vision2020 Official Ballot

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Conservatory: A beautiful natural conservatory — visualize the Conservatory at Como Park in St. Paul — but the Austin version would grow the natural plants and trees products that the Hormel Institute is studying for cancer research ginger, tea, etc.

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Science & Tech Museum: Open a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Community Museum where people of all ages can partake in STEM hands-on, interactive activities.

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Downtown Power Plant Development A: art center, restaurant, studios, arboretum, SPAM Museum, condos, shops, brewery, theatre space.

Clean Lakes: Mill Pond and East Side Lake for swimming and fishing.

Downtown Power Plant Development B: Convert old power plant in to a shopping development & restaurants — microbrewery — fast, casual eatery.

Arts Row/Arts District Development: on 4th near downtown; include entertainment.

SPAMusement Park: Austin could be home to an amusement park of some type; a water park, a theme park or some combination of the two.

Downtown Development: Make downtown a tourist and locals destination with public gathering area/plaza, live entertainment, restore historical store fronts, arts events, more retailers, benches, park for kids ,etc.

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Cedar River Recreation: Access to and clean up Cedar River for recreation. Kayaking, tubing, canoeing, fishing, recreational activities, including rentals.

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Mill Pond: Beautify and add recreation attributes to the Mill Pond area.

Artist Relocation Program: draw artists to relocate to Austin.

Art Center: in prominent location.

Downtown Power Plant Development C: Convert the downtown utilities plant into a place for the Hormel museum and an arts center.

Bike Trails A: Austin needs more versatile biking trails.

Bike Trails B: Connected recreational bike trails across the city connecting all attractions, shopping, neighborhoods, designated bike lanes.

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Attract Business: We need to bring in additional small/mid-size business into Austin, which will create additional jobs.

Establish a Family Fun Center — something for all ages.

Outdoor Concerts: We should organize an outdoor concert series in downtown Austin on Friday nights in summer.

Cedar River Development A: Attract more residents and bring tourism to the Cedar River in Austin area.

Youth Center: open all year.

Make the Riverland Theatre a state-of-the-art performance facility.

Children's Museum.

SPAM Jam as an annual event.

Global Fest: As Austin is mirroring more of a global community, host an event during the summer that provides arts, crafts, food, and entertainment from different cultures around the world and in our community.

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River and Lake Development: Continue and expand long term flood mitigation including dredging rivers, developing new lake and wildlife area, modern dams.

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Recreation Center: Change the Oak Park Mall from a retail center to a Recreation Center for families, including bowling, pool tables and walking track, climbing wall.

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Expansion of Historic Paramount Theatre.

East Side Lake: Add features to East Side Lake, I-90 corridor that are visible from I-90 and add to aesthetic appeal of Austin.

Sculptures: Commission artists from around the country for sculptures placed around the city, particularly downtown.

Cedar River Development B: for recreation, walking and shops.

Entrepreneurial Spirit: Be receptive to the entrepreneurial spirit present in Austin and work

together with the city to review outdated or unnecessary restrictions as well as working with the city, or banking institutions to provide options for low interest loans, tax incentives or grant money.

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Central Resource Center: Comprehensive community calendar, information, event publicity, visitor guide, attractions, service organizations, including a coordinated web presence .

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Comprehensive Business Plan for attracting new retail, restaurants, attractions.

We need to have the best schools K-12.

After School Institute-science, math, language.

Downtown Festival: Adaptation of Rochester's Thursdays on First weekly downtown festival.

Winter Fest: It would be great to develop an annual winter time music festival that would fill up hotels and bring out residents.

We need more entertainment: indoor/outdoor water park; science museum; modern roller rink; indoor skate park; indoor go-carts; miniature golf; bounce house; laser tag; playground, etc.

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Pursue an Outlet Shopping area.

Make the I-90 highway overpasses more aesthetically appealing and unique to Austin.

Recreation Lake: dig a large recreational lake, for year round use such as snowmobiling, fishing tournaments, etc.

Overpass Art Center: Glass walled art/cultural center spanning one of the I-90 overpasses, contemporary design, architectural interest.

A Riverwalk: take advantage of natural beauty.

Community Center.

Develop a Plaza downtown for Farmer's market, arts and crafts fairs, carousel, popcorn

Vote using the clip-out ballot or on-line at www.vis

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cart, murals, etc.

