As the City of San Antonio begins to add 2022-2027 bond projects to its already lengthy list of ongoing construction projects, it is working to create a construction mitigation fund to help affected businesses.
In its last briefing session this year, City Council on Monday also learned about a set of dashboards that will offer real-time information about bond and other construction projects, as part of an overview of the myriad ways city officials are working to keep residents informed about construction projects and help the businesses affected by the disruptions.
Earlier this year, council members Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2) and Marc Whyte (D9) requested that the city stand up a permanent construction mitigation fund. That work is happening now, said Brenda Hicks-Sorensen, director of the city’s Economic Development Department.
The department will return to the council in February with a proposed assistance program to dole out $1.4 million to affected businesses.
That money is in addition to other efforts the department has put into place to help affected businesses, such as a “construction toolkit” in English and Spanish that contains “contacts, strategies and resources” as well as a program that helps businesses create custom signs that let customers know they’re still open for business, featuring “whatever the business wants to highlight,” Hicks-Sorensen said.
Councilwoman Sukh Kaur (D1), whose office helped make custom signs for Southtown businesses when a nearby intersection closed, lauded that effort, saying that the signs had been helpful for those businesses.
The department has also expanded its team of business outreach specialists, who completed almost 600 site visits since the spring. That team will redouble its efforts next year, Hicks-Sorensen said.
The council also heard an overview of the city’s communications efforts around construction projects, including new signage with QR codes, a pilot chatbot for the Broadway construction that includes information about the work and a business directory. The chatbot also records feedback, which is passed along to city staff.
Several city departments collaborated on the five interactive dashboards. One dashboard will include all projects from the 2017-2022 bond program, plus all 182 projects that make up the 2022-2027 bond program. The other four will cover street, drainage, alley and sidewalk projects that are not funded by a bond program.
Each will offer an overview page and a map; users can click on an icon on the map and see an information box with details like the project’s current status, its timeline and budget.
That info box will also include the name and phone number of the public works staffer assigned to that project and a link to the project’s individual page, where people can sign up for email updates on the project and offer feedback.
Below is an example of information provided about a specific project:
The project pages and dashboards will be updated immediately whenever a change is made to a project, said Brian Chasnoff, assistant director of infrastructure communications.
City Manager Erik Walsh acknowledged the expectation that the dashboards would have to be updated in real time. “If someone checks it and it’s outdated, they’re not going to come back,” he said.
In response to council members’ concerns about those unable or unwilling to access a dashboard, Walsh emphasized more traditional modes of communication. “The old ways work as well,” he said, and staff will continue to make themselves available to residents, businesses and council members.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg predicted that the dashboards would become popularly requested items from council offices, and wondered if the city was going to need a “dashboard of all the dashboards” it has developed. “I’m not joking.”
This article has been updated to reflect that the bond project dashboard will show all 2017-2022 projects, not just those that are active.
