Meetings and Events | Unless otherwise noted, all meetings listed are held on the second floor at H-GAC's office, 3555 Timmons Lane, Houston, 77027
8/26 - Transportation Policy Council, Room A, 9:30 a.m.
9/7 - Geographic Data Committee, Room A, 9:30 a.m.
9/9 - Regional Health Services Policy Council, Room A, 1:00 p.m.
9/14 - Technical Advisory Committee, Room A, 9:30 a.m.
9/20 - H-GAC Board of Directors, Room A, 10:00 a.m.
9/23 - Transportation Policy Council, Room A, 9:30 a.m.
9/29 - Regional Air Quality Planning Committee, Room A, 2:00 p.m.
10/4 - Gulf Coast Workforce Board, Room A, 10:00 a.m.
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H-GAC has been responding over the last few weeks to changes in key programs.
Funds to two programs have been reduced noticeably. The Low Income Repair Assistance Program (LIRAP) was reduced sharply by the Texas Legislature. H-GAC's program will be reduced by 88%, which means we project we will be able to serve about 9,600 qualifying motorists during the next two years. It is important to note that while motorists will still be paying a fee of $39.75 with car inspections, a substantial portion of that fee will now be used for other purposes.
H-GAC has also reduced the number of Workforce Solutions career offices from 29 to 25 across the region. This change was made necessary by reductions in national appropriations. The Gulf Coast Workforce Board and H-GAC staff considered various options and recommended closure of offices in Galveston, Houston Downtown, Houston Spring Branch, and Winnie. Arrangements are being made to serve clients and employers from these areas at other offices, and we are exploring ways to provide limited service in areas losing fulltime offices.
These changes were a part of H-GAC's midyear budget revision adopted by the Board of Directors on August 16, 2011. The various intergovernmental programs H-GAC administers all have operating and funding ups and downs. An important part of H-GAC's accountability and oversight activities is to recognize and responsibly manage these changes in the best interest of our region.
Jack Steele
Executive Director |
Regionally Coordinated Transportation Plan
Public Comment Period and Public Meetings | H-GAC, with the assistance of transportation stakeholder groups and transit agencies, has developed an Updated Regionally Coordinated Transportation Plan for the purpose of coordinating public transportation services in the 13-county Gulf Coast Planning Region.
A short video about the plan can be viewed HERE.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Fