Monday Morning Report
October 1, 2007

Internal

 

Let us know at council@thecorridor.org if you have any ideas for additional links or format changes.

 

The Austin-San Antonio Commuter Rail District Board meeting scheduled for Friday, October 5th at TxDOT in Austin has been CANCELLED.

 

Mark your calendars:  On November 28th, 4:00 pm, we’ll be co-hosting our Austin General Membership meeting along with the Capital Area Transportation Coalition at the Austin Club.  Guest speaker will be the new TxDOT Commissioner Ned Holmes.  Stay tuned for more details in the upcoming weeks.

 

Infrastructure

 

Plans for The Crossings in Hutto - after some ambitious planning efforts by local officials - now include, in addition to mixed-use residential and commercial development, an amphitheater, three public plazas, parks, and urban trails. Details here.

 

A solution may have been found to allow that San Marcos Loop project to go forward: Mayor Susan Narvaiz is trying to have an earlier deal between Hays County and TxDOT for 'pass through' financing to be transferred to the city instead. Details here.

 

The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority has approved a $203 million 2008 budget. The new budget includes an estimate for expenses, including bus and commuter rail operations, to total $169 million and down from the originally proposed $171 million for expenses.

 

A Travis County judge refused to halt a toll road promotional campaign funded by TxDOT last week. Toll road objector Terri Hall had requested a temporary restraining order to stop the multi-million dollar "Keep Texas Moving" campaign, asserting it violates a prohibition on state officials using their influence for political purposes. The state had argued that the agency also has an obligation to educate Texans about its projects.

 

Rising costs, shrinking federal funds and a ban on most private toll road deals will force TxDOT to scale back construction projects, Texas Transportation Commission officials said last week. Without policy changes, Texans won't see any new road projects and cutbacks will begin later this fiscal year, said Chairman Ric Williamson. The projects affected will be those designed to build new roads or add lanes to existing roads. Projects already under contract and those designed to maintain or rehabilitate existing roads won't be cut.  More details here.

 

Amadeo Saenz, a state transportation engineer with 29 years of state experience, is the new executive director of TxDOT. Saenz, a native of Hebbronville, began his career with TxDOT in 1978 as an engineering lab assistant and has worked his way up to the executive director position. Saenz replaces Michael W. Behrens, who retired as executive director on Aug. 31.

 

Economic Development

 

The Austin and San Antonio business journals recognized Kyle as the 2007-8 "Hot Sport" in the Austin/San Antonio Corridor for commercial investment and development at the Growth Summit held in San Marcos. Kyle is currently the fifth fastest growing city in Texas, according the United States Census Bureau. The city’s population in 2000 was just over 5,000. The Kyle City Council set the population at just over 25,000 in May of this year. Some estimates have the city rapidly closing in on the 30,000 population mark.

 

The Austin regional economy grew by nearly $8.5 billion during 2001 to 2005, according to the latest Bureau of Analysis at the U.S. Dept. of Commerce. Austin-Round Rock's gross domestic product topped $61.9 billion in 2005, a growth of $8.5 billion or 16%, since the 2001 recession. Austin's GDP ranked 37th among U.S. regional economies, outpacing other Technology lead regions like San Jose, Calif. and Raleigh, North Carolina

 

Texas was fifth in the nation for August non-farm job gains, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state gained 10,400 jobs, behind California with 21,000 jobs. For the year, Texas had the largest employment gain among 34 states. The state gained 229,000 jobs, compared with California's 163,300 jobs and Florida's 119,500 jobs.

 

Georgetown's Economic Development Department has been named the top program in the state this year by the Texas Economic Development Council. Georgetown was the smallest city up for the award in the 40,000 to 100,000 population category, which included Richardson, Rowlett, San Marcos, Sugar Land, and Tyler.

 

Communities

 

The Allen R. Baca Center in Round Rock is presenting its Annual Health Fair and Flu Shot Clinic 10/1 from 9 a.m. to noon. The Fair will offer health screenings, blood pressure checks and more. Admission is free. Free flu shots are available for those on Medicare Part B or $25.

 

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. Informational links of interest:  National Breast Cancer Foundation and the American Cancer Society.

 

 

Thought for the week:

 

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”

  –Albert Einstein
 

 

 This newsletter was sent to you on behalf of council@thecorridor.org. It is available to our members.

If you have a newsletter that you’d like us to link to, please forward to MMR@thecorridor.org

If you wish to unsubscribe from this or other e-mail newsletters, please click here, send an e-mail request to council@thecorridor.org, or send your request referencing the specific newsletter to: Opt-out Request, Monday Morning Report, PO Box 1618, San Marcos, TX. 78667.

 

 

© 2007 Austin-San Antonio Corridor Council