own input, please click on the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZUXAAkC7I0

FY 2012 Proposed Budget

The FY 2012 Proposed Budget was presented to the Mayor and City Council at the August 11th City Council meeting. During the month of August, City Councilmembers and City staff will hold Community Budget Hearings in each City Council District. San Antonio residents are invited to attend these events and provide their input on the Proposed Budget. To find out where and when your District’s Budget Hearing will take place, please click on the following link:

http://www.sanantonio.gov/budget/documents/FY2012/Community_Budget_Hearings.pdf

For more information on the FY 2012 Proposed Budget, please visit the City of San Antonio’s Office of Management and Budget website at:

http://www.sanantonio.gov/budget/

FY 2012 Budget Highlights on “Texas Week with Rick Casey “

Tune in to the “Texas Week with Rick Casey” Show tonight for a discussion on the City of San Antonio’s FY 2012 Proposed Budget. The show will include City Manager Sheryl Sculley, and Maria Villagomez, Management and Budget Director, and will be aired on KLRN on Friday, August 12, 2011 at 8:00 p.m., and on Sunday, August 14, 2011 at 1:00 p.m. For more information on “Texas Week with Rick Casey,” please click on the following link:

http://www.texasweek.blogspot.com/

Creating a Pathway to Zero Waste

For the last several years, the City has placed a high priority on increasing its efforts to improve recycling services for the residents of San Antonio. We know what we do today will increase the sustainability of our community and improve our environment for tomorrow.

In June 2010, City Council adopted the 10-Year Recycling and Resource Recovery Plan for the City of San Antonio. The strategic goals in the “Pathways to Zero Waste” Plan are to ensure that all single-family and multi-family residents have access to convenient recycling programs, to improve recycling opportunities for businesses and schools, and to recycle 60 percent of all material collected by the City’s Solid Waste Management Department.

Some of the steps we are taking to ensure that we reach the goal in the 10-year plan include establishing recycling services for all multi-family complexes, creating a use-reduction and recycling program for plastic shopping bags, and reducing waste and material consumption at City-wide celebrations and cultural events.

Multi-Family Recycling Services
To ensure that all residents of San Antonio have the opportunity to recycle, in December 2010 the City Council approved a recycling initiative for multi-family complexes (apartments, condos, and high rise housing buildings) that requires recycling services be provided for all tenants. Now, all San Antonio residents will have recycling services by April 2012. For more information about the program, visit http://www.sanantonio.gov/swmd/Recycling/MultiFamilyRecyclingProject.aspx or call the Multi-Family Hotline at 207-6410.

Plastic Shopping Bags Use Reduction & Recycling Program
I am excited to announce our new Plastic Shopping Bags Use Reduction & Recycling program. The City understands the impact that plastic shopping bags can have on our environment so we have teamed up will several partner businesses, like HEB, to launch an awareness and marketing campaign. The goal of the campaign is to increase the usage of reusable shopping bags, increase the amount of plastic bags being recycled, and decrease plastic bag litter in San Antonio. Be on the look out for bag swap events, recycling kiosks at area retailers, and other ideas on ways you can reduce your usage of plastic bags.

Fiesta Recycling “Don’t Trash Fiesta…No one likes a messy party”
This year, the City focused on increasing recycling participation at the 2011 Fiesta celebration. I am pleased to announce that we quadrupled the amount of recyclables collected this year. In 2010 we collected approximately 2.4 tons of recyclable material and in 2011 we collected 13.8 tons of recyclable material. We know we are just scratching the surface in this area and we are already working with the Fiesta Commission to develop plans for next year so we can recycle even more. Thanks San Antonio!

For more information about the City’s recycling efforts, visit http://www.sanantonio.gov/swmd/ .