History of ACRE
ACRE stands for Anti-Corridor/Rail Expansion group. Its
beginnings date from June, 2005, in Coupland, Texas - a small
community on Texas Highway 95, between Taylor and Elgin.
Coupland is the center of a historic farming community that includes
farms that have been owned by families for generations on the rich
Blackland Prairie and also more recent residents who appreciate the
quiet rural life and the sense of community that Coupland offers.
Coupland boasts a picturesque downtown that is home to the Old
Coupland Inn and Dancehall, a restaurant, bed and breakfast, and an
old-time dancehall with live country-western music. Coupland
also is home to several artists and their studios. Residents
appreciate our community and do not want it paved over for massive
construction projects conceived by, and for the profit of, people
who live somewhere else.
Some of us have been working to preserve the area since the
mid-1980's, when Austin tried to place its airport north of Manor,
toward our area. Due partly to this opposition, the airport
project was delayed long enough so that Bergstrom AFB become
available for Austin's airport. The community also fought the
first "Bullet Train" whose route went right through Coupland.
People in the Coupland area had been working against the
Trans-Texas Corridor since its creation in the 2003 legislature
through HB 3588. At a June, 2005, meeting in Coupland, we
began gathering names for our email list of people who were
interested in more focused action against current threats to our
area. The threats included the Corridor, its 6-track rail
element, and the possible relocation of Union Pacific freight from
the UP line through Austin to tracks in the Coupland area.
From this first list of residents who were interested in staying
posted about Corridor/Rail news and communicating with legislators
through calling, writing letters, sending emails, and attending
hearings, we continued to add names and became a local source of
Corridor/Rail news and action. We were connected informally
with other regional and state-wide anti-Corridor groups.
The first ACRE email newsletter/news update was sent out August 16,
2005. For all the past ACRE email messages, please see the
Archives.