On Tuesday, March 14th at 5:45, the City Commission will discuss a new East 9th Street design created by city planners. The Lawrence Arts Center has submitted a letter outlining their plans for spending the remaining ArtPlace funds, which request the City to make an additional $500,000 commitment.
Blog
Art, artists and gentrification in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles
Art and Complicity: How the fight against gentrification in Boyle Heights questions the role of artists by Carribean Fragoza
A deep look at ongoing tensions in Boyle Heights around the roles that art and artists play in development schemes that usher in displacement. Ultra-Red member Dont Rhine says, “We are still waiting to see an example of where an arts district didn’t displace a community. The designation of an arts district is a tool of development.”
East Ninth Plan @ City Commission May 24 | Live TV Live Report
On Tuesday, May 24th at 5:45pm at City Hall, The City Commissioners will review the East Ninth Project Concept Plan as part of the Regular Agenda, item #2.
MEMORANDUM from Porter Arneill, Director of Arts and Culture.
CORRESPONDENCE from LAC.
***If you cannot attend the meeting, you can send an email regarding the East Ninth plan to City Commissioners before Tuesday’s meeting.
Make sure to copy the city manager Tom Markus tmarkus@lawrenceks.org and bjwalthall@lawrenceks.org so that your letter will be included in Commissioner’s packets.***
The full City Commission meeting agenda is here.
Also! A new installment from intrepid throwback reporter Biff Beluga and the LTVL crew…
“Live TV Live hits the streets once again to hear from long standing Lawrence business owners concerning the newly proposed 9th street development plan. Thoughts on skyrocketing property taxes, proposed loss of parking and concerns for use of city funds lead to an alternative plan proposal. Take it in and come share your thoughts this Tuesday, May 24th at Lawrence’s City Commission meeting.”
Special Report from Live TV Live
New from intrepid throwback reporter Biff Beluga and the LTVL crew…
Updated Plan, Upcoming Meetings
The final East Ninth progress plan was presented to the Citizen Advisory Committee on March 30, 2016. The committee agreed that this would be their final meeting. The plan passed by a vote of 13-2 to approve the design. Details of the meeting can be found in an article published by the Lawrence Journal World.
To view the current design click HERE. A printable version and related documents can be found on the city’s website.
Over 20 members of the community supported a letter that addressed concerns and offered recommendations related to the design. This letter was received by the committee and can be found here as well as recommendations made by the Bicycle Advisory Committee.
Upcoming meetings to attend and opportunities to lend input:
Monday, April 4, 2016 @ 7 – 9pm | East Lawrence Neighborhood Meeting (ELNA) Location: New York School library
Wednesday, April 13, 2016 @ 7 -10pm | Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission Meeting Location: City Hall
Following these two meetings, the plan will be presented to the City Commissioners at City Hall on a date yet to be determined.
Show your support!
Friends, Neighbors, Supporters,
We have a handful of these bumper stickers left. 
If you would like one, please e-mail us at: info@eastninth.net with your mailing address and we will send one to you, free of charge.
-E9
ELNA board election results
“All of the 2014-15 East Lawrence Neighborhood Association board members who filed as candidates were reelected Monday in what was one of the most contested and attended elections in the group’s history. ”
Read the Lawrence Journal-World story here.
Voters line up to cast their ballots in the ELNA board election at New York School.
Last Minute Funding Review Today | 4:30pm
If you are signed up for alerts regarding the city’s Cultural Arts Commission, you probably received the following e-mail at 9:57 this morning, “A meeting has been scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 30 in the City Commission room at City Hall, 6 East 6th Street, for a special meeting of Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission to review the 2017-18 National Endowment for the Arts “Our Town” grant application.”
However, the email alert containing the grant application was not sent until 2:07pm and does not seem to be readily available on the city’s LCAC landing page. For the sake of wider information dissemination and transparency, here is the link to the Lawrence Art Center’s grant application for 2017-18 Free State Festival, which includes requested additional funding and support from the City of Lawrence.
Arts Center Funding Request at City Commission Today
The Lawrence Arts Center will be asking the city for an additional $100,000 for the Free State Festival at this today’s City Commission meeting (see here for current LAC funding) The following is a quote from their request that appears to assume that what will be built on 9th will be used as infrastructure for Free State Festival.
“There is no mention of the Free State Festival in the March, April, May, June 3 or June 27 minutes.” said Phil Collison, 9th Street CAC member, ELNA Board Member, and Property owner along 9th street in affected area. In a letter to City Commissioners, Collison noted,
“In fact, the first mention of the Free State Festival is in the July 29 minutes and those are denials that the street project is being built for any specific venue. Those minutes state, “The grant says that the street will be the showcase for Free State Festival events.” Response: “The specific direction that was given to el dorado was to incorporate language about the project not becoming an entertainment corridor in a way that stood out and wasn’t buried within the document. The design team would never pursue this project as a sanctioned entertainment corridor”.
Regarding the funding source, from yesterday’s Lawrence Journal-World: “As part of its 2016 budget, the city has created a grant process for events to seek out transient guest tax dollars. But the program, which has a total budget of $150,000, is only in beginning talks and hasn’t yet begun accepting applications.”
Here is the link to their full request on the City’s website and a link to the full agenda. Also on today’s agenda, LAC will be requesting “the Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission that the City of Lawrence partner with the Lawrence Arts Center in its application for the National Endowment for the Humanities Our Town Grant”.
Creating a Better Neighborhood for the Same Neighbors
“The challenge for those trying to preserve the integrity of these newly desirable neighborhoods is to institute improvements that appeal to residents but repel developers.”
Read the rest of the article about the work of Steve Rasmussen-Cancian here.
east 9th st. placekeepers 
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