Monday Morning Report
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The Austin-San Antonio Commuter Rail District Board will meet this Friday, June 6 in San Marcos at the Activity Center, 501 E. Hopkins, at 10:00 am.
The San Antonio Mobility Coalition and the Corridor Council will host a “Let’s Rebuild America” luncheon on June 18 featuring US Chamber of Commerce senior lobbyist Janet Kavinoky. Ms. Kavinoky is Executive Director of the American for Transportation Mobility group which supports increased Federal investment in transportation infrastructure. Details here.
Infrastructure
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram is reporting this morning that a staff report by the Sunset Advisory Commission due out later this month will recommend that a conservator take over operations of TxDOT and that the current five-member Transportation Commission be replaced by a single commissioner who reports directly to the Legislature. Story here.
The Austin Chamber of Commerce’s 'Take on Traffic' Initiative is trying to identify the most-congested intersections in Travis, Williamson and Hays Counties so that funding can be sought for those improvements. Send Rashed Islam (rashed.islam@hdrinc.com) a list of 3-5 intersections that you feel are the worst within the three county region based on your driving experience. Deadline June 6.
We're not sure if it qualifies as 'infrastructure,' but Texas winemakers told the Temple Daily Telegram that they can’t find enough grapes. It seems that strong demand and iffy weather have contributed to the shortage. “The Texas wine industry ranks fifth in the nation and contributes more than $1 billion annually to our state’s economy, but it is critical to expand the industry and get even more grapevines in the ground,” said Todd Staples, commissioner of Texas Agriculture. Details here.
Hays County Commissioners will interview and possibly appoint a new Fire Marshal tomorrow (6/3). A six-member committee has narrowed the field of applicants to two, who will be present when the court meets in executive session in San Marcos.
Businessman Fernando Reyes has begun talking with San Antonio power brokers about running for mayor when Phil Hardberger's current term ends next year. Other potential candidates discussed in this story are Julian Castro, Diane Cibrian, and Gordon Hartman.
Incoming TxDOT Commission Chair Deirdre Delisi led her first meeting last week and expressed a desire to build public trust in the transportation agency. The commissioners adopted a minute order governing toll projects and the Trans-Texas Corridor, unanimously agreeing that all Texas highways will be owned by the state, not private developers; that the state may buy back the interest of a private road developer; that only expansions to existing highways will be tolled; and that "non-compete clauses" will be banned, meaning no state contract will limit improvements to nearby existing roads. Details here.
Economic Development
Click here to read an interview with Amy Madison, the new director of the San Marcos Economic Development Council and a longtime friend of the Austin-San Antonio Corridor Council. Amy was formerly with the city government in Schertz.
Dow Chemical Co. yesterday raised the price of all its products 20%, reflecting the steep climb in the cost of crude oil, gasoline, natural gas and electricity. Consumers, already hit by $4 gasoline and rising food prices, now will see rises in the price of almost every product and many services, including essential government services such as education and police protection. More here from the Houston Chronicle.
Both San Antonio and Austin continue to buck national trends with job growth and opportunities in our region across various industries. Unemployment in the San Antonio area dropped to 3.6% in April, an eight-year low. This is down from 3.9% in March. In the Austin – Round Rock area, the unemployment rate stood at 3.3% in April, down from 3.3% a year earlier.
Architecture-engineering consulting firm HDR Engineering Inc. has acquired Texas design company Claunch & Miller Inc. and will rename the firm HDR/Claunch & Miller. HDR is ranked at No. 16 on the Engineering News-Record Top 500 Design Firms for 2008. HDR has 6,900 employees at 150 locations worldwide. The company has offices throughout Texas, including San Antonio.
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) has been recognized as a national leader in educating and graduating Hispanic college students. The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education magazine ranked UTSA 4th in the nation in the number of undergraduate degrees awarded to Hispanic students, 10th nationally in the number of master’s degrees and 57th in the number of doctoral students.
AT&T Inc. has named Don Cain the new president of AT&T Texas. He replaces James Epperson Jr., who is taking on a new role in the corporate headquarters in San Antonio.
According to the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) there are 98,791 shopping centers in the country – up from a total of 98,351 centers as of 2007. To date, shopping centers account for 53.6% of the retail space in the nation. By comparison, in 1970, shopping centers accounted for a mere 35.2% of the market, according to ICSC.
"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal."
- Henry Ford