January 2010 Vol. 4, Issue 1 In This Issue DANA Membership DANA Annual Meeting Urban Core Happy Hour Commander’s Forum Repsonsible Giving Campaign Downtown Parking Survey Help DANA Support Caritas Newsletter Sponsorships SOCIAL   Start the New Year Off with a Brand New DANA Membership! By becoming a DANA Member you’ll be supporting an organization dedicated to keeping our downtown neighborhood clean, safe, walkable, vibrant, diverse, cultural, and fun! DANA keeps you informed and involved. Plus, it’s a great way to stay in touch with over 1,200 other individuals that have an interest in living, working, and playing downtown. Membership levels are very affordable: $25 per year for an Individual, $40 for a household, and $100 for a Sponsorship. (The Sponsorship level allows you  marketing information and a link on the DANA web site.) For more information and to sign up for your DANA Membership click here! DANA Annual Meeting Friday, January 15, 2010 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM Austin City Hall (map)(transit) The DANA Annual Meeting will take place next Friday, January 15th, from 6:30 – 9:00 at Austin City Hall. Join us for a cocktail and light bites reception in the atrium, then we’ll adjourn to the Council Chambers for "The DANA Year in Review" presented by DANA President, Jamie Lagarde. We look forward to kicking off 2010 with you!   Urban Core Happy Hour Our next Urban Core Happy Hour will be in February. More info to follow. If you are interested in sponsoring a DANA social networking event in 2010, please contact Lindsay Wiebrand at lindsay@txsunandshade.com. Follow DANA on Facebook and Twitter…   KNOWLEDGEABLE   Commander’s Forum Tuesday, January 12, 2010 1:00 – 2:30 PM Mexican American Cultural Center 600 Red River Street Upstairs Room 212 (map)(transit) Come hear what APD is working on downtown, as well as voice concerns and ask questions of your own. DANA Helps Responsible Hospitality Institute with Responsible Giving Campaign by Marshall Jones You may remember that I reported in early 2009 on DANA’s participation in the Hospitality Zone Assessment of East 6th Street. Out of these meetings came some very real, very actionable steps that we, as concerned citizens, could take to start cleaning up East 6th Street and the surrounding areas. One particular area DANA agreed to focus on was raising the funds needed to hire a marketing firm to help people understand the importance of giving to social services to help our neighbors most in need. I am proud to tell you that we are nearly ready to kick-off our campaign! After hiring I&O Marketing, we have performed countless interviews and meetings to consider how to best get this important message across. In the coming weeks and months you will see this campaign in full force, and you have DANA, along with the DAA, 6th Street Austin, ARCH, Caritas, Salvation Army, Norwood Towers and a host of others to thank for this valuable community service! INFLUENTIAL   Downtown Parking Survey by Larry Schooler The City of Austin will soon be working with community stakeholders like DANA to discuss ways to manage street parking in the Central Business District. The City will be releasing an online survey, and DANA members are strongly encouraged to participate. Stay tuned to the DANA website and newsletter for updates on the community input process and let your voice be heard by participating in the survey. Help DANA Support Caritas by Lindsay Wiebrand On the first Friday of each month DANA members get together snd spend a few hours of their time to prepare, cook, and serve lunch to many in need. Monday through Saturday the Caritas Community Kitchen provides free lunches – no questions asked – to over 350 individuals and families. The Community Kitchen is primarily operated by volunteers and requires many hands to prepare the meals each day. DANA is proud to join our downtown neighbors each month to help those less fortunate. We invite you to join us and serve up a sandwich and a smile! Our next volunteer date will be Friday, February 5th, 2010. Shifts are from 9am-11am or 11am-1pm. Let us know if you plan to join by contacting Lindsay Wiebrand at lindsay@txsunandshade.com. Newsletter Sponsorships Now Available Interested in sharing your services, next event, or promotion with the DANA Membership? Become a DANA Newsletter Sponsor. Monthly newsletter sponsorships includes one appropriately sized graphic to appear in the copy portion of the newsletter (graphic to be provided by sponsor) and your company name listed in left article bar as one of that month’s newsletter sponsors. Fee: $250 per sponsorship.   Only two newsletter sponsorships opportunities will be available each month. We anticipate these going fast, so get your month lined up early! For more information and to reserve your newsletter sponsorship contact Samantha Segar at ssegar@downtownaustin.org.     Thank you to this month’s contributors Marshall Jones, Lindsay Wiebrand, Larry Schooler, and Samantha Segar. DANA’s mission is to improve the quality of life for those who work, live and play downtown. DANA influences decisions that affect downtown, educates and listens to residents and stakeholders about downtown issues that affect them, and fosters a downtown community through social events. downtownaustin.org Copyright © 2010 Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association. All rights reserved.

