Amarillo Matters has always been dedicated to the continued growth of the Amarillo community. While we’ve worked on local elections, we’ve also worked on bigger projects, like the effort to land the Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine. In 2017, Amarillo Matters Board President, Jason Herrick, went office to office in Austin, talking to lawmakers about the need for the school and helping keep the project alive while school officials were sidelined. In 2019, we worked alongside the City and Texas Tech to push the project across the finish line. We’ve tackled the building permitting process, construction of Loop 335, and are also supporting the Cross Bar project. It’s projects like these, which have a long-term impact on the community but take years to accomplish, that we really enjoy working on.
As we head into a new year, Amarillo Matters has started working on an effort to identify the top three to five challenges facing our community. To help us, we’ve partnered with two other community groups and have retained January Advisors, a Data Science consulting firm out of Houston, to dig through the massive amount of available data, see where our community might fall short, and pinpoint areas that need improvement.
“Part of preparing for the future is knowing the challenges we face,” Amarillo Matters Board Member and Treasurer Andrew Hall said. “We are looking at the basics, the foundation of our community, to see where we’re doing good and what areas we need to improve or address.”
January Advisors will dive into a range of topics including public safety, infrastructure, water needs, healthcare, voter participation, education, and more.
While this effort will take some time, we’ll be sure to report key findings when we get them. Then, it’s our hope we can engage the community and work together to confront those challenges.
“Amarillo is stronger when we’re all rowing in the same direction,” Hall added. “We look forward to getting back to that point and ensuring Amarillo is well positioned for the future and continues to be the best place to call home.”
It’s our goal to use the findings to ensure the Amarillo community continues to grow and that our local businesses and economy thrive.
