The sobering center in Austin has
provided an alternative to jail
or hospitalization since 2018.
And since then, they've been
offering people one night to sober
up and get on with their life.
Well, now they're looking to help
folks build a new journey just
beyond that one night of respite.
And after many delays, the Hope
Outdoor Gallery is finally
back open.
The new 6,000-foot space
is working to maintain the try
anything vibe that made its original
spot so very Austin.
The Austin Signal is a production of
K UT News, hosted by Jerry
Quijano.
Plus as we grow deeper into the
holiday season, businesses in
downtown Austin are looking to
attract more shoppers.
How are they doing that?
Find out next.
That's coming up here on Austin
Signal.
Howdy out there, Austin.
It is Monday, the first day
of December 2025.
About two percent of the
way through the year.
And you know, it's not always the
case here in Texas, but today it
absolutely feels like the first day
of December.
Currently 43 degrees
out at Camp Mabry as we're recording
this in the afternoon.
And tonight here in Austin, we're
expecting lows right around 36
degrees and freezing temperatures
up in the hill country.
So have multiple ways to
stay weather or where.
And of course, keep it tuned in here
to KUT News for
the latest.
This is Austin Signal.
We're glad you're here with us.
A quick headline from the KUT
Newsroom. The city of Pflugerville
will receive a $176
million loan from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
for water and wastewater projects.
City officials say the funding will
be used for multiple projects to
modernize drinking water and
wastewater infrastructure.
That includes a new wastewater
treatment plant and expanding
and consolidating current wastewater
collection systems.
Part of the loan will fund an
ongoing project to address growth in
the Wilbarger and Cottonwood
basins. We're gonna have more coming
up this afternoon on all things
considered.
We're glad you're here with us.
The Austin Sobering Center has
expanded its services to folks who
need more than just a place to sober
up.
For more about this story, we are
bringing in Katy McAfee.
She is K U T's Travis County
reporter and she's here with us in
the studio. Howdy, Katy.
Hey Jerry.
We are glad you're joining with
joining here on the Austin
Signal.
Let's talk about the Sobering
Center. We chatted a little bit
prior to the show, but I
have an inkling of what it is, but
just give lay it out.
What is the Austin Sobering Center?
Yeah, so for folks who don't know,
the sobering center opened in twenty
eighteen and at the time the
idea was for the sobering center to
be a place that publicly intoxicated
people could go to.
That wasn't the emergency room
or the jail.
Those places historically have been
really tight on resources,
and what Austin Police and
EMS found was people who are
publicly intoxicated don't always
need to go there.
So since then this has been a place
where people can go and be dropped
off. It's centrally located
downtown, have a
snack, sober up under supervision,
and then sort of leave the next day.
And is this this is a collaboration
between Travis County and the city
of Austin?
Yeah, that's correct.
So this was kind of the brainchild
of Travis County judge Andy Brown,
but it really is like an all
hands on deck kind of effort because
we have EMS dropping people off,
APD dropping people off, and Travis
County working on it as well.
Well, as you mentioned, they have
been doing this since twenty
eighteen and I know you got a chance
to talk with some folks there.
How have things been working out
since then?
Yeah, so it's been working out
really well so far.
But what people at the sobering
center started to notice was they
had a lot of people repeatedly
coming in.
Ashlyn Branscombe, she's a licensed
social worker at the Sobering
Center, what told me about one man
who came in in and out, in and
out, seventy-five times
in a one hundred and thirty-five day
period. Okay.
Yeah. And you know, toward
the end of that he said, Okay,
guys, he resolved to stop
drinking. He said, This is the last
time you're gonna see me and folks
at the sobering center said, Okay,
well, if you're serious about that,
can we connect you with medical
resources?
Because you can die from
alcohol withdrawal.
Okay.
And Brandscombe told me i a light
bulb just went off in her head at
that point and she said, You know,
the sobering center could be more
than just a place where people sober
up for a night, but it can be sort
of the first touch point in
someone's journey to long term
recovery.
And now they're looking to expand on
what they're doing. They're trying
to to fulfill that that
idea. How are they doing so?
Yeah, so this expansion just wrapped
up last week.
What they did was the sobering
center always had this second floor,
but they weren't utilizing it.
So over this past year they
renovated the second floor and
they added 14 beds.
This floor has lots of windows and
natural light and it's just a space
that works better for
long-term recovery compared to the
downstairs area right now, which is
really just the space where people
hang out for a temporary amount of
time.
So now how this can work is
if people are looking for long-term
recovery, they can just take an
elevator upstairs and folks at
the sobering center can
connect them to a rehabilitation
center where they can go to get
long-term help.
And again, from what you've heard
from the staff at the center, that's
g really gonna make a huge
difference, right? For just having
that one floor of separation is
gonna allow people to just have
a little bit more space to go
through their process, right?
