Dear Downtown Austin Alliance Members,
My hope is that you, your family, employees and friends are safe and healthy, and remain so through this unsettling time in our history. It’s difficult to watch the changes unfold to what we considered normal life, both personally and professionally, especially while we must be separated from one another.
The Downtown Austin Alliance, as you know, has a number of big projects that we have been shepherding. I want you to know that, despite the challenges posed under these circumstances, our board and staff have continued to work every day to keep these projects moving forward while also doing our part to respond to this crisis.
I believe that our staff and CEO are incredibly talented and provide leadership that is unmatched in any peer organization. They are the core, the backbone, of our accomplishments, and they care deeply about our work and those we serve. The transformational projects of which the Downtown Alliance has been the leader, advocate and partner clearly reflect the organization’s deliberate initiative to be that uniquely significant voice and catalyst for downtown Austin.
Without a doubt, downtown is more than just the center of our city, it is the heartbeat of our community and the Central Texas region.
This trying time has given me pause to reflect on the founding principles that led to the creation of the Downtown Austin Alliance and this journey that began nearly 26 years ago – our focus on the basic, foundational elements of making downtown cleaner and safer.
Today, in the current emptiness of downtown are the Downtown Ambassadors. At a time when employees are working remotely and visitors have curtailed their conferences and vacations, the Downtown Ambassadors remain ever-present.
These folks, as De Peart recently said so accurately, are truly courageous. They are the heroes of this moment, and they are working every day to keep our downtown clean and safe and ready for the return of our population – the return of normal life.
Whatever comes of the timing of our projects as we go forward, we can look to the Downtown Ambassadors with respect and gratitude for keeping the foundational mission of the Downtown Austin Alliance intact through thick and thin – through this toughest of times.
When you are downtown now or when you return, I hope that you will take a moment to thank the Ambassadors for all of us, as they are deserving of our gratitude. Here is a brief video that shows the value and commitment of our team. I hope you’ll take just a minute to watch it.
As each of you, I am looking forward anxiously to getting back to the lifestyles we’ve all grown accustomed and, most of all, to returning to the downtown we will always love.
I wish you and everyone close to you the very best during this uncertain and challenging time, and I thank you for your ongoing support of the Downtown Austin Alliance.
Sincerely,