Small Business Resource Center that could provide accounting, legal, and other basic services to help support new businesses that do start e.g. a business incubator.

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Abandoned Buildings: redevelop/revamping existing empty buildings

Hold more Community-Wide Events throughout the year.

New, world-class Fitness Center with classes for all ages, family-friendly, open and airy, host tournaments.

Healthy Community: Incorporate many of the Blue Zone healthy community concepts that are working in the Albert Lea area, such as menu changes at area restaurants, walking clubs, walking school buses.

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Develop attractive Apartments, designed for young professionals.

Covered Walkway: Interstate overpass over I90 at 14th and 4th Streets providing a safe, covered walk way for pedestrians, bikes.

Rebuild Mill: Rebuild the old Campbell/Peerless/Hormel Mill on 4th Ave N.E. (Water Street), and turn it into a historic hotel/restaurant complex.

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Promotion: Develop a fund supported by the City, County, Chamber, Convention Visitors Bureau and Development Corporation of Austin that would be dedicated to the promotion of Austin.

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Wifi: City wide, high speed, public wifi; provided free to residents.

Develop a world-class Convention-and Events Center to host sports, auto shows, expos.

Bike Recreation: Further develop Bike Trail and promote Austin as a bike and other outdoor recreation destination which offers sporting events to utilize our trails.

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Time Bank: A coordination and organization of intergenerational volunteer efforts resulting

on Page 4 of this publication sion2020austin.com

in one place, one entity for people and organizations to find volunteers (www.timebanks.org) .

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New or rebuilt YMCA .

Youth Center: focused on music and the development of youth talent.

New Art Center.

Build a Butterfly Garden .

Improved access to Quality Daycare.

Develop a small Bookstore.

Improve direct access to Main St and downtown areas off I-90.

Indoor Tree House: Build a huge indoor tree house/playground with atrium surroundings live plants, trees, lots of sun shining in. (www.edinboroughpark.com).

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Attract industry and business, with focus on higher-wage jobs.

Diversify: Focus on diversifying our economy to include different sizes and types of business and industry at all skill and wage levels.

Retail Incubator housed at the Oak Park Mall.

After School Program for the gifted and talented K-12.

Annual Music Festival.

Micro-Financing: An organization to help facilitate micro-financing of start up businesses.

Trade School: Expand Riverland to build a world class school for the trades.

Rental Units for first year interns or first year out-of-town interns employees. They are needed for Hormel Foods, Medical Center. Institute and schools.

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Public Campgrounds added to Austin, near attractions, waterways.

Hormel Company Food Emporium that includes a restaurant that specializes in promoting Hormel products (nice meals), located in the

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refurbished Bank building on Main St.

Create new Local Restaurants with unique characteristics/atmospheres, serving local foods from local farms, and area wine/beer.

Encourage better retail selection.

Playing Field that would have artificial turf and could be used outdoors in the summer, or indoors using a dome in the winter.

Winter Community Center in which there is a heated relaxation pool, an arboretum area, indoor running/walking area, an indoor play area.

Water Park: indoor/outdoor attraction (a.k.a. aquatic center), possibly use Mall area.

Theatre Training: As part of the cultural center of Austin develop a theatre training center for ALL ages.

Summer music camps with Austin Symphony for youth.

tion.

Promote what we have! Hormel Institute Cancer Research Project; the Hormel Founda-

Fiber Optics: Ultra high speed access to the internet, get fiber optics to every residence and business in Austin.

Half marathon and full marathon based here.

It's flat here, a great place to run.

Bigger hill for sledding and tubing- Develop Skinners Hill for winter recreation.

Establish a neighborhood Clean Up, Fix Up, Paint Up fund to provide grants or low interest loans for home/yard improvements in residential area, modeled on www.justdogood.org.

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Hospice Residential Home: With our older population this would benefit a lot of residents in their last days.

Fest.

Create a summer Mexican festival-including music, dancing, food, etc. similar to Freedom

Upstream Water projects to clean incoming water.

Mark your five top choices and return this ballot to the ballot box at Austin Chamber of Commerce or the Austin Public Library.

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You may also mail your ballot to: Austin Chamber of Commerce 329 N. Main St., Suite 102 Austin, MN 55912

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Please vote only once

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