Yeah, exactly.
Because this isn't entirely new.
The sobering center has been trying
to connect people to long term
rehabilitation centers for a while,
but the issue they ran
into was they didn't have space
to separate people who are starting
their sort of long term recovery
journey from people who are
there sobering up initially.
And it was really difficult for
people to sort of get into this
recovery headspace where in their
they are in the same room as people
who are actively intoxicated
and in the process of sobering
up. So just having a new floor
and a new space where people can
kind of get into a different
headspace, they said has is going
to be really helpful.
As you mentioned, those renovations
were completed last week.
That's right.
And I know they're having an ongoing
celebration for that and a
fundraising event as part of Giving
Tuesday. That is happening tomorrow.
We're gonna have a link to that in
our show notes.
That is KUT dot org
slash Austin Signal.
We have been speaking to Katy
McAfee.
She is KUT's Travis County reporter.
Thanks for the update, Katy.
Thanks for having me on, Jerry.
As downtown restaurants and bars
head into what is, you know, usually
supposed to be one of their busiest
times of the year, construction
is not making things so
very holly jolly.
But KUT's Nathan Bernier
reports on a new incentive meant to
lure people back downtown.
Half priced Uber rides
through the holidays.
I-35 is expanding,
skyscrapers are rising,
but one construction project is
proving to be the most disruptive of
all to downtown restaurants and
bars, the redevelopment of the
Austin Convention Center.
You can feel the vibration, the
noise level is just freaking loud
that it's unbearable to even sit
outside.
Joe Nguyen is operations manager at
Moonshine Grill on Red River
Street. This restaurant's been
serving Southern Comfort Food for
more than twenty years, directly
across the street from the
convention center.
You know, I had a guest the other
day. We were sitting next to the
window inside and I mean they were
drilling or doing something.
I mean, you're my our building
shaking. I mean, this is a
historical building.
You know, it's shaking and whatever
they're doing is just wow.
I can't believe it. It's that as
loud as it is.
What they're doing is virtually
doubling the size of the Austin
Convention Center.
It's a $1.6 billion
project, paid for with the city's
hotel occupancy tax and convention
center revenues.
But it's not scheduled to open until
2029.
So that means Austin's downtown bars
and restaurants will have to go
years without the hundreds of
thousands of visitors drawn to
the city each year for all the
different conventions.
I mean the lunch business is down
seventy percent, right?
Overall we're down thirty to forty
percent with the road closures, the
fencing, reduced foot traffic.
There's some people just assume like
this whole area is shut down.
You know, our public agencies have
been clear with us that this
construction is only going to really
intensify over the next decade.
So we are entering a period
of public infrastructure
investments which are really needed
for our city.
However, there is a little bit of
pain involved in that.
Vanessa Olson is with the Downtown
Austin Alliance.
It's a nonprofit that collects a tax
from downtown property owners to
improve and promote the district.
Full disclosure, they also sponsor
the KUT and KUTX Holiday Sing-Along,
which is happening December 6th.
But the Downtown Austin Alliance is
experimenting with ways to help
businesses affected by all the
construction.
And for December, they're trying
something new, paying for half
the cost of anyone's Uber rides
to and from downtown within a
30-mile radius.
The maximum subsidy is $40
per ride, not including tip.
This is a pilot program, so
we are testing this program
and many others to see what works
to make sure people can still get to
downtown, can still support those
downtown businesses, and
whatever works we hope to be
able to deploy in the future.
So to claim a voucher good for
up to six rides, go
to XOXO downtown
Austin.com and just
scroll till you find the promotion.
The Downtown Austin Alliance has
5,000 of these vouchers available.
But Olsen says if people claim
them all and then don't use them or
only take short trips, they might
release more vouchers around the
middle of December.
And even for businesses blocks away
from the convention center, it's a
welcome bit of help during a
difficult time.
Heather Potts is co-owner of
Cedar Door and Foxy's
Proper Pub.
Which are both at second in
Brazzard.
I would say our sales are off by
probably about twenty to twenty five
percent with the effects of the
convention center being torn down.
I mean I guess when the convention
center is built, is there the pot of
gold at the end of the rainbow if if
your business is
You know, I that's definitely
my hope. It's not going to be fun to
weather these years while the
convention center is down.
But yes, I'm super excited about
when it will be finished.
Definitely. And I need a countdown
clock.
Those vouchers to get half-off Uber
rides to or from downtown are valid
from December 1st till January 1st
at 8 a.m.
To allow for a trip home after New
Year's Eve, or until the Downtown
Austin Alliance runs out of money
for the program, whichever comes
first. I'm Nathan Bernier in
Austin.
