Publisher’s Note — February 2007

Publisher’s Note — February 2007

Written by John Garrett Wednesday, 07 February 2007

As Northwest Austin grows, so does the need for better news coverage

I grew up in Northwest Austin. Some of my best memories are of playing baseball at the Balcones Little League grounds. When my family and I went downtown, we traveled along MoPac passing undeveloped grasslands on our way to the city. I call it that, because it felt like I was in another city, especially when we went into south Austin.

My parents located in this developing area because they wanted to raise their growing family in an area that emphasized community and education. They took an active role in their children’s schooling and participated in neighborhood organizations. They voted in all elections, and I grew up knowing the issues that faced Austin and Texas.

However, as the city grew, they began to feel their area was neglected. Too much was going on around us, too much was being planned for us, but too little was being reported about us.

I left the Austin Business Journal because I saw a need for a newspaper that explained development and transportation news at the local level and offered local businesses a medium to tell their story to their local market.

We began Community Impact Newspaper in Round Rock and Pflugerville with this mission in mind. It was so well received we added a Cedar Park and Leander edition. Today, we bring you the Northwest Austin edition a year and a half after our start in the game room of my house.

When other publications write about this area, they do so as outsiders, but many of our staff grew up in these neighborhoods and realize the importance of this community.

Recently, we met with Austin Mayor Will Wynn about our intentions to begin this newspaper. It was clear the city has big plans for Northwest Austin. Our newspaper’s purpose will be to explain these plans to you in a clear, informative and useful format. Let us know what you think.

John P. Garrett