Versión en español a continuación. Special Called Meeting of the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center Advisory Board August 17, 2021 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center Advisory Board meeting to be held August 17, 2021 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance August 16, 2021 by noon. All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the August 17, 2021 Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center Advisory Board Meeting, members of the public must: •Call or email the board liaison Michelle Rojas at 512-974-3771 or michelle.rojas@austintexas.gov no later than noon, Monday, August 16, 2021. The following information is required: speaker name, item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, email address and telephone number (must be the same number that will be used to call into the meeting). •Once a request to speak has been made to the board liaison, the information to call on the day of the scheduled meeting will be provided either by email or phone call. •Speakers must call in at least 15 minutes prior to meeting start time in order to speak, late callers will not be accepted and will not be able to speak. •Speakers will be placed in a queue until their time to speak. •Handouts or other information may be emailed to Michelle Rojas michelle.rojas@austintexas.gov by noon the day before the scheduled meeting. This information will be provided to Board and Commission members in advance of the meeting. •If the meeting is broadcast live, it may be viewed here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Junta Especial del Grupo Asesor del Centro México-Americano Emma S. Barrientos FECHA de la reunión especial es el 17 de agosto, 2021 de 1:00 pm a 3:00 pm La junta se llevará con modificaciones de distanciamiento social. Se permitirán comentarios públicos por teléfono; no se permitirá ninguna entrada en persona. Todos los oradores deben registrarse con anticipación el 16 de agosto del 2021 antes del mediodía. Todos los comentarios públicos se producirán al comienzo de la reunión. Para hablar de forma remota en la reunión, los miembros del público deben: • Llame o envíe un correo electrónico al enlace de la junta, Michelle Rojas (512) 974-3771 o al correo electrónico Michelle.rojas@austintexas.gov a más tardar al mediodía del lunes …
ESB-MACC ADVISORY BOARD RECOMMENDATION Date: 17 August 2021 Subject: ESB-MACC Advisory Board Recommendation Opposing Red River Street Extension Motioned By: (name) Seconded By: (name) Recommendation Recommendation to stop any planning or consideration of an extension of Red River Street through the Mexican American Cultural Center which has received Dedicated Parkland status in perpetuity (Ordinance No. 20160128-086) as well as serving as the heart of the Rainey Street Historic District since 1985. Description of Recommendation to Council In 1956 when East Avenue was converted into I-35, the Rainey Street neighborhood began a transformation from a single-family, Mexican-American neighborhood to the most densely populated corner of Texas. Part of the symbolism that is ingrained in I-35’s legacy is the division of our community by way of a street. This legacy is at the heart of the current discussions and on-going community engagement sessions for the renovation of the I-35. An extension of Red River Street through the ESB-MACC campus would repeat the mistakes of 1956 by dividing the community once again with the construction of a street. Recently, a variety of mobility studies and pilot programs have been executed by the Austin Transportation Department to help understand the effectiveness of mobility concepts that are intended to help the area adapt to the rapid increase in density. The ESB-MACC Advisory Board and community have found the conclusions on these reports to grossly mischaracterize the true concerns from MACC staff and patrons. It is therefore imperative, that the ESB-MACC Advisory Board clearly state our opposition to any recommendation set forth by any city department or partner that may use as reference the Rainey Street Pilot Program, Rainey Mobility Study, or any other document that did not deliberately or consistently engage with the MACC staff and patrons through a meaningful community engagement process. Furthermore, the MACC community intends to ensure that the city honors the Designated Parkland protection which was granted in perpetuity. The community is concerned that a Red River Street extension could set the precedent for other Designated Parkland sites in culturally sensitive areas to be converted into roadways thereby cementing the city’s practice of cars over people and developers over community.. Lastly, the ESB-MACC community embraces the opportunity to expand our center through a Phase 2 expansion and we do not want to see the advocacy and hard work that went into the creation of the MACC once again become compromised by …
1 ESBMACC BOARD RESOLUTION OPPOSING PROPOSALS TO EXTEND RED RIVER STREET THROUGH THE EMMA S. BARRIENTOS MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER (ESBMACC) DESIGNATED PARKLAND AND GUTTING RAINEY STREET HISTORIC DISTRICT WHEREAS the City of Austin designated the ESBMACC site as parkland “in perpetuity” principally as moral reparation for the City’s taking of Rainey Neighborhood and nearby East Austin properties from Mexican Americans founders through urban renewal and other City displacement processes in the 1950s and 1960s, and WHEREAS, the City of Austin historically only takes parkland for required utilities, it would be setting a dangerous precedent by taking ESBMACC parkland for the Red River Street extension, and WHEREAS, the proposed street extension would further devastate Rainey Street Historic District, designated as such for its distinctive history as a Hispanic enclave since the 1800s, and for its lovely and serene environmental quality protected thus far by Mexican American stakeholders participating throughout the Waller Creek Tunnel development, concurrent land development processes and the ESBMACC PHASE II planning, and WHEREAS, due to Rainey Street Neighborhood status as a Historic District, and the ESBMACC’s symbolic representation of 182-year presence of Hispanics in downtown Austin, for decades, the City has promised to respect Rainey Street Neighborhood’s integrity, the ESBMACC property, and the bucolic environment that the Hispanic community enjoyed and preserved for many generations, and which due to their diligence and care, Austinites throughout the city enjoyed, and