Coming up here on Austin Signal,
we're gonna take a look back at the
UT AM football game
from Friday.
I'm sure you know, plenty
of folks are happy with the bragging
rides that they've got right now.
KUT's Jimmy Moss is gonna
be with us. Plus, who remembers the
Austin Graffiti Park that used to be
off Lamar in downtown?
Well, it's back, just in a
different location now, and just had
its grand opening.
We'll hear more about the Hope
Outdoor Gallery coming up after
this. Stay with us.
This is Austin Signal.
Thanks for being with us today.
The Hope Outdoor Gallery
is back.
After several delays at Open
Friday in a new space near the
airport, the property features
curated pieces and a 6,000
square foot gallery and event
space. Visitors can pick up a can
of spray paint and unleash their
creativity on the exterior
walls.
As KUT's Stephanie Federico
reports, the gallery owners are
hoping to maintain that try
anything vibe of its original
location.
Spray paint cans were once again
rattling Friday at the Hope Outdoor
Gallery.
Visitors paint robots and band
names, eyeballs and laboo-boos
in all colors and sizes.
People lift each other up to reach
the tops of walls.
Children gleefully spray purples
and reds back and forth with wild
abandons.
Antonio Delgado watches as
his family attacks the walls.
I love that it's like there's
different calibers of artists here,
right? Like some new artists,
some younger artists, you know, and
then more formally trained artists.
Delgado used to live three blocks
away from the original location on
Baylor Street in the Clarksville
neighborhood.
I would go and I'd sit with the song
right there all the time.
He said he was sad when the site
closed in twenty nineteen, but he
was excited to bring his family to
the new spot.
It's great to see like inside
that we have this space that's like
formal space that's championing
mural art, you know, and then
outside we've got space where we can
just play and have fun and practice
and they can learn through new
mediums, you know.
Yeah.
The original Hope Outdoor Gallery
was supposed to be temporary.
The property had been vacant since
the eighties.
Founder Andy Skull got permission
from the owners in 2009 for a
graffiti park on the foundation of a
failed condo development.
She enlisted street artist Shepard
Ferry for the first installation.
He's best known for the Obey Giant
and Obama Hope posters.
He had helped Skull launch a
campaign called Helping Other People
Everywhere, or Hope, that connects
artists to humanitarian causes.
The towering concrete slabs
became a canvas for anyone with a
spray paint can, regardless
of talent.
New murals were painted over old
ones on a regular basis.
It was a living art exhibit that
drew locals and tourists alike.
That exhibit lasted nearly a
decade.
CK Chin, the new gallery's
director of hospitality, says
that's because the site was about
more than just graffiti.
On any given day you'll
have someone putting up a mural,
a random tourist that pop
by to just look at some art,
somebody doing breakdancing
on top of a piece of concrete,
a proposal happening in the corner.
Founder Andy Skull says it also gave
people a space to try new things.
The coolest part about what we
really learned in the ten years of
the project was like
this is where people are feeling
safe to try and try
things big and try weird
things. I mean, it was weird
sometimes to see someone
practicing tap dancing at hope.
But the tourist destination was
fenced off in 2019.
Work began on a luxury condo
building. Skull and Chin knew
they needed a permanent home for the
gallery.
It was really audacious and really
kind of crazy to even consider,
but like we said,
you don't know what you can do or
can't do until you try.
Local artists and supporters pushed
them to find a way for hope to live.
They ultimately found the spot near
the airport. The project stalled
because of construction issues,
permitting challenges, and the
pandemic.
But none of that mattered on Friday.
The new site is part art park,
part events center.
There are curated murals outside
and walls for the public to paint.
Inside the gallery there's more
artwork, a coffee shop, and a store
to buy t-shirts and well spray
paint.
'Cause we're we're not gonna use all
that spray paper in one go.
We have to be real careful how we
use it.
So there's blue, there's
kind of that pinkest.
So we're so excited the first
day already we got here, people
already waiting.
We it was an hour till opening
and we're back.
Skull is eager to bring back the old
vibe too, one that's all about
creating safe places for the
creative community to come together.
But she and Chin are also excited
about what this new space will
become.
The coolest things about this park
haven't even begin, haven't been
thought of.
Visitors Friday said they were
inspired.
Skull says she's here for whatever
new ideas they dream up.
I'm Stephanie Federico in
Austin.
All right, now let's do a little
roundup of some Texas sports
from the weekend.
Here to help us out is KUT
program director Jimmy Mass.
Good afternoon, Jimmy.
Good afternoon. Yeah, we're cool
like that.
Especially today, where it's a
a very, very cold forty six degrees
outside. Very good football weather.
Very good, very cold.
Exactly. The weekend provided
some nice football weather and
a nice result for the Texas football
team.
Yeah, Texas they they
surprised some people.
