Join DANA as we meet the folks from The Hideout Theatre. Learn all about our friendly neighbors and their improv offerings while enjoying complimentary beverages and tasty samples of steak, seafood, sushi and sweets from Finn & Porter!

The Hideout Theatre is a local gem that you might not be familiar with. Offering improve shows Thursday through Sunday every week, The Hideout Theatre also offers all levels of classes for you to enjoy. Improvisation, or improv, is a form of live theatre in which the plot, characters and dialogue of a scene or story are made up in the moment. The audience gets to feel the tension and delightful surprise that accompanies a spontaneous performance. Learn more at hideouttheatre.com.

Featuring gourmet food and cocktails in a unique, upscale setting, Finn & Porter is sure to appeal to everyone. From light lunches to wine dinners, the gang at Finn & Porter will take care of you. Stop by and have bites of their famous food and mingle with your downtown neighbors. Visit the DANA UCHH Page for a peek at the evening’s menu – spectacular!

As an extra fabulous bonus, our sponsors will be giving away a pair of tickets for dinner and a show. See you all there for a night of fabulous food and company!

If you are interested in sponsoring a DANA social networking event in 2010, please contact Lindsay Wiebrand at lindsay@txsunandshade.com.

Your DANA Membership Status

Not sure if your dues are up to date? Find out at our UCHH.

We’ll have our Master Membership List at the Finn & Porter Urban Core Happy Hour on April 8. Come by the Check-In Desk and see if your membership is up to date.

You can pay your annual dues by check or cash that night, or re-up on the web site later at your convenience.

Don’t forget, your DANA Membership supports an organization dedicated to keeping our downtown neighborhood clean, safe, walkable, vibrant, diverse, cultural, and fun!

Follow DANA on Facebook and Twitter!

If you haven’t been following DANA on Facebook or Twitter this past month, you’ve been missing out on a whole host of activities happening downtown.

Click the icons above to get the scoop on what DANA’s up to!

KNOWLEDGEABLE

Have you seen the latest "Art in Public Places" Installation?

by Mitchell McGovern

Since 1985, the Art in Public Places Program has commissioned over 100 site-specific public artworks for city buildings and parks with 1% of construction budgets. On October 31, 2002, the Austin City Council approved increasing future allocations to 2% and removing the cap of $200,000 on individual projects. In addition, street and streetscape improvement projects will now include allocations for Art in Public Places.

Art in Public Places is a program within the Economic Growth and Redevelopment Services Office. More information is available at: http://www.cityofaustin.org/aipp.

Here are a few of the recent installations downtown:

The City of Austin in partnership with Gables Residential has commissioned public art located on the Oval Mound at Sand Beach Park as part of the Pfluger Bridge Extension/Bowie Street Underpass CIP along Cesar Chavez and Town Lake. Rosario Marquardt and Roberto Behar, working collectively as R&R Studios, were competitively selected to design and install, "Austin Outdoor Room" a social sculpture that brings domestic imagery, resembling a large-scale kitchen table, to create a space for gathering in the public park.

The City of Austin, in partnership with AMLI Residential, commissioned a work of public art located on Second Street’s Block 22, at the corner of West 2nd Street and San Antonio Streets. The artist team of Roger Colombik and Jerolyn Bahm-Colombik were competitively selected to develop designs for a sculptural artwork, with an integrated water component, as part of the Second Street "Springs Project."

MetroRail Ride

by Amber Gugino

Photograph taken Tuesday, March 23rd, when I rode the MetroRail from Lakeline to Downtown. PACKED. When people say "there’s no such thing as a free ride" – they obviously aren’t talking about last week in Austin, when all rail rides were FREE!

Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge Update

by Mitchell McGovern

Construction has started on the much anticipated Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge! Once completed this will enhance pedestrian connectivity to the west end of downtown, Lady Bird lake and the Lance Armstrong bicycle path. The next step will be a tunnel under the rail road tracks near 3rd and Bowie and the new Gables Park Plaza apartments.

Click here for architectural renderings of Phase 1 (completed) and Phase 2 (to be built) of the Gables complex. The path will be extended between the buildings. The city is currently negotiating with Union Pacific for access to the railroad right of way and actively planning for improved pedestrian access across and under the tracks.

