The
village lost its vision
|
Vision Village had lofty goals: a massive community set on a hill in
far East Austin. The joint partnership between government and various private sector
partners would be a multi-generational housing project and community center that would
provide day care service, job training and services for senior citizens, among other
needed services for East Austin residents.
The planners were the best and brightest Austin had to offer: former State Rep. Wilhelmina
Delco and former Austin City Council member Eric Mitchell were the most visible champions
of Vision Village. Later, Mitchell would fade into the background after his election loss.
Delco also would become less visible. The program floundered, but the Rev. G.V. Clark
emerged as a savior of the project. The project already had received city and county
funds. When private financing was found, it appeared the project could get back on track.
But it never did. A day care center was temporarily on the property. A charter school was
there briefly, but it folded and moved out in the dark of night. A business operated off
the property and one of the other principals, Preston Ervin appeared to live on the site
rent-free. This is not what planners envisioned. A city investigation has produced more
questions than answers and now a grand jury has put an end to this sad saga.
Now, Clark and two other principals in the failed housing and community center have been
indicted on a variety of charges that all amount to money that should have gone to housing
that went elsewhere. To his credit, Clark, whose sole crime was likely doing business with
the wrong people, testified against the other two principals, Preston Ervin and Stacy
Shorter, in exchange for a reduced sentence and lighter punishment.
This is a tragic end to yet another East Austin effort that held lots of promise but didn’t
produce what was intended. |
