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AUSTIN WEEKLY news ■ The 15th District decks the halls, PAGE 6
Vol. 32 No. 51
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December 19, 2018
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austinweeklynews.com
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Also serving Garfield Park
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The holiday spirit flows from Oak Park to Austin, Page 3
Photo courtesy Austin Coming Together
FORWARD TOGETHER: The people who helped facilitate the drafting of Austin’s historic quality of life plan bask in their accomplishment at the plan’s unveiling on Dec. 15 in Austin. Now, there’s even more implementation work to do.
With plan complete, Austin preps for takeoff Historic Austin Quality of Life Plan unveiled on Dec. 15 at Michele Clark
By SUZANNE McBRIDE AustinTalks
More than 250 people packed the auditorium of Michele Clark Magnet High School, 5101 W. Harrison St., on Dec. 15 to celebrate the unveiling of a quality of life plan for Austin. The plan has been in the works for more than two years and involved more than 400 people, many of them Austin residents and business owners.
“Today is a very important and special day in Austin,” said Darnell Shields, executive director of Austin Coming Together, which oversaw the creation of the plan. “Things are changing in Austin,” said Shields, an Austin resident. “We are a community that has seen good times and hard times. And now we’re prepared for the next chapter … This plan is a roadmap for our success.” Shields thanked LISC Chicago, which was a partner in developing the plan. He noted
LISC has done similar work since 2000 in 24 communities that has led to more than $800 million in investment in those neighborhoods. Saturday’s event followed dozens of working meetings that focused on seven key issue areas as well as three community summits. The next step is getting even more people involved, said Mildred Wiley, of the Austin Community Action Council and Institute for Justice. She served as one of 20 steering committee members who oversaw the work.
“This plan is going to be action-oriented, which means we have to take some action and do some work. If you’re ready to do some work, then raise your hands … We have to work together to get this done.” This is not something that sits on a shelf, Wiley added. Shields said now that the planning stage is over, it’s time to mobilize. Seven task forces — community narrative,
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