Houston-Galveston Area Council Newsletter October 2019
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September Board of Directors Meeting
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During the Sep. 17 board meeting, t
he H-GAC Board of Directors considered and approved several items of regional significance. This included the selection of vendors and community partners that provide assistance to the elderly across 12 counties for services ranging from home delivered meals to transportation. It also included the replacement of 14 vehicles and installation of two electric charging stations at the Port of Houston through our Clean Vehicles program. The board authorized agreements with firms to conduct a livable centers study in Houston’s East End, and a transportation sub-regional study in southeast Harris County. A staff led “Spotlight” presentation was delivered by the HGACBuy procurement team in anticipation of the inaugural
HGACBuy Conference
on Oct. 1 and 2 at the NRG Conference Center.
H-GAC Executive Director Chuck Wemple provided an update on the recent release of guidelines for the use of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) disaster mitigation funds and the associated timeline to develop a state action plan. He also highlighted the General Land Office upcoming
public hearings
that can be streamed live beginning at 12:00 pm on Oct. 1.
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Commuter and Transit Pilot Projects – Call for Partners
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The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) will hold an informational meeting on Oct. 23 to provide interested parties details on how to apply as a sponsor for CMAQ-funded pilot commuter and transit projects. The meeting will be from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. at the Houston-Galveston Area Council located at 3555 Timmons Lane in Houston.
H-GAC’s 2045 Regional Transportation Plan projects that 11 million residents are expected to live in the Houston-Galveston region by the year 2045, meaning area residents will need more varied public transportation options. The commuter and transit pilot projects will help reduce the amount of vehicle miles traveled and lower the level of air pollution in the region.
Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) pilot projects provide funding for innovative solutions that create regional travel opportunities while reducing traffic congestion. H-GAC is looking for qualified projects that expand the scope of existing regional commuter services or enhance transit service through the innovative use of mobility applications.
Municipal districts, nonprofit organizations, local governments, transit agencies, advanced transportation, microtransit, and transportation networking companies are encouraged to attend the meeting and apply. Private companies may apply with a public or nonprofit partner.
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The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) has been collecting digital aerial imagery for local governments, universities, and industries like engineering, construction, and architecture for the Houston-Galveston region since 2000 through its aerial imagery cost-share program.
H-GAC collects updated aerial imagery of its 13-county planning area on a biennial schedule to support local governments and other benefiting organizations that rely on the imagery for GIS and planning work in the region.
The imagery can be used for building and roadway construction planning and analysis; community and environmental planning and analysis, emergency route and evacuation planning and analysis, cadastral and addressing planning and analysis, ground feature extraction and modeling, cartographic backgrounds, and more.
The deadline to register to be a 2020 Aerial Imagery Cost-Share program participant is November 1, 2019. To register, click
here
. For more information contact
DSGIS@h-gac.com
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Fall Planning Workshop - November 1
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H-GAC's
Fall Planning Workshop
is an annual half-day workshop for local governments featuring presentations on best planning practices for communities. This year's workshop will focus on Building Equity Into Planning and will be from 8:30 a.m. to noon
Friday, November 1,
at H-GAC Conference Room B, Second Floor.
Tentative topics include:
- The State of Equity in Our Communities
- Reaching Out to Our Communities/Including Equity in Planning
- Measuring Equity in Our Efforts
- On-the-Ground Examples of Successful Equity in Planning
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2019 Workforce Report Card
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Presented in the
2019 Workforce Report Card
, the Gulf Coast Workforce Board compiled indicator data to gauge the region’s economic health compared to similar metropolitan regions across the United States. The
report
contends that the dramatic effects of advances in technology must be paralleled by advances in our workforce development efforts. The Gulf Coast Workforce Board hosted seven
roundtable discussions
with community, business, and educational leaders across the region with the final roundtable scheduled for Oct. 10 at the Johnnie Arolfo Civic Center in League City. To learn more about this effort, visit
wrksolutions.com/reportcard
.
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Text to 9-1-1: Call if You Can, Text if You Can't
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The
t
ext to 9-1-1 service
, managed by the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Gulf Coast Regional Emergency Communications District, is available in the Gulf Coast 9-1-1 eight county region. All four major cell phone companies, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon, offer this service to their wireless customers. Text to 911 should only be used in an emergency and in circumstances when you cannot safely call 9-1-1.
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Home to more than 7 million people, the Houston-Galveston region is one of the fastest-growing and most diverse regions in the country. Making sure the region remains one of the nation’s leading places to live, work, and prosper doesn’t just happen—it takes planning and partnerships. If you are looking for a career where you can help make a difference in urban, suburban, and rural communities, the Houston-Galveston Area Council has exciting opportunities for you. For more information or to apply for a job visit
the careers page on H-GAC's website
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