REGULAR MEETING OF THE EMMA S. BARRIENTOS MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER ADVISORY BOARD WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2026, AT 6:00 P.M. CITY HALL, BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS ROOM 301 W. 2ND STREET AUSTIN, TEXAS 78701 Some members of the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center may be participating by videoconference. Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, contact Michelle Rojas, 512-974-3771, Michelle.Rojas@austintexas.gov. CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Angelica Navarro (D-8), Chair Hilario “Larry” Amaro (D-10), Member Lynda Quintana (D-6), Member Noemi Castro (D-2), Member Raul “Roy” Reyna (D-1), Member Alexander “Al” Duarte (D-7), Member Selma Sanchez (D-9), Member John Estrada (D-3), Member Vacant (D-4), Member Cynthia “Cy” Herrera (D-5), Member Lillian “Lily” Zamarripa-Saenz (Mayor), Vice Chair AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 10 speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (ESB- MACC) regular meeting of March 25, 2026. STAFF BRIEFINGS 2. Staff briefing on March and April programs, marketing and outreach efforts, signature event planning, and staffing updates. (Sponsors: Navarro, Zamarripa-Saenz) Presenter(s): Olivia Tamzarian, ESB-MACC Culture and Arts Education Marketing & Outreach Representative, Austin Arts Culture, Music and Entertainment & Michelle Rojas, ESB-MACC Culture and Arts Education Manager, Austin Arts Culture, Music and Entertainment DISCUSSION ITEMS 3. 4. Update on Phase 2 Construction Project. (Sponsors: Navarro, Zamarripa-Saenz) Presenter(s): Heidi Tse, Capital Delivery Project Manager, Austin Capital Delivery Services Update on future Capital Improvement Project (CIP) plan regarding the replacement of the hot water line. (Sponsors: Reyna, Castro) Presenter(s): Heidi Tse, Capital Delivery Project Manager, Austin Capital Delivery Services DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Conduct officer elections for the Chair and Vice Chair. (Sponsors: Navarro, Zamarripa- Saenz) Approve a letter of support to City Council on the naming of a space at the Mexican American Cultural Center after Vanessa Guillen. (Sponsors: Navarro, Zamarripa-Saenz) Reactivate the Awards of Excellence Working Group to discuss nominations for 2026 awardees, selection committee, …
ESB-MACC ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MINUTES APRIL 1, 2026 EMMA S. BARRIENTOS MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER REGULAR MEETING MINUTES WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2026 The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (ESB-MACC) convened in a Regular meeting on April 1, 2026, at 301 W. 2nd Street in Austin, Texas. (Some members of the ESB-MACC Advisory Board participated via videoconference.) Chair Navarro called the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center Meeting to order at 6:05 p.m. The agenda was amended to move Item 5, “Conduct officer elections for the Chair and Vice Chair,” to the final Discussion and Action Item, Item 9. All remaining action items were reordered accordingly and moved up in sequence. Board Members in Attendance: Angelica Navarro, Lillian “Lily” Zamarripa-Saenz, Hilario “Larry” Amaro, Noemi Castro, Alexander “Al” Duarte (arrived at 6:14pm), John Estrada. Board Members in Attendance Remotely: Cynthia “Cy” Herrera, Raul “Roy” Reyna. Board Members Absent: Lynda Quintana, Selma Sanchez. PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Speaker 1: Luis Ordaz Gutiérrez, Artistic Director of Proyecto Teatro, shared that Latino communities in the city had experienced significant and disproportionate disinvestment over the past 40 years, highlighting the prevalence of million-dollar investments benefiting primarily white institutions and questioned the lack of comparable funding advancing Latino culture. He expressed disappointment when he saw that the six recommendations presented during the March board meeting were not included on the April agenda, noting that they were developed by members of the cultural ecosystem to advance Latino culture. He urged the board to place those recommendations on a future agenda, emphasizing their importance and possibility to provide critical, potentially life-saving support for the Latino cultural ecosystem. Speaker 2: Hector Ordaz Gutiérrez, Audiovisual Director of Proyecto Teatro registered to speak on item 7 & 8. Speaker 3: Gonzalo Barrientos, Former State