WHEREAS Mexican American founders and stakeholders of ESBMACC advocated for this particular site, to commemorate our “antepasados” and honor our shared heritage, seeking the land’s designation as parkland expressively to protect the site and historic district in perpetuity, from encroachments and takings, to which the City enthusiastically acquiesced and legally supported, and WHEREAS, the ESBMACC site on designated parkland, and its stakeholders represent the Mexican American founders of Rainey Street Neighborhood and 2 nearby East Austin residents who created the Rainey Street Historic District and strongly oppose further gutting of the tiny historic neighborhood and its sacred lakefront by locating an intrusive and unnecessary roadway since frontage road of IH 35 (scheduled to be “sunk” in the next decades), Cesar Chavez Street, and River Street provide access to the dense environment recently created by the City, and WHEREAS, ESBMACC founders and stakeholders have done due diligence in actively participating in the Waller Creek Tunnel Project and in Waterloo Greenway Conservancy planning events for the past 20 years as …
BOARD RECOMMENDATION Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center Recommendation Number: 20210817-03b: Support for Academia Cuahutli Budget Proposal WHEREAS, since its founding in 2013, Academia Cuauhtli (originated by Nuestro Grupo, community- based volunteers) was established at the ESB-MACC as a free Saturday culture and language revitalization academy for elementary school children and their parents, with curriculum focused on indigeneity, social justice, social history, traditional arts, and danza Mexica and since July 2014, Academia Cuauhtli has served as an official educational enterprise of the ESB-MACC; and WHEREAS, Academia Cuauhtli was instituted as an integral part of the ESB-MACC and promotes its mission further to instill in our children and their families a deep appreciation for the arts, social justice, and in action projects to preserve and develop our cultural resources, focusing on the ESB-MACC and other Latino cultural arts institutions; and WHEREAS, the Advisory Board of the ESB-MACC is entrusted with protecting the best interests of the citizens of Austin with regard to the patrimony that our hard-fought institution represents for the most vulnerable of its citizens, namely, the Mexican American, and other Latino, communities, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE ESB-MACC ADVISORY BOARD, supports and presents this recommendation to the City Council to provide funding as requested by Academia Cuauhtli. Date of Approval: August 17, 2021 Record of the vote: Unanimous on an 8.0 vote For: David Goujon, Chair Art Navarro, Vice Chair Gerardo Gandy, Member Wayne Lopes, Member Ricardo Maga Rojas, Member Claudia Massey, Member Tomas Salas, Member Endi Silva, Member Attest: _____________________________________________ Michelle Rojas, Staff Liaison
BOARD RECOMMENDATION Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center Advisory Board Recommendation Number: (20210817-03c) Joint Venture Design Contract Whereas the ESB MACC Phase 2 project programming phase has concluded and in order for the project design firm of the Joint Venture of Miro Rivera Architects and Tatiana Bilbao Studio to move to the next phase, an approved design contract must be in place. The ESB-MACC Advisory Board recommends to the City Council that there not be a delay in approving the contract by Friday, August 20, 2021. Date of Approval: August 17, 2021 Record of the vote: Unanimous on an 8.0 vote For: David Goujon, Chair Art Navarro, Vice Chair Gerardo Gandy, Member Wayne Lopes, Member Ricardo Maga Rojas, Member Claudia Massey, Member Tomas Salas, Member Endi Silva, Member Attest: __________________________ Michelle Rojas, Staff Liaison
BOARD RESOLUTION Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center Advisory Board Resolution Number: (20210817-03a) Opposing the Red River Extension ESB MACC BOARD RESOLUTION OPPOSING PROPOSALS TO EXTEND RED RIVER STREET THROUGH THE EMMA S. BARRIENTOS MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER (ESB MACC) DESIGNATED PARKLAND AND GUTTING RAINEY STREET HISTORIC DISTRICT WHEREAS the City of Austin designated the ESB MACC site as parkland “in perpetuity” principally as moral reparation for the City’s taking of Rainey Neighborhood and nearby East Austin properties from Mexican Americans founders through urban renewal and other City displacement processes in the 1950s and 1960s, and WHEREAS, the City of Austin historically only takes parkland for required utilities, it would be setting a dangerous precedent by taking ESB MACC parkland for the Red River Street extension, and WHEREAS, the proposed street extension would further devastate Rainey Street Historic District, designated as such for its distinctive history as a Hispanic enclave since the 1800s, and for its lovely and serene environmental quality protected thus far by Mexican American stakeholders participating throughout the Waller Creek Tunnel development, concurrent land development processes and the ESB MACC PHASE II planning, and WHEREAS, due to Rainey Street Neighborhood status as a Historic District, and the ESB MACC’s symbolic representation of 182-year presence of Hispanics in downtown Austin, for decades, the City has promised to respect Rainey Street Neighborhood’s integrity, the ESB MACC property, and the bucolic environment that the Hispanic community enjoyed and preserved for many generations, and which due to their diligence and care, Austinites throughout the city enjoyed, and WHEREAS Mexican American founders and stakeholders of ESB MACC advocated for this particular site, to commemorate our “antepasados” and honor our shared heritage, seeking the land’s designation as parkland expressively to protect the site and historic district in perpetuity, from encroachments and takings, to which the City enthusiastically acquiesced and legally supported, and WHEREAS, the ESB MACC site on designated parkland, and its stakeholders represent the Mexican American founders of Rainey Street Neighborhood and nearby East Austin residents who created the Rainey Street Historic District and strongly oppose further gutting of the tiny historic neighborhood and its sacred lakefront by locating an intrusive and unnecessary roadway since frontage road of IH 35 (scheduled to be “sunk” in the next decades), Cesar Chavez Street, and River Street provide access to the dense environment recently created by the City, and WHEREAS, ESB MACC founders and …
