Open Government Austin

Women for Clean Water Press Conference

Community leaders Shudde Fath, Brigid Shea, and Mary Arnold, among others, will be holding a press conference tomorrow, Thursday, at High Noon at City Hall.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
5/9/06
ATTN: POLITICAL ASSIGNMENTS DESK
PRESS CONFERENCE

Environmental Integrity Is Good For Business
Women for Clean Water
Thursday, May 11, 2006
High Noon, City Hall Plaza

Contact Persons: Abbe Waldman, 736-5802; Susan Bright: sbright1@austin.rr.com

Speakers:
Shudde Fath, Treasurer of Save Barton Creek Association and member of Electric Utility Commission-442-2718
Brigid Shea, former Austin City Council Member and co-founder of the SOS Alliance-698-2025
Mary Arnold, has served on Austin's Planning Commission, the Parks Board, and the Water and Wastewater Commission-350-5847
Marcia Lucas, Owner of El Interior, a long time Austin business
Abbe Waldman, Austin Realtor full time since 1983, longtime community activist-736-5802

Women for Clean Water speak out against Advanced Micro Devices' (AMD) move onto the Barton Springs watershed, endorse Props 1 & 2 on the May 13 city ballot.
Shudde Fath and other longtime Austin women activists and business persons are calling for AMD to move off the Barton Springs watershed and urging citizens to vote "Yes" on Props 1 & 2.

Our community values both the environment and the economy. These interests should not be pitted against each other. Businesses move to Austin and do business here because they value clean water, large lots, greenbelt views, low density and deed restrictions which protect their neighborhoods. People stay here because of creeks, clean water, greenbelts, and scenic beauty. Recent reports published in the Austin American Statesman show the opposition to Props 1 & 2 is paid for by the Real Estate Council of Austin, the Home Builders Association and developer attorneys who tell us Clean Water and Open Government are too expensive.

We say the cost to the people of Austin and to our economy of losing Barton Springs and permanently damaging the aquifer would be immeasurable. We say Barton Springs is priceless.

We say the cost to Austin businesses and our economy of losing the watershed which provides sole source drinking water for 50,000 residents would be immeasurable. Without water and green space, there is no economic growth.

Women for Clean Water call on the people of Austin to work together for Smart Growth which directs major employment centers onto the Desired Development Zone, away from environmentally sensitive land. Austin's Smart Growth plan is the product of thirty years of debate, discussion, and far-reaching community consensus that began in the 1970s with the Austin Tomorrow Plan. In the 1990s under Mayor Kirk Watson, the City of Austin adopted Smart Growth as city policy. Citizens then reaffirmed those same principles at the regional level with Envision Central Texas.

We should be working together and could if AMD would act responsibly and move its 850,000 square foot corporate headquarters off the Barton Springs watershed.

Barton Springs is the soul of our city and water is the core of our economic engine.

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posted by opengovaustin @ Wednesday, May 10, 2006