Save the Dougherty Arts Center!
If you appreciate this AFFORDABLE venue and its arts programming and education, please attend one of the following meetings to express your support for this Austin institution (or immediately submit comments by scrolling to the end of this email):
Special Called Meetings of the Bond Election Advisory Task Force (comprised of ciitzens — not elected officials) Wednesday, May 2, 6:30PM-8:30PM at Akins High School Library, 10701 S. First Street (SOUTH AUSTIN)
Thursday, May 3, 6:30PM-8:30PM at Lanier High School Cafeteria, 1201 Payton Gin Road (NORTH AUSTIN)
Please be mindful that the task force members are caring members of our community and should be addressed with respect and appreciation for volunteering their time to such important issues!
BACKGROUND:
Due to environmental issues related to the property where the Dougherty Arts Center (DAC) is currently located, our beloved DAC is slated for demolition. The City’s Citizen Bond Advisory Task Force is meeting to discuss how many millions to dedicate to re-building the DAC at another location.
THE ISSUE:
It’s estimated that $9 million is sufficient funding to build a comparable facility. However, only a fraction of this amount is in current drafts of the bond package. Wednesday and Thursday nights are an opportunity for the public to let the task force know how much the Dougherty means to us.
WHAT THE DOUGHERTY ARTS CENTER MEANS TO AUSTIN:
• * The DAC serves 200,000 people a year, including 40,000 children.
• * The DAC brings in $800,000 in revenue for the City yearly; this is the 3rd highest revenue earning building in the Park’s Department.
• * The children’s programs, including a pre-school, at the DAC are in such high demand that they fill up in less than 2 hours after registration opens!
• * The DAC theatre can be rented at a low cost so that all economic groups have a stage available to them. The theatre serves the Austin community of musicians, actors, dancers, and visual artists with both rehearsal space and a performance venue.
• * The DAC art gallery is available for artists to show their work free of charge.
• * The DAC offers affordable classes for ages 3 to 103 in visual arts, the performing arts, as well as business development classes for artists. Classes are offered for people with all levels of physical ability.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
If you can attend Wednesday or Thursday night, bring a sign and/or talk for up to 3 minutes about why the Dougherty deserves full funding.
For those interested in providing comments but unable to attend the special-called task force meetings/forums, you have several options:
- Email your comments to bonddevelopment@austintexas.gov and CC:
- Call or send a text message to the hotline, 512-539-0060
- Post your comments on the City of Austin Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/austintexasgov
- Post your comments via Twitter using #atxbd
Please email savethedac@gmail.com with questions or for more information.
The agenda for the meetings is listed here:
http://www.austintexas.gov/cityclerk/boards_commissions/meetings/96_1.htm
If you want to keep abreast of what’s going on with the Dougherty and you use Facebook, go ahead and like this page and it should appear in your news feed there. https://www.facebook.com/SaveDoughertyArtsCenter
