THIS
THIS WEEK
THIS WEEK WE'RE TAKING AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT PROPOSITION A --
IT'S A MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR
TRANSPORTATION PLAN ON THE
BALLOT FOR VOTERS IN THE CITY OF
AUSTIN.
AUSTIN.
AUSTIN. TODAY -- WE WANT TO FOCUS ON
DOWNTOWN -- WHERE MANY LIGHT RAIL STOPS WOULD BE
LOCATED AND PEOPLE WOULD
BE ABLE TO GET AROUND EASIER.
KVUE'S BRYCE NEWBERRY JOINS US
LIVE THIS MORNING TO EXPLAIN HOW IT COULD HELP
DOWNTOWN -- BUT BRYCE,
SOME SAY THIS PROPERTY TAX
INCREASE COULD PUT
THEM OUT OF BUSINESS.
GOOD
GOOD MORNING --
CONSTRUCTION DOWNTOWN REALLY HASN'T SLOWED DOWN
DURING
DURING THE PANDEMIC -- AND DOWNTOWN STAKEHOLDERS SAY THIS MASS
TRANSIT PLAN COULD REALLY HELP
WITH THE GROWTH THAT'S STILL TO
COME.
BUT OPPONENTS WORRY THAT A
POST-PANDEMIC ECONOMIC CRASH IS
LOOMING -- THAT WOULDN'T SUPPORT
SUCH AN EXPENSIVE PROJECT.
TRT 3:05
TRT 3:05
TRT 3:05 JOE BOLASH / GENERAL MANAGER,
HILTON AUSTIN DEWITT PEART / PRESIDENT & CEO,
DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE
GERALD
GERALD DAUGHERTY / TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER SHANNON SEDWICK / OWNER,
ESTHER'S FOLLIES
NATS - CONSTRUCTION
CRANES FILL THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN
SKYLINE.
EVEN DURING THE PANDEMIC, WE
HAVEN'T SEEN A
SLOWDOWN IN THE CONSTRUCTION.
CONSTRUCTION
PROJECTS -- NOT PAUSED LIKE
OTHER THINGS -- EVEN DURING
COVID.
NATS
COVID. NATS BUT BEFORE COVID -- REMEMBER
JUST HOW BUSY THE
AREA WAS.
NATS
SO TO HELP MOVE PEOPLE AROUND --
PROJECT CONNECT'S LIGHT RAIL
LINES WOULD RUN
THROUGH DOWNTOWN..
THE BLUE LINE -- CONNECTING
THROUGH THE DOWNTOWN
STATION -- OUTSIDE THE HILTON.
TRANSIT INCREASINGLY IS BECOMING
SOMETHING
THAT OUR MEETING PLANNERS OR
CONVENTIONEE
RS ARE CONCERNED WITH JOE
BOLASH IS THE HOTEL'S GENERAL
MANAGER -- AND CHAIRPERSON
OF THE AUSTIN HOTEL AND LODGING
ASSOCIATION.
TRANSIT ISN'T JUST AN ISSUE FOR
PEOPLE DOING BUSINESS WITH THE
HOTEL.
WE'RE SEEING OUR TEAM MEMBERS,
ESPECIALLY OUR ENTRY LEVEL TEAM
MEMBERS, HAVING TO LIVE FARTHER
AND
FARTHER AWAY. THAT'S PARTLY WHY
HE SUPPORTS THE
PLAN THAT COULD HELP PEOPLE
ACCESS JOBS. OUR TEAM MEMBERS,
OUR BEDROCK, ARE NOT ABLE TO
GET TO WORK EASILY AND ARE
LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES
OUTSIDE OF DOWNTOWN SIMPLY
BECAUSE TRANSPORTATIO
N HAS BECOME UNTENABLE FOR THEM,
EITHER IN TERMS OF COST
OR JUST PURELY SITTING IN
TRAFFIC AN HOUR OR AN
HOUR AND A HALF. HOTEL
EMPLOYEES AREN'T THE
ONLY ONES WORKING DOWNTOWN. IN
2019 -- THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN
ALLIANCE SAYS
DOWNTOWN HAD NEARLY 97- THOUSAND
EMPLOYEES..
A 19 PERCENT JUMP SINCE 20- 13..
REPRESENTING ABOUT 15 PERCENT OF
AUSTIN'S
WORKFORCE.
AUSTIN'S WORKFORCE. THE ONLY WAY TO INCREASE THE
NUMBER OF WORKERS THAT
ARE COMMUTING IS BY HAVING A
VERY ROBUST TRANSIT SYSTEM
DEWITT PEART IS C-E-O OF THE
DOWNTOWN AUSTIN
ALLIANCE..
A GROUP THAT ANTICIPATES
CONTINUED JOB AND
RESIDENTIAL GROWTH DOWNTOWN. IF
AUSTIN IS GOING TO BE A CITY OF
THE FUTURE, WE
NEED A TRANSPORTATIO N SYSTEM
THAT ALIGNS WITH THAT. BUT
OPPONENTS WORRY WORKING
DOWNTOWN MIGHT NEVER BE THE SAME
AGAIN -- AS COMPANIES
TRANSITION TO TELEWORK OPTIONS.
PEOPLE DON'T EVEN KNOW IF
THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE A JOB
NEXT YEAR. DOWNTOWN, I MEAN, I
NEVER THOUGHT THAT
I'D SEE A TIME THAT YOU COULD
SKATEBOARD
SKATEBOARD
THAN
THAN GUADALOUPE THE UNCERTAINTY ALSO CONCERNS THE LONGTIME OWNER OF ESTHER'S
OF ESTHER'S
FOLLIES..
FOLLIES.. WORRIED THE PROPERTY TAX INCREASE DOESN'T BENEFIT ALL
DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES. "THE DAA IS
FOR PROP A BUT I WONDER WHY
BECAUSE THEY REPRESENT ALL THESE
BIG OFFICE TOWERS ON CONGRESS
AND 6TH STREET AND ARE THOSE
BUILDINGS GOING TO BE
THE SAME WHEN WE ALL OPEN BACK
UP SOME DAY WHEN OUR
PRINCE COMES? THERE'S NOT GOING
TO BE AS MANY PPL
COMING
COMING TO
COMING TO WORK DOWNTOWN ANYMORE BC THAT LIFE HAS CHANGED." BUT BOLASH'S EMPLOYEES WILL HAVE
TO KEEP GETTING TO THE HILTON --
AND LETTING PROJECT CONNECT FAIL
IS SOMETHING HE CALLS
UNIMAGINABLE.
IT'S THE MOST SOUND, LOGICAL,
REASONABLE
SOLUTION TO THE ISSUES THAT
WE'RE FACING NOW
AND PAVING A BRIGHT FUTURE FOR
FOR TOMORROW. >
AND
AND THAT
AND THAT DOES IT FOR OUR WEEK-LONG SERIES ON PROP A..
IF YOU'RE STILL TRYING TO MAKE A
DECISION ON HOW TO VOTE --
WE HAVE ALL OF OUR COVERAGE AT
KVUE-DOT-COM-SLASH-
PROJECT-CONNECT.
KVUE-DOT-COM-SLASH- PROJECT-CONNECT. YOU CAN ALSO TEXT US ANYTIME AT
512-459-9442.
HANNAH.
512-459-9442. HANNAH.