Monday Morning Report
January 28, 2008

Internal

The February 1, 2008 meeting of the Austin-San Antonio Commuter Rail District Board has been cancelled by the District Board.  The District staff will make a presentation to Austin’s Transit Advisory Group on Monday, 9:00 am at Austin City Hall.

The Economic Development Committee meets this Tuesday, January 29^th at 10:00 am at the Corridor Council offices in San Marcos, 304 C.M. Allen Parkway.

Infrastructure

Rumors were flying in Austin last week that Deirdre Delisi- longtime ally of Gov. Rick Perry - would be appointed to replace recently-deceased TxDOT Commission Chairman Ric Williamson. True or not, leadership at TxDOT is sure to come under fire this Feb. 5 at a joint meeting of Senate Transportation and Finance Committees over recent TxDOT activities. Pat Driscoll's blog has a summary of anticipated questions here.

San Marcos is looking for public input in the search for a new city manager.  A public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 31 at 6 p.m. at the Activity Center, 501 E. Hopkins, with Arcus Public, the recruiting firm hired to conduct the national search. Residents are invited to attend.  Details here.

Robert Rivard, editor of the San Antonio Express-News, speculated over the weekend that the Alamo City is in the midst of - as mayor Phil Hardberger put it in his 'state of the city' speech last week - a "golden hour." Listing many recent achievements in the city, including beautification on the San Antonio River; expansion of San Antonio International Airport; and restoration of Main Plaza, Rivard concludes:  "We have the best leadership team in San Antonio in memory." Worth an uplifting read here.

Round Rock Mayor Pro-tem Alan McGraw resigned from his city council seat last week and announced that he will run to replace Mayor Nyle Maxwell, who is not seeking re-election. Details.

Hard-hit by floods twice since 1998, New Braunfels and Comal County continue to plan more flood control and retention projects to avoid a future disaster. We told you about the Dry Comal Creek project last week, but here's an update on some other efforts there, and a recently-approved flood map of the area affected.

Who knew?  Feral hogs throughout Caldwell County are leaving their dens for “greener pastures.” In recent weeks, most notably on Highway 142, roadsides have become littered with the carcasses of migrating feral hogs, who routinely migrate from field to field in search of food. According to the Sheriff’s Office, at least two serious collisions have been caused by hogs in the last few weeks. Details.

Economic Development

Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI), a national retail cooperative providing outdoor gear and clothing, will open a two-story, 32,700 sq.ft. store at University Oaks Shopping Center in Round Rock in the fall of 2008.

A $22 million industrial and warehouse project planned for Cedar Park will bring the city its first mixed-use industrial space and, according to developers, this could begin a boom in industrial projects in Williamson County. Whitestone Business Park, planned for the corner of Toro Grande Drive and FM 1431, will be 150,000 sq. ft. in its first phase.

A 158-acre tract in Southeast Austin could yield about 670 homes in a master-planned development expected to break ground later this year. Intermandeco Ltd. Of Dallas is plotting The Vistas of Austin on the south side of Old Lockhart Road. Homes will be priced in the$150,000 to $250,000 range.

Despite hearing that it could cost the city as much as $5 million, San Marcos officials said last week they still are interested in pursuing a citywide wireless Internet service. The council asked consultants to continue negotiations with two companies: Solutrea, based in Maryland, and Austin’s Blue Moon Solutions. The consultant will return to the council in March with firmer costs and revenue estimates.

Faced with a decline in the housing market and the threat of a national recession, the growth of the Austin economy will likely slow this year before ramping back up in 2009, according to Angelos Angelou, CEO of AngelouEconomics. The metropolitan area will add 17,000 new jobs in 2008, about 9,300 fewer than were added in 2007, says Angelou.

 Thought for the week:

“Without courage you cannot practice any of the other virtues.”        -Maya Angelou