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Top Morning Stories 12/1/11: Charter Revision Meeting, World AIDS Day

A map showing one proposal for new Austin City Council districts.
Image Courtesy of the City of Austin.
A map showing one proposal for new Austin City Council districts.

How Should Austin City Council Members be Elected?

The City of Austin's 2012 Charter Revision Committee is meeting tonight. It's scheduled to discuss whether to recommend a single member district map, which could include some at-large seats. Under single member districts, council members would represent specific geographic areas of town. Right now all Austin city council members are elected city-wide.

The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Carver Library, 1161 Angelina Street. KUT has reported on some of the proposals on the table, check out that story here.

World AIDS Day

Today is the 23rd World AIDS Day. Several events are planned in Austin to mark the day. An all-day World AIDS Day event is set for the City Center on East St. Johns Avenue in North Austin. Starting at 10:00 this morning there will be a resource fair and free HIV testing on the UT campus at the Student Activity Center. You can find more events marking World AIDS Day in Austin here.

City Closes Rec Center After Major Structural Defects

The City of Austin has closed an East Austin recreation center. TheAustin American-Statesman reports the 3 year-old  center has significant structural problems with the foundation and walls:

Built for $4.3 million and opened in 2008, Turner-Roberts Recreation Center is the newest of Austin's 20 city rec centers. But cracks began appearing in the walls of the gymnasium in 2009 , the first sign of what turned out to be larger flaws. One of two engineering firms that have assessed the building has said it would take seven months and $2.7 million to repair it, or 10 months and $4.1 million to tear it down and rebuild it

The Statesman reports city officials will decide soon what to do and that the city's begun moving classes held at the center to other facilities.

APD Searching for Missing Woman

Austin police are asking for the public's help in finding 81 year-old Mary Townsley. She was last seen Sunday at about 10:30 p.m. at 1318 Lamar Square. Townsley is 130 lbs, 5'4" and has short gray curly hair. She wears glasses. Authorities say foul play is not suspected but they are concerned for her well-being.