Monday Morning Report
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Internal
The Austin-San Antonio Corridor Council’s Transportation Task Force met on Monday, March 31, 2008 in San Marcos to hear Representative Linda Harper-Brown of the House Transportation Committee outline TxDOT’s current funding situation and the Sunset Commission process. Committee chairman Tom Griebel provided updates on the Task Force’s policy recommendations along with status reports from ITS chairman Bruce Byron; Highway chairman Blakely Fernandez; Rail Issues chairman Amy Madison and updates on legislative issues from Ross Milloy. Brian Fariello with TxDOT also presented an update on the IH-35 Corridor Management Program between Austin-San Antonio.
The Executive Committee of the Austin-San Antonio Corridor will meet at 2:00 pm Wednesday, April 16 at the Corridor Council offices in San Marcos. Please RSVP to council@thecorridor.org or call 512-558-7360 for more information.
Infrastructure
San Marcos mayor Susan Narvaiz and Corridor Council president Ross Milloy have been appointed by TxDOT to an advisory panel overseeing development of the Trans Texas Corridor 35. The 18-member committee will advise TxDOT in the planning of TTC-35, which will roughly parallel IH-35. Its work will include studying and preparing reports on the impacts of corridor development. The committee will report to TxDOT’s executive director and commission.
As they usually do in these kinds of meetings, emotions ran high last week during a town hall-style gathering where officials led discussions about the proposed New Braunfels Outer Loop. About 400 people listened to a proposal for a 40-mile loop encompassing portions of Comal and Guadalupe Counties, aimed at alleviating traffic caused by area growth. Details.
This Wednesday (4/9) the state House Committee on Appropriations' subcommittee on Transportation will hold hearings on TxDOT's finances at 10:00 am in room E.1.030 at the Capitol in Austin. Rep. Linda Harper-Brown, who spoke at the Corridor Council's Transportation Task Force meeting last week (3/31) in San Marcos, will preside as chairwoman.
A day after state Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, said the TxDOT has the money to complete IH 35 projects in Temple and “there’s no need to even slow down on that project,” Rep. John Carter, R-Round Rock, also responded to TxDOT employee's statements that widening I-35 from two to three lanes through Bell County could be in danger. Sen. Fraser said that TxDOT would soon have bond money - including a short-term financial boost, Proposition 14, which provides $1.5 billion in funding through fiscal ’09. In addition, Proposition 12 bonds, which were approved by voters in 2007, provide $5 billion in bonds for highways.
The Capital Metropolitan Planning Organization has chosen a new executive director, Joseph Cantalupo, a senior planning manager at New York-based Parsons Brinckerhoff Inc. The previous executive director, Michael Aulick, resigned earlier this year after 15 years on the job.
Expansion of Texas 46 from David Jonas Drive to Loop 337 in Comal County has completed an Environmental Assessment; construction will begin in September. The entire project, which will widen Texas 46 from Smithson Valley High School to Range Road, will take about three years. Details.
Economic Development
Dell Inc. will eliminate 900 jobs and close its desktop manufacturing plant in Austin by the end of this year. The company expects the cuts at the Parmer Lane complex will save $3 billion over the next three years. Dell employs more than 17,500 people in Central Texas.
San Antonio’s economy continued to grow in January with a 4.5% increase in its business cycle index, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas reports. In comparison, Austin’s business cycle index rose 4.3%, Dallas’ increased by 1.4% and Houston’s grew by 5.3%.
Texas ranks No.1 for its wind power development according to the American Wind Energy Association. Texas’ total and new wind power installed capacity is 4,446 mega watts, up from 2,768 in 2006. Others in the top five were: California, 2,439; Minnesota, 1,299; Iowa, 1,271; and Washington, 1,163.
Caterpiller-equipment dealer HOLT CAT Power Systems will break ground on a $5 million expansion project at its engine facility on San Antonio’s Southeast Side. The new facility, once completed, will create 50 new jobs by the end of 2008.
Kenneth I. Shine, executive vice chancellor for health affairs at The University of Texas System, was named interim chancellor of the UT System. Shine will succeed UT System Chancellor Mark G. Yudof, who last week was named president of the University of California system.
Terry Treviño is Seguin’s new Economic Development Director. She is a member of the Texas Municipal League and the Texas Economic Development Council, and was Karnes County’s appointed board member to the Alamo Area Council of Governments’ Economic Development and Environmental Review Committee and the county’s representative on the San Antonio River Authority’s parks board.
"The rule is perfect: in all matters of opinion our adversaries are insane. “
- Mark Twain