Last week brought a tough decision before our Abilene City Council.
A tough decision on whether or not to leverage a building that’s been off the tax rolls for decades and taxpayer supported to create a public purpose campus that streamlined assistance projects (more here) and programs for aspiring entrepreneurs and emerging small businesses. Or, to move forward with progress in our downtown by awarding a local developer, Charlie Wolfe, the opportunity to further connect our north and south downtown.
Neither decision was easy, but a decision was made. The Chamber commends Council and Charlie for their efforts and applauds the passion of our downtown pioneers for standing up for what they - and the Chamber - believe in.
Now it’s time for our city to cheer for and support this new investment in the heart of our community, and the Abilene Chamber of Commerce will be chief among those cheering. We’re grateful for the opportunity to compete. I’m proud of our community, our city council and certainly of those willing to take the risk to make our city the best Abilene it can be!
The Chamber will not stop executing its mission, nor will it abandon its intent to create a one-stop resource center consistent with the community’s economic development strategy.
The Chamber’s countless volunteer leaders, who represent our 1300 member businesses, will continue to do what they’ve done for the last two years - work to evaluate the space options for fulfilling the commitment we’ve made for small business formation and growth, and make an informed choice based on the interests of all of our members while remaining mindful stewards of our members’ precious resources.
The Chamber’s professional staff will continue to do what we do each day and many nights - advocate for the interests of our members and work with our members to advance the economic interests of our great city.
Onward!