Senator stated that it took decades to establish the Mexican American Cultural Center. Following its establishment, challenges arose regarding organizational oversight and management. He explained that over the years he received numerous inquiries about the MACC and had typically referred individuals to the advisory committee or City Council. He expressed his willingness to assist the Board with specific matters when appropriate but stressed that the Board must represent the community’s interests. Mr. Barrientos drew attention to the importance of engaging with City Council members, noting that they play a key role in advancing initiatives and addressing community concerns. He provided an example involving a mural by …
ESB-MACC ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MINUTES APRIL 1, 2026 EMMA S. BARRIENTOS MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER REGULAR MEETING MINUTES WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2026 The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (ESB-MACC) convened in a Regular meeting on April 1, 2026, at 301 W. 2nd Street in Austin, Texas. (Some members of the ESB-MACC Advisory Board participated via videoconference.) Chair Navarro called the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center Meeting to order at 6:05 p.m. The agenda was amended to move Item 5, “Conduct officer elections for the Chair and Vice Chair,” to the final Discussion and Action Item, Item 9. All remaining action items were reordered accordingly and moved up in sequence. Board Members in Attendance: Angelica Navarro, Lillian “Lily” Zamarripa-Saenz, Hilario “Larry” Amaro, Noemi Castro, Alexander “Al” Duarte (arrived at 6:14pm), John Estrada. Board Members in Attendance Remotely: Cynthia “Cy” Herrera, Raul “Roy” Reyna. Board Members Absent: Lynda Quintana, Selma Sanchez. PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Speaker 1: Luis Ordaz Gutiérrez, Artistic Director of Proyecto Teatro, shared that Latino communities in the city had experienced significant and disproportionate disinvestment over the past 40 years, highlighting the prevalence of million-dollar investments benefiting primarily white institutions and questioned the lack of comparable funding advancing Latino culture. He expressed disappointment when he saw that the six recommendations presented during the March board meeting were not included on the April agenda, noting that they were developed by members of the cultural ecosystem to advance Latino culture. He urged the board to place those recommendations on a future agenda, emphasizing their importance and possibility to provide critical, potentially life-saving support for the Latino cultural ecosystem. Speaker 2: Hector Ordaz Gutiérrez, Audiovisual Director of Proyecto Teatro registered to speak on item 7 & 8. Speaker 3: Gonzalo Barrientos, Former State Senator stated that it took decades to establish the Mexican American Cultural Center. Following its establishment, challenges arose regarding organizational oversight and management. He explained that over the years he received numerous inquiries about the MACC and had typically referred individuals to the advisory committee or City Council. He expressed his willingness to assist the Board with specific matters when appropriate but stressed that the Board must represent the community’s interests. Mr. Barrientos drew attention to the importance of engaging with City Council members, noting that they play a key role in advancing initiatives and addressing community concerns. He provided an example involving a mural by …
Funding Programs Update Arts, Culture, Music, and Entertainment | April 1, 2026 Award Announcements! 731 Awards announced on March 16th (1,606 applications submitted) $24+ million in grant awards ($67+ million in requests) Austin Live Music Fund Creative Space Assistance Program • 399 awards • $7.14 million • 22 awards • $1.32 million Elevate • 288 awards • $12.8 million Heritage Preservation Grant • 22 awards • $3 million 2 Awardee Demographics Race 322 White (46.3%) 129 Hispanic (18.5%) 86 Black (12.4%) 43 Asian (6.2%) Gender 296 Women (42.5%) 302 Men (43.4%) 44 Nonbinary (6.3%) 54 Prefer not to say (7.8%) 9 Middle Eastern, North African, Arab (1.3%) 5 Native American (0.7%) 46 Multiracial (6.6%) LGBTQ: 185 (26.6%) Disability Community: 77 (11.1%) 56 Prefer not to say/ not listed (8%) Veteran: 7 (1%) 3 Awardee Discipline 422 Music (60.6%) 14 Art/Music Therapy (2.0%) 55 Multidisciplinary (7.9%) 10 Literary Arts (1.4%) 28 Theatre/Musical Theatre/Opera (4.0%) 9 Media Arts (1.3%) 26 Film, Video, & TV Production (3.7%) 6 Other (0.9%) 25 Cultural Heritage/History (3.6%) 5 Folk & Traditional Arts (0.7%) 24 Arts Education (3.4%) 4 Historic Preservation (0.6%) 23 Dance (3.3%) 4 Museums (0.6%) 21 Art Service Organization (3.0%) 2 Legacy and Small Business (0.3%) 17 Visual Arts (2.4%) 1 Design Arts (0.1%) 4 Questions? www.austintexas.gov/acme/grants-funding
