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Internal The Corridor Council Transportation Task Force will meet tomorrow in San Marcos, Tuesday, July 24th, 1:30 pm at the Aquarena Springs Conference Center, 921 Aquarena Springs Drive. TxDOT will give a presentation on the new IH-35 Corridor Management Program between Austin-San Antonio, as well as provide updates on legislative issues and the Task Force's policy recommendations. Accenture group will do a briefing on trends in e-ticketing. UPCOMING FACILITY TOUR - The Economic Development Committee is planning a site inspection tour of the Port of San Antonio on 7/25 which is working to transform the former Kelly Air Force Base into an international cargo destination. Interested in attending, please contact Jeff Webb at 512-558-7360 or jeffwebb@thecorridor.org Infrastructure All four Central Texas toll road projects in the Austin-area have posted larger-than-expected usage during their early reporting periods, from 3--168% higher than estimated. Even SH 130, which given its 'greenfield' status might have been expected to lag more urban roads, showed 48% more vehicles using it than expected. One more thing: already, 250,000 toll tags have been sold in the Austin area. Details here. US Rep. Lloyd Doggett (Austin-San Marcos) secured $300,000 in the House-approved appropriations bill last week for the renovation of the old Aquarena Springs amusement park into the education-centered Aquarena Center and its centerpiece, the Texas River Systems Institute in San Marcos. Congrats to Ron Coley - Institute Director - who's been working on this for nearly a decade. Manpower Peak? Forget about an oil shortage (even though per-barrel crude prices set a new record last week) and think about this: about half of all those engaged in the oil, coal, and nuclear energy sectors are retiring in the next few years and the replacement pool for all that manpower can't be trained in time to meet the demand - that according to energy reporter Robert Bryce in Energy Tribune. Read more here. Kendall County is assessing new state curbs on the authority of counties, trying to predict how the changes might impact its lawsuit against the developer of a subdivision in Kerr County, according to the Express-News. Officials in Boerne have found that a change passed by the Legislature prohibits counties from regulating "road access to a plat or subdivision in an adjoining county." Kendall County Judge Gaylan Schroeder told the News: "We weren't real happy about it." Details here Economic Development The Free Trade Alliance San Antonio and North America’s SuperCorridor Coalition is sponsoring their 3rd Annual Inland Ports Across North America Conference beginning 9/6 at the Menger Hotel located at 204 Alamo Plaza in San Antonio. For more details and to registration information click here Seguin has begun work on a cool new fountain for Central Park that will eventually adjoin an (also new) bandstand: the fountain can be programmed with a combination of 144,000 color variations and thousands of display combinations. Can't wait. The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded approximately $6 million in grants to the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority in Austin, which will go toward the purchase of buses and the construction of the South Central Transit Center. American Airlines will double its flights between Austin and Dallas Love Field Sept. 5, but also plans to end service from Love Field to St. Louis and San Antonio. Cullen/Frost Bankers Inc., the parent company of Frost Bank, plans to open two Austin branches. The first branch is scheduled to open in August. The company also says it has started work on a branch in north Austin. That branch is scheduled to open later this year. The new branches will bring Frost's total number to Austin branches to eight. SeaWorld Adventure Parks has been named one of the "10 Best Aquariums for Kids" by Parents Magazine. SeaWorld, which has marine parks in Orlando, San Antonio and San Diego, ranked ninth on the Top 10 list, which appears in the August issue of the magazine. San Antonio businessman Bruce B. Barshop has been elected the new chairman of the San Antonio Technology Accelerator Initiative (SATAI). SATAI is a nonprofit organization that seeks to foster the creation of technology companies as well as their expansion and growth. Christus Santa Rosa Healthcare Corp. has agreed to buy McKenna Memorial Hospital from the McKenna Health System in New Braunfels for an undisclosed amount. The deal will give the Catholic hospital company a fourth hospital and a presence to the northeast of San Antonio. Christus also is building a hospital in Westover Hills, near the entrance to SeaWorld San Antonio. Georgetown is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the 'Main Street Program,' which secured low-interest loans from local banks, giving business owners money to fix up buildings. By 1984 - just two years into the program - 44 downtown building exteriors had been renovated. Success continued throughout the 1980-1990s, with money allocated for new sidewalks and downtown "pocket parks," featuring trees and benches on street corners. Read an editorial in the Round Rock Leader. According to Money Magazine, Schertz, Texas is #40 in Top 100 Best Places to Live. Details here. Duty Noted: Retired Air Force Col. Virgil “Sandy” Sansing, a New Braunfels resident, 82,was given the Légion d’Honneur in Paris, France last month for his service during WWII to free France. Established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, it is France's highest honor.
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