Monday Morning Report
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Important Notice: The chairman and steering group for the Corridor Council Transportation Task Force have decided to re-schedule our Tuesday, June 30 meeting until some later point in September, allowing time for a Special Session of the Legislature which may provide more clarity on TxDOT and other funding that may be available. We apologize for any inconvenience and please give us a call if you have questions.
Governor Rick Perry signed the State budget last week and $182 million in financing for the Texas Railroad Relocation and Improvement Fund and $8.7 million for Austin-San Antonio Passenger Rail was not vetoed. The State Comptroller still must certify that there is sufficient funding available (more than the previous biennium for highways) in Fund 6 before the Relocation Fund money becomes available for use.
Infrastructure
An extensive Rand Corporation study has determined that major improvements are needed in the US's freight transportation system, “threatened” they say by bottlenecks, inefficient use of some infrastructure, vulnerability to disruptions, and key energy issues. Rand suggests four actions: increasing freight system capacity through operational improvements and selected infrastructure enhancements; creation of a less-vulnerable freight network; critical energy and environmental changes; and public-private investments in supply-chain infrastructure with sustainable funding scenarios. Sounds like a plan. Details.
That massive re-development project in West Austin on the University of Texas' Brackenridge Tract is sparking plenty of angry comment and some unsettled neighborhoods, but UT officials say nothing will be done within the next decade to move forward on development plans. Developers hired by the University envision an 'urban village' but local residents fear losing a popular local golf course. Story here.
The San Antonio Express-News is reporting that CPS Energy there will announce today the largest solar power venture yet in Texas, a 20-year deal to develop as much as 100 megawatts of solar power at a plant in West Texas. Story.
Williamson County and Georgetown State House Representative Dan Gattis, who made a run for Speaker of the Texas House earlier this year, has announced his intention to seek the State Senate seat currently held by Senator Steve Ogden (R-College Station) if Ogden - chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee - decides to retire. Details.
Congratulations to Comal County Clerk Joy Streater, named the best county clerk in Texas by the statewide County and District Clerks Association. She's served as county clerk since 1993. Story.
Matthew B. Lewis, formerly the Community Development director for Hutto, has joined the city of San Marcos as Assistant Director of Development Services.
Economic Development
UT Austin School of Nursing partnering with Dell Children’s Hospital and Pediatrix has established two new graduate nurse practitioner programs to help alleviate the critical shortage of acute care pediatric and neonatal nurses. The Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program begins this summer. Details.
Austin area's gross metropolitan product increased 0.6 percent from the fourth quarter of 2008 to the first quarter of 2009, ranking it 2nd among the top 100 metros according to Brookings Institution’s Study, “MetroMonitor”, which tracks economic recession and recovery in the nation’s largest metro areas. San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Austin, Houston and Dallas ranked as the top five metro areas in the country in economic performance in the wake of the recession. Complete Study
San Antonio based Rackspace Hosting plans to create another 140,000 square feet of office space at its new headquarters — the former Windsor Park Mall. Finish-out on the space is scheduled to be completed this fall. Plans call for the “rackers,” as Rackspace employees are called, to move in by the end of this year. The new space will accommodate as many as 1,600 employees.
“I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end."
~ Margaret Thatcher