Certainly a lot of odds makers were
not I giving
the Longhorns good chances, but they
you know, this was the number one
team in the country preseason and
they showed up in a big way
on Friday night, beating Texas
AM, ending
Texas AM's
perfect perfect season.
They were aiming for a
a solid shot at at
at a national championship.
They still have that because of the
playoff system, but
they will not end the season
at with zero losses.
And they were t Texas A and M was
actually looking for their first SEC
championship game appearances.
They will not get to go that as
either.
That's right. That's right.
And but you know,
You know the interesting thing, I
think the biggest difference between
Texas this is my one joke for the
thing. Go ahead.
Let's do it. The biggest difference
between the A and M and Texas fans
is A and M fans will be talking
about this a long, long, long time.
Well, you know, one of my A and M
fans friend was
t texting me and you
know, constantly shoving it in my
face that despite the fact that
Texas A and M lost, they were still
going to the playoffs, which doesn't
appear to be the case for Texas,
right? Or is it still possible?
So the the back end of
the playoffs.
So the the biggest problem with the
playoff initially and why it was
created was because the top four
were such so subjectively
decided and determined who was gonna
make it. You know, the are you in a
power five conference?
Are you the champion of this and
that? Are is second place
in the SEC better than the champion
of the ACC or whatever.
So they eliminated that largely.
It's still not everybody gets in,
just five champions of the five
conferences.
And then apparently there's another
rule that like basically everybody
in the top tier, the SEC also gets
in. That's what it's used to be.
So and now who is
on the back end of that top tier
of the SEC is up for
a sub another subjective debate
by the committee.
They will make a their second
to last, the
penultimate college
football ranking tomorrow night,
six o'clock.
That that will come out.
If Texas is in the top ten,
and that's a big if, if they are
in the top ten of this
last second to last ranking, there's
a reasonable shot that
opinion in the committee is on
their side.
If it if it is not if
they are not in the top ten, Texas
really needs a lot of really strange
things to occur this weekend,
really bad showings in conference
championship games, you
know, just things that might sway
someone.
You know, the eye test will
sway them to include Texas.
Now, Texas has a good resume this
year.
Everyone is disappointed with the
season, but you know, they beat
three top ten teams.
They did lose to two of them and
they lost to Ohio State.
The last team to beat
three top ten teams when they were
ranked at the time when they played
them was LSU in 2019.
LSU won the national championship
that year. Texas happened to be one
of those top ten teams that LSU
beat. So there is a
there is a resume there.
They beat Oklahoma, they beat AM.
Both of those teams are very likely
to be in the playoff.
There's there's a strong
chance that Texas could get
they could get a little bit of
luck on their side.
Only a not strong chance.
There is a chance, strong chances.
A chance exists, though.
Yes, there is a chance.
Now, betting odds, they don't even
include Texas in in this mix,
but it was just a single touchdown
loss to Ohio State in week one,
and that is the closest that anyone
has gotten to Ohio State this
season. So, you know, there's
there's something to be said about
scheduling these preseason matches.
And if Texas is not rewarded for
this, look out for, you know,
upstate university
every week of the preseason
or the pre-conference
part of the schedule.
The takes have been hot this
weekend. It's been a great weekend
to just be online and
read anything that's been going on.
Let's say that that chaos doesn't
play out and the Texas football
season ends with a bowl game,
that isn't a a prestigious one,
one of these championship game ones.
What do you think what have you seen
in the last few weeks from the team
that is a positive to build on going
into next?
Well I think that The
difficult part of that is in modern
college football, it's so hard to
figure out like who's going to be
around. If this if this
young nucleus
stays, assuming they
do, let's just let's just pretend.
If they stay, the line
gets, you know,
at least two games better,
twelve games better by the end of
next season.
Arch Manning is twelve
games better by the end of next
season. There's there's a lot
that they could build upon, mainly
like missed opportunities,
regrets, etc., that, you know, are
just as much a part of building your
future as you know, successes
are. So this is
a a chance for the
Longhorns to sort of reassess
and and plan for the future.
Most people thought it could be a
rebuilding year.
Too many people thought Texas
was going to be the best team ever.
They're they're somewhere in
between.
Yeah, that seems like so long
ago.
That is K U T program Director Jimmy
Mass with the update on the Texas
football team. Jimmy, thanks for
your time. Don't forget about that
volleyball match coming up.
That's right. I was looking at that
right now. Number one C Texas
volleyball team going up against
Florida AM this Friday
at seven o'clock.
And coming up at one
o'clock tomorrow afternoon, that is
Austin Signal.
Thank you for being with us.
Kristen Cabrera is our managing
producer. Rayna Sevilla is
our technical director, and I'm
Jerry Quijano, your host.
We will talk to you tomorrow.