Internal

The Corridor Council Executive Committee meets this Wednesday, September 16 at 2:00 pm at the Corridor Council offices in San Marcos.  Please RSVP if you have not done so to council@thecorridor.org.

Infrastructure

The Austin-San Antonio Inter-municipal Commuter Rail District Board of Directors met last Friday (9/11) in San Marcos and adopted a new name (thank heavens!): Lone Star Rail. The Board also signed off on a deal with Union Pacific Railroad for engineering and environmental clearance studies on the passenger rail line and a new route for UP freight; authorized further studies on the economic implications of a system integrated with proposed new downtown circulators in Austin and San Antonio, and approved a 2010 budget.

San Antonio will receive nearly $144 million in federal stimulus funding, according to Texas Government Insider: $72 million for road projects and upgrades to the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River, $10.4 million to hire 50 new police officers and $13 million to add 1,500 new child-care subsidies; also $25 million for energy-efficiency projects, $10 million for Head Start programs, and $6 million to prevent homelessness, and $4 million is set aside for community development projects prioritized by each council member.

RailTrends will host its fifth annual two-day event from October 6-7 in New York and among the speakers will be Joseph Szabo of the Federal Railroad Administration and the Obama Administration’s point person for high-speed rail. Another noted speaker will be Francis Mulvey, Chair of the Surface Transportation Board. Complete details here.

A $500,000 state grant to the Blue Hole Regional Park will help create hiking trails, soccer fields, tennis courts, primitive camping areas and picnic areas at the well-known spring-fed "swimming hole" on Cypress Creek in Wimberley.

A press conference is scheduled for Austin’s CAMPO today at 4 pm at UT’s Thompson Conference Center to kick off Round 2 of public involvement for the 2035 Transportation Plan. MPO chairman Senator Kirk Watson will preside and everyone is welcome.

Kerrville's city council recently instructed their staff to begin a search for an independent firm to review the feasibility of a convention center in Kerr County. The study is to include sustainability, location, tax neutrality and a look at the experience of other Texas cities with convention centers.

Carlos Guerra, a columnist for both the San Antonio Express-News and the old, defunct Light, announced over the weekend that he will be retiring after 18 years of covering the Alamo City. So long, Carlos: we wish you well.

Economic Development (and ‘Other News’)

According to the Associated Press, a new government survey finds that most of the country reports that economic activity is stabilizing or improving, as the worst recession since the 1930s appears to be over.  The Federal Reserve's “Beige Book” snapshot of economic conditions backs the predictions of most analysts that the economy has started to grow again in the current quarter.

The Renewable Energy Forum will be held November 4-6 at the Four Season Hotel in Las Colinas, Dallas.  The forum will explore the fundamental and advanced issues of where the energy industry is heading and the impact it will have on industry growth. Details.

More than 50% of New Braunfels' nearly 700 city employees are wearing a pedometer these days, part of a 'CityFit' program to encourage more physical activity and better health among those sometimes caught in a sedentary lifestyle. Credit Human Resources analyst and project manager Heather Harris for a neat idea and successful program. Details here.

After a whopping 13 inches of rain in about 8 hours over the weekend, city officials in Salado - just up the road on IH 35 and home to the historic Stagecoach Inn - closed the Main Street Bridge indefinitely when water rose to cover access roads. Story.

San Antonio City Manager, Sheryl Sculley has been selected by the International City/County Management Association to receive the Award for Career Excellence.  The award recognizes outstanding chief local government administrators who have fostered representative democracy by enhancing the effectiveness of local elected officials and by consistently initiating creative and successful programs.

Thought for the week:

“The shortest hours are the ones between work and sleep. “

~ David Baird