Monday Morning
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Please join us for our Austin General Membership meeting (held jointly with the Capital Area Transportation Coalition) on November 28, 4:00 pm at the Austin Club. TxDOT Commissioner Ned Holmes will be the guest speaker. Please call to RSVP at 512-558-7360 or email council@thecorridor.org. Details here.
Infrastructure
Some new details are emerging about TxDOT's contract with the Cintra-Zachry group for State Highway 130 from Seguin to Lockhart, including the fact that changes in speed limits on IH-35 could result in penalty payments from the state to the toll road operators. Pat Driscoll's story also has some interesting details - previously revealed here - about how speed limits for SH 130 itself could impact state revenues from the project. Read his story.
And not to be outdone, Ben Wear has a column this morning that describes the financing mechanisms used for SH 45 East, connecting IH-35 to US 183 and SH 130. TxDOT borrowed no money to build this 7-mile segment creating an eastern loop around Austin, expected to open in 2009, yet it has provoked none of the controversy we've seen in other, similar, financing approaches. Read his story here.
Hays County approved financing solutions for road improvements and expansions on two roads in Hays County, both part of the county's failed spring bond package. FM 1626 in San Marcos will receive $1.6 million and FM 110 in San Marcos, sections of FM 1626 in Kyle and Buda and sections of RR 12 in San Marcos will also receive funding. Read more here.
Bell County officials have begun drafting a capital improvement plan to address the area's rapidly growing population, asking department heads to identify their priorities for the next 10 years. Bell County has a population of about 260,000, expected to grow anywhere from 9-20% between 2010-2020.
Add El Paso to the list of cities pondering a ban on plastic shopping bags: the city staff has been asked to brief the council this month on the pros and cons of a ban and the implications for consumers and stores. Only San Francisco and Laredo have banned the bags of far, but many other cities, including Austin and Houston, are considering it.
Economic Development
Cedar Park has approved a memorandum of understanding with Hicks Sports Marketing Group for an entertainment center that will include retail. The city will contribute $43 million toward the construction of a building that would house an affiliate team of the American Hockey League the Dallas Stars, set to open in August of 2009.
Carter & Burgess shareholders said yes to acquisition by Jacobs Engineering Group. Carter & Burgess ranks 34th on the list of Top 500 Design Firms, with $436 million in 2006 revenue. Jacobs ranks second, with $3.2 billion in revenue.
ACCtion4Education, a group that wants to bring Austin Community College to Round Rock, turned in a petition with 8,000 signatures to ACC. The petition suggests the community college move forward with putting a proposal to annex the entire Round Rock school district into ACC's taxing district in front of the voters in May.
The Texas Downtown Association has dubbed the city of Georgetown's marketing efforts for its historic downtown area as the best in the state. Georgetown tied with Denton to win the marketing category this year at the annual Texas Downtown Revitalization Conference in Fort Worth.
One of the fastest-growing helicopter and flight-training operations in the country is moving its corporate headquarters from Las Vegas to New Braunfels. Silver State Helicopters will move about 159 people from Las Vegas over the next 14 months and hire another 100 for its headquarters at New Braunfels Municipal Airport.
Communities
San Marcos Parks and Recreation Department is hosting a FREE screening of the movie “In the Shadow of the Blade” as part of a three-night outdoor “Cinematic Salute to Veterans” on Thursday, 11/8. A community-wide Veterans Day parade will also be held Saturday, 11/9 at 10 a.m. in downtown San Marcos. The movie will be held outdoors at the San Marcos Plaza Park located at 401 E. Hopkins Street with the show scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
“The day after tomorrow is the third day of the rest of your life.” -George Carlin |
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