4.1.26 MACC Staff Report – Website - Facebook - Instagram Please share our social media posts, sign up for our newsletter, and check out our upcoming events! Past: February Highlights Casa de la Cultura APRENDE A NADAR – BILINGUAL SWIM LESSONS January 15th – February 28th | Thursdays and Saturdays: Bartholomew Pool Attendance:46 Casa de la Cultura hosted bilingual swim lessons at Bartholomew pool for all ages. “Aprende a Nadar” provided swim instruction and water safety skills twice a week between January 15th and February 28th. The class series concluded with a celebration, awarding swimmers with treats and certificates of completion. The youngest swimmer, a 9-year- old girl, joined the class with her mother to continue practicing their Spanish. They were often accompanied by the child’s grandmother, who cheered them on from the sidelines. The mother emphasized the importance of her daughter growing up learning and practicing Spanish. With an average class size of 10 participants, the instruction was tailored to help those who previously lacked confidence in the water. By the end of the class series, both the 9-year-old and her mother had become independent swimmers. “My favorite thing about this class is the consistency of this swimming class and seeing everyone progress at the same time” - Swimmer Jonathan “Llegue con mucho susto, pero los profesores han sidos maravillosos para sentirme tranquila en el agua. Ahora es mucho mas facil de desenvolverse bien en el agua” - Swimmer Carolina “When I started, I was very scared to be in the water, and now I feel very confident. Las clases son muy divertidas y aprendendemos mucho!” Swimmer Minerva HEALING CON CACAO February 21st Saturday at 1pm – 3pm | Mendez Recreation Center Attendance: 20 Cacao holds the profound power of gathering and healing. Many people believe cacao helps open the heart, encourage kindness, and bring a sense of connection to yourself and others. Paulina Bermeo, the Healing Con Cacao Instructor who works with Sana Yoga, led 20 participants in a guided journey with the senses while they tasted cacao, shared stories, and moved their bodies in a safe space. “I loved that the program was in Spanish with English as needed. I think it helped people feel welcome and included. I loved the stories people told. The facilitator was incredibly astute and created a very safe, calming space. She was incredibly culturally informed and taught not just techniques but …
EMMA S. BARRIENTOS MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER Phase 2 Improvements MACC Advisor y Board Update Heidi Tse Capital Delivery Project Manager April 1, 2026 Milestones Reached Certificate of Occupancy Substantial Completion March 4, 2026 February 19, 2026 Programs Begin Parking Lot Opens Late April May 1 Re-Opening Celebrations June 6 Waterloo Greenway Phase II The Confluence opening June 6 Drone Footage December 2026 https://www.austintexas.gov/parks/projects/emma-s- barrientos-mexican-american-cultural-center-phase-2- improvements Questions ? Square Foot Analysis
EMMA S. BARRIENTOS MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER Heating Hot Water Loop Leak Update Heidi Tse Capital Delivery Project Manager April 1, 2026 Phase A Methods used to locate leak and damages to the HHWL line • Ground Penetrating Radar • Correlation Testing • Selective excavation to perform • Isolate legs of lines for testing • CCTV (camera) video the lines • Repairs estimated one week • Re-pressurizing the lines • Perform final correlation test • Partial Repair Work Completed • 3 Areas of Pipe Repaired • 3 Isolation valve added • Backfill and New Valve Vaults (April) • Re-pave/re-stripe Phase B • Water loss has doubled since 3/27/26 • Contractor can not fully complete commissioning (test equipment operations) of the building • Engaging a separate general contractor specializes in hydronic lines • Full turnkey (Hydronic/Civil Engineers, Plumbing, Paving & Right of way work. • Meeting with Contractor tomorrow 4/2/26. Probable leak at valves Line with leak Line with no leak Manhole Valves Questions ?
