Downtown Austin Rangers

The Rangers serve as eyes and ears for APD and as goodwill ambassadors for the downtown Austin area. The Austin Downtown Rangers dress in easily distinguishable uniforms and carry two-way communication equipment to be in constant contact with Austin Police dispatch. The Rangers were trained by APD in police patrol techniques. The Rangers are not peace officers, do not carry weapons, and do not make arrests. They report situations requiring Police Officer attention to the Austin Police dispatch office.
The Rangers are also trained by ACVB in their ambassadorship responsibilities. The Downtown Rangers serve as guides for the public; they are trained to answer questions about points of interest in downtown Austin. They carry maps and other materials to guide guests of our city to their destinations.
The Austin Downtown Rangers program assists both the Downtown Austin Alliance in implementing its Security Service Plan element, and satisfy a current APD goal to increase the number of women and minorities in its ranks. All of the Austin Downtown Rangers are City of Austin employees, funded by a grant from the Downtown Austin Alliance.
The principal purpose of the Austin Downtown Ranger program is security. Therefore, the Rangers are directly responsible to the Supervisor of the Walking/Bicycle Beat in Downtown Austin. That Supervisor works closely with the Executive Director of the Downtown Austin Alliance and the ACVB Director to develop the deployment schedules and areas of security coverage throughout the year. This coordination will be on a continuing basis to satisfy the security needs of downtown Austin.
New Supervisor Monty Dolieslager was hired in early March 1996, and is exploring new ways of working with the Austin Police Department. He is also developing a training program for new Rangers. The Rangers are housed with the Downtown Austin Alliance at 211 E. 7th Street, where they have separate space for their offices and equipment.
The addition of Austin Police Department (APD) cadets into the Ranger program has benefits for the individuals involved and the Ranger program as a whole. Two cadets hired in late May have extensive security backgrounds. Chief Watson's decision to infuse the cadets into the Rangers program was based, in part, on ensuring that the cadets would not be continuing to look for employment outside APD. The cadets will participate as Rangers during the interim between the completion of their application process for the entry into the Austin Police Academy. The Rangers will soon be working with security teams of major Downtown buildings to provide increased service to the Alliance's largest property owners.
The Rangers will celebrate their 2nd Anniversary on June 1, 1996.

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First Tuesday Downtown

First Tuesday Downtown is a new type of event for Austin, to be sponsored by the Downtown Austin Alliance. This is a monthly "evening on the downtown" that showcases Austin's unique, diverse, creatively and economically thriving Downtown neighborhood, as well as bring families, students, seniors, and singles Downtown, where they may stroll from theaters to art exhibits in large buildings, hotel lobbies, and galleries, and into businesses, retail and gift shops, and restaurants along the way. The event will spread outward from an Alliance-sponsored core of activity on Congress Avenue's 600-900 block area. Venues throughout the Downtown area are invited to participate by remaining open and possibly having special offerings.
This event is a true Alliance-wide event that incorporates all of its various resources, committees, and members. Artists and arts groups, merchants, businesses, and large property owners all play a part in promoting Downtown and its economic vitality and viability.
First Tuesday Downtown will be held the first Tuesday of each month from 5:00-9:00p.m., beginning in July 1996. Although the event is for all of Downtown, the Alliance will initially focus its core activity along Congress Avenue's 600-900 block area and will feature entertainment from 5:00-7:00p.m. Venues will remain open until 9:00p.m. As the Downtown Austin Alliance is committed to at least an initial 6-month run, the dates for the first six First Tuesdays will be:

• July 2
• August 6
• September 3
• October 1
• November 5 - Election Day
• December 3

Initial supporters and Participants: In addition to the Alliance's sponsorship, those currently expressing an interest in further support of the event are the Business Committee for the Arts of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, the Austin American-Statesman, KLBJ's 3 separate radio stations, and KGSR-FM.
Participants to date include: Paramount Theater, Live Oak Theater, Public Domain Theater, Driskill Hotel, Chicago 20's Café, NationsBank, Scarborough Building, 816 Congress, Frost Bank Plaza (Faison-Stone), 823 Congress (OMNI Commercial Realty), Austin Circle of Theaters and Café Tumbrel.

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Grafitti Removal

Since the City of Austin has assumed responsibility for graffiti removal in the public right-of-way, the Downtown Austin Alliance has re-allocated its resources to private property graffiti removal. The Downtown Austin Alliance has contracted with "Off the Wall" Graffiti, Inc. for graffiti removal on private property within the Public Improvement District. Only member parcels for which the Alliance has a signed release of liability are included in this program.
All graffiti should be reported to the City Graffiti Hotline: 473-4125.

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Litter Removal

The Downtown Austin Alliance has contracted with the City of Austin Youth Corps to perform litter removal from sidewalks, curb, and gutters in the Downtown Austin Public Improvement District. Litter is picked up between 7 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday and Sunday mornings. This service is in addition to the city's regular maintenance program, and is not intended to replace them.
The areas being cleaned falls within the boundaries of the Downtown Austin Public Improvement District. Within that area, the sidewalks will be cleaned from the private property line to the street curb except that alcoves will also be cleaned (alley cleaning is not a part of this contract).

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Destination Downtown Arts and Entertainment Map

The Arts Committee of the Downtown Austin Alliance has produced the Destination Downtown Arts and Entertainment Map. The map shows off downtown's vitality and promotes downtown's arts industry. The map is available in over 100 arts venues, restaurants, hotels, the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau and the offices of the Downtown Austin Alliance.
The map shows 80 restaurants, 50 performing arts venues, 42 visual arts venues, as well as museums, libraries, parks, hotels and lodging, annual arts events, and University of Texas at Austin facilities. The map also shows Downtown public transportation routes and off-street parking available to the public, including State of Texas parking facilities.

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Noontime Concerts

The Downtown Austin Alliance and the Austin Federation of Musicians have co-sponsored two years of free Tuesday noontime concerts, in Spring and Fall, at Regents Plaza (6th and Colorado). The concerts, which were first held in Fall 1994, resumed in April 1996. The Spring '96 schedule is:

• April 2 - Rotel and the Hot Tomatoes (60's and Motown)
• April 9 - Ponty Bone & the Squeezetones (Cajun / Mexican)
• April 16 - Sissy Siero (Urban Folk)
• April 23 - Wimberley Volunteer Fire Ants (Eclectic Bluegrass)
• April 30 - Mady Kaye & the All-Star Big Band (17 Piece Big Band Sound)
• May 7 - Los Pinkys (Tejano / Conjunto in Spanish and English)
• May 14 - Doc Grauzer (Irish Harp)
• May 21 - Jazz Pharaohs (nostalgic New Orleans Dixieland jazz)
• May 28 - Denim (4 piece original Austin progressive country music)
• June 4 - Tejazz (it's jazz with the Jazzmanian Devil himself, Tomas Ramirez)
• June 11 - Double-O-Soul (original soul and top 40 cover tunes)
• June 18 - Correo Aereo (South American vocals and multi-instrumental)
• June 25 - 47 Indians (Unique rock-a-billy with a horn section)

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Great Streets Program

The Downtown Austin Alliance, Inc. has established a Great Streets Program. This program has as its mission the improvement of the physical design of Downtown streetscapes.
The pink sidewalk is in place on the Second Street project. The project was completed when Texas Redbud trees were placed in the tree grates. The Alliance has also written three ISTEA grant applications for three other Great Streets projects - the 200 block of Congress, Red River from César Chávez to Sixth Street, and Fourth Street from Congress to Lavaca. The Alliance is working with the Department of Public Works and Transportation to complete the funding for the Driskill corner.
The Alliance will create an advisory committee, consisting of representatives from the Downtown Austin Alliance, Capital Metro, City of Austin, the U.T. Austin School of Architecture, and interested citizens. The advisory committee will select and prioritize projects. The list of projects will then be presented to the Alliance Board of Directors and the Austin City Council for approval.
Funding for projects selected as part of the Great Streets program will come from a variety of sources. If parking meter revenues in Downtown increase, the increase should be allocated to the Great Streets program. Other sources of funding, both public and private, are being sought. Possible sources include Capital Metro's Build Greater Austin program, the Historic Landmark Commission's Bricks and Mortar fund, ISTEA, contributions from adjacent property owners.

Basic Data

• Project Contact: Dave Kreider, Assistant Director, Conservation and Planning Services Department, 499-6381
• Project Manager: José E. Martínez, Executive Director, Downtown Austin Alliance, 469-1766 / fax 477-7456, Southwest Tower, 211 E. Seventh Street, Suite 100-L, Austin, TX 78701