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Friday April 23 – Sunday, April 24: Art City Austin

The following streets will be closed for the event:

From 6 p.m. Friday until 11:59 p.m. Sunday
– Northbound lanes of the S. 1st Street Bridge

From 7 p.m.  Friday until 11:59 p.m. Sunday
– West Cesar Chavez Street, between Colorado Street and Sandra Muraida Way (just east of Lamar blvd.)
– Colorado Street, between Cesar Chavez and W. 2nd Street
– Lavaca Street, between Cesar Chavez and W. 2nd Street
– Guadalupe Street, between Cesar Chavez and W. 2nd Street
– San Antonio Street, between Cesar Chavez and W. 2nd Street
– Southbound lanes of the S. 1st Street Bridge

Saturday April 24: Texas Round-Up 10K

The Texas Round-Up 10K route begins downtown north of the Capitol and heads north out of downtown, skirting the UT campus before crossing IH-35. From East Austin, the route reenters downtown via E. 11th Street. Most closures on the route will be lane closures, not full street closures. However, motorists should expect an impact to traffic. Below are the affected downtown streets.

Full Closures
– Congress Avenue, between MLK and 15th: 2 a.m. – 3 p.m.
– Colorado Street, between 11th and 15th: 7 a.m. – 11 a.m.
– West 14th Street, between Lavaca and Colorado and between San Jacinto and Brazos: 7 a.m. – 11 a.m.

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Work for 3, get in free!

Celebrating 60 years, Art City Austin is set in downtown Austin’s 2ND Street District, where urban, green, civic and cultural environments intersect and play host to the 2-day Austin-style celebration of art. 190 juried artists, site-specific art installations, local live music and good eats, a kid’s block with interactive art projects and so much more. Join us. Together we make art happen.

Volunteer! It takes over 800 people to make it all happen. Join us for a three hour shift and get free admission to Art City Austin. Sign up today at artallianceaustin.volunteerhub.com.

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Courtesy of Dale Glover

A section of the Lady Bird Lake hike and bike trail in the vicinity of Red River and Rainey Street will be closed from April 19 to 29 while an asbestos coating is removed from a pedestrian bridge over Waller Creek. The abatement process is expected to last no more than two weeks, during which time the bridge will be closed to the public during normal business hours (8 a.m.-5p.m.). When work crews are present, the hike and bike trail will be detoured along an alternate route. Both the trail and bridge will be reopened at the end of each work day and on the weekend to minimize disruption.

In fall of 2010, the bridge will be renovated as part of the Waller Creek tunnel project.  In preparation for this work, the City tested materials on the bridge to comply with state, local, and federal asbestos regulations. Test results showed that asbestos was present in a coating on the bottom of the bridge. To follow state and federal air quality regulations, the coating must be removed before it is disturbed during the renovation project.

The abatement team will follow stringent safety measures, including EPA-mandated plastic work barriers, to protect the public and the environment.  For more information, please call 974-7139.

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DANA-WORDPRESS DISCOUNTED SPRING MEMBERSHIP SIGNUP

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