In the News

2012 Envision Central Texas Community Stewardship Awards

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

The application for the 2012 Envision Central Texas Community Stewardship Awards is now available at www.envisioncentraltexas.org. Application deadline is noon on February 27, 2012. The awards will be presented at the 2012 ECT Community Stewardship Awards Luncheon on Friday, May 11 at the Hyatt Regency Austin.

Local non-profit and community organizations, businesses, cities, counties, developers, builders, designers, media, neighborhood groups and others based in the five-county Central Texas region are invited to submit online applications for the Envision Central Texas (ECT) 2012 Community Stewardship Awards.

The ECT Community Stewardship Awards program was created in 2006 to recognize and honor the innovative people, projects and processes that are addressing the growth challenges facing our region in ways that will move us closer to a vision for our future that preserves and enhances our natural resources, economic vitality, social equity, and overall quality of living.

The winners of six award categories will be selected by a jury made up of recognized experts from around the country. The jury’s decisions will be based on how applicants exemplify or reflect some or all of the seven elements of the Envision Central Texas Vision. The Awards Jury reserves the right to determine the number of finalists for each category. The W. Neal Kocurek Award recipient will be selected by a local panel. Submissions are eligible for awards in the following categories:

• New Development - Recognizes developments that are constructed on previously undeveloped sites and successfully exemplify the ECT Vision.
• Redevelopment - Recognizes developments that re-use existing structures or sites and successfully exemplify the ECT Vision.
• Innovation - Recognizes an individual, company, organization or governmental entity that has taken an innovative approach to growth challenges in ways that will foster the ECT Vision.
• Public Planning and Policy - Recognizes an organization or governmental entity for implementing a program or policy that facilitates and promotes the ECT Vision.
• Raising Public Awareness - Recognizes an organization (and/or individual) for educating the public or raising awareness of the ECT Vision or its principles.
• Natural Infrastructure - Recognizes an individual, company, organization or governmental entity for planning and beginning implementation of a significant project or initiative designed to enhance or protect our region’s environment and natural resources.
• W. Neal Kocurek Legacy Award - Recognizes an individual who models the collaborative leadership style of Neal Kocurek with regard to the ECT Vision.

Eligibility:
• Submitted projects or activities must exemplify and/or promote one or more of the key elements of the Vision.
• Submitted projects or activities must be located in the five-county Central Texas Region, defined as Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson Counties.
• Self-nominations are acceptable.
• Joint or team applications are encouraged where applicable and all major participants identified will be recognized.
• Competing applications for the same project or activity will not be accepted. Please collaborate.
• Entries in the New Development, Redevelopment and Natural Infrastructure categories must be begun, under construction or completed in the last five years.
• For entries in the Public Planning and Policy, the program, policy or plan must have been adopted by the local government between February 27, 2007 and the submission deadline of February 27, 2012. The ECT Community Stewardship Awards will recognize those entities that exemplify or promote the elements of the ECT Vision in their work and support the overall mission of Envision Central Texas. The awards will be presented at the ECT Community Stewardship Awards Luncheon on May 11, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Austin. Through this celebration, award recipients will be acknowledged and their work exhibited to others in the region as outstanding examples of ways to make tomorrow’s vision a reality today. The ECT Vision, derived from the input of thousands of Central Texas Citizens, paints a vivid portrait of what we would like our region to be like in the future.

Key Elements of the ECT Vision:
• An effective transportation system that improves mobility throughout the region, increases choices of how we get around – including roads, rail, trails and bikeways – and is coordinated with land use planning.
• Protection of our environment and natural resources so we will have the open space, parks and trails that people cherish, preserve our ecologically sensitive land and ensure sustainable clean water and air for future generations.
• A diverse and thriving economy with a robust base of businesses throughout the region and quality job opportunities for our citizens.
• A variety of housing choices that are affordable for everyone in the region and offer a mix of styles, such as neighborhoods with pedestrian-friendly streets or housing within walking distance of transit and stores.
• Preservation of our region’s unique character by protecting and enhancing our neighborhoods, towns, rural areas, historic sites and special sense of place.
• An understanding that social equity and racial harmony are core values that strengthen us and actions that foster respect, civility, and opportunities for all.
• A region-wide understanding that our fortunes are tied together requiring planning, participation and collaboration by stakeholders throughout our region to ensure a successful and livable Central Texas in the future.


Online applications for the 2012 Envision Central Texas Community Stewardship Awards are available at www.envisioncentraltexas.org. The entry deadline is noon on February 27, 2012. For more information, contact Sally Campbell at Envision Central Texas at 512-916-6037 or scampbell@envisioncentraltexas.org.