INFLUENTIAL

ULT Hot Topic: Bicycle Boulevard Update

by Al Stowell

City staff is currently reviewing all possible options for the downtown bicycle boulevard, all of which are responsive to all stakeholder concerns. This review includes studying all public input, the valuable information gained from the Project Steering Committee meetings, and by exploring possible design options through the Austin Transportation Department traffic engineers.

HDR Engineering, the City’s consultant on this project, performed an additional traffic analysis to advise staff on which of the seven forms of a downtown bicycle boulevard previously studied would be advisable. This was based on traffic engineering factors such as on-street parking, bicycle and motor vehicle mobility and safety, and vehicle travel times. The original study addressed only the impact of the project on general traffic in the area.

The staff recommendation for this project will come from all of these sources and will be posted on our website on April 6, 2010.

Also, in response to stakeholder input the City of Austin has decided to hire Angelo Economics to perform an economic impact study for the project. The study will speak directly to this specific project and also to the overall economic effect of a complete bicycle network on the City of Austin. The study is expected to be complete by April 20, 2010.

City staff will present the final staff recommendation and the results of the 2nd Phase Traffic Study and Economic Study at Boards and Commissions and City Council at the following dates:

April 13 – Urban Transportation Commission, Briefing of Staff Recommendation

April 21 – Downtown Commission, Briefing and Possible Action on Staff Recommendation and Economic Study

April 26 – Design Commission, Briefing and Possible Action on Staff Recommendation and Economic Study

April 27 – Planning Commission, Briefing and Possible Action on Staff Recommendation and Economic Study

May 11 – Urban Transportation Commission, Briefing and Possible Action on Staff Recommendation and Economic Study

May 13 – City Council Briefing

For more information go to this link:
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/publicworks/bicycle-public-input.htm

Got Yard Tools and No Yard?
Donate those yard tools to a good cause.

Lots of folks enjoy the low-maintenance lifestyle that downtown living can afford and are no longer in need of yard equipment after moving to Austin’s urban core. The Austin Parks Foundation accepts donations of equipment to their tool shed for use on volunteer projects around the city.

If you’re interested in donating equipment, contact Charlie McCabe at cmccabe@austinparks.org.

The DANA Garden

DANA would like to give a shout-out to all members and friends alike to who helped rejuvenate our community garden. Marshall Jones, Jennifer Jones, Branden Allmon, Lindsay Wiebrand, Greg Anderson, George Luc, Dana Kelly, Mitchell McGovern, Chuck Dykes, and Bonsack Phrasavath helped weed, till, excavate, and plant at the fabulous plot on the north end of the Pfluger Bridge.

DANA understands that many downtown residents are transplants from suburban life and may have sacrificed a yard or garden to move in and enjoy the urban lifestyle. DANA is happy to own a garden that any of our community members can partake in.

Do you have a favorite plant you’d like to donate? Do you have a green thumb? Do you just like to get outside and help beautify the Town Lake Trail? If so, we’d love to hear from you! Please email lindsay@txsunandshade.com to get more details about the garden or how you can become involved with our community garden days!

Newsletter Sponsorships Available

Interested in sharing your services, next event, or promotion with the DANA Membership? Become a DANA Newsletter Sponsor.

Monthly newsletter sponsorships includes one appropriately sized graphic to appear in the copy portion of the newsletter (graphic to be provided by sponsor) and your company name listed in left article bar as one of that month’s newsletter sponsors. Fee: $250 per sponsorship.

Only two newsletter sponsorships opportunities will be available each month. We anticipate these going fast, so get your month lined up early!

For more information and to reserve your newsletter sponsorship contact Samantha Segar at ssegar@downtownaustin.org.

Thank you to this month’s contributors Lindsay Wiebrand, Amber Gugino, Michael McGill, Mitchell McGovern, and Al Stowell.

DANA’s mission is to improve the quality of life for those who work, live and play downtown. DANA influences decisions that affect downtown, educates and listens to residents and stakeholders about downtown issues that affect them, and fosters a downtown community through social events.

downtownaustin.org