Courtesy of Jamie Lagarde

One recent sunny afternoon l happened to spot a family enjoying the nice day by flying a kite. It wasn’t in a park or a field as you might expect, but on top of the parking garage of the Monarch on 5th St. It was quite resourceful of them, but it made we wonder.  What if that space would have been a green park instead of a concrete parking level? It would be a much nicer place to fly a kite. Maybe even nice enough to have a picnic as well.
 

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by Michael McGrail

Join the Austin Museum of Art for a Bastille Day celebration this Wednesday June 14th from 5:30 – 9:00 p.m. 823 Congress Avenue.

Immerse your self in an Austin style celebration, commemorating the French Revolution with Austin’s first Poodle parade, French music, culinary delights, wine, a Sidewalk café, and other surprises.

The Poodle parade route begins at 6:00 p.m. at St. David’s Episcopal Church (301 E 8th Street) and proceeds north on Trinity, west on 9th, south on Congress one block, and up to the Poodle Promenade at AMoA. Of course my poodle “Bently the Downtown Poodle” will be a participant.

Tickets to the AMoA Bastille Austin party in the AMOA Gallery are $10 for AMOA Members and $15 general admission. Join AMOA today and receive a free ticket benefits. Click here for more information!

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DANA strongly encourages you to participate in this easy-to-use online forum to prioritize  Austin's 2011 budget needs. It's easy to register and vote here: (here) The online tool closes on Friday, July 9 at 5 p.m.
 
Specifically, we are asking you to vote for a dedicated downtown parks maintenance crew (here)
 
This proposal helps to restore staffing impacted by cuts in previous budget years and also helps all parks in Austin which suffer when crews get stretched thin. The downtown parks and historic squares are central to the civic pride of our community but they also get a heavier use that requires more frequent and dedicated attention to maintain. Lastly, this proposal allows DANA and its downtown partners to leverage private investment in capital improvements and programming that might otherwise dry up without that public commitment to baseline upkeep and maintenance. Please help us in supporting this priority for our city.
 
The forum provides allows you to vote on more than one priority, you might also consider the following security and social service initiatives:

• • Transitional Housing for Rehabilitation Program (here)
• • Social Services Investment Strategies–Homeless Services Continuum (here)
• • Add 35 New Police Officers (here)
•  

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What is the main component of a world-class city? It’s downtown.

Austin’s commitment to developing a unique and vibrant downtown is well known and separates Austin from other cities. How Will Austin attain its goal of a thriving, beautiful, and renowned urban oasis? With a commitment to a downtown plan, Austin will be assured that it’s future will be unparalleled. DANA knows the importance of the downtown plan and that it’s the key for attaining our place as one of the great cities of this century and beyond. Check out the city of Austin’s emphasis on downtown planning: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/downtown/#dntnplan

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Courtesy of Michael McGrail

We are so fortunate to reside in Austin. In the past year, even while in a recession, many accolades for our wonderful and unique city continue. The following is just a partial list of the recognition that Austin has received:

* MSN Travel Austin is one of the “15 Coolest North American Cities” list. (January 2009)

* Forbes placed Austin in it’s yearly “America’s 25 Strongest Housing Markets” list. (January 2009)

* MSNBC.com cited Austin #8 as one of the “Top 10 Places To Live In The U.S.” list. (January 2009)

* Texas Workforce Commission, Austin will see a 24.4% increase in employment between 2006 and 2016. (January 2009)

* Austin ranks #8 on Forbes’ “Best Place for Businesses and Careers” list.

* Forbes.com placed Austin on it’s “Best Big Cities For Jobs” list.  (April 2009)

* NewGeography.com ranked Austin #1 on it’s “Best Cities For Job Growth” list. (April 2009)

* With over 54,000 high-tech workers, Austin ranks seventh on the “Nation’s Biggest Tech Cities” list from Bizjournals.com. (May 2009)

* According to Bizjournals.com, Austin is expected to be the 5th fastest growing city from 2005-2025.

* US News ranked Austin #3 for the Best Places To Live. (June 2009)

* On Forbes’ recent “Best and Worst Cities for Recession Recovery” list, Austin was ranked #1 for the best performing city during the recession (June 2009)

And this year Austin and Central Texas were featured in the March 29, 2010 Time Magazine cover story on “Jobs: Where they are and how to find them.” as a place where innovation is driving job creation.

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