May 2021 – Refocusing

After several months of meeting on Zoom as CCCC and as three subgroups looking at ideas for the park, the Maudelle Shirek Building and the Veterans Building respectively, we learned that the City was considering a major infrastructure bond measure and began advocating that the Civic Center projects be included. It is not our role to put forward specific programming options for the buildings. The traditional community process involving related City Commissions, community input, and the City Council will determine which specific arts, history and cultural programs and activities will be housed in the buildings. Therefore, the three subgroups merged back into one and agreed to meet monthly and focus on advocacy with the City, building community visibility for the process, and inviting guest speakers to lend expertise. A coordinating committee, primarily the facilitators of the subgroups, was formed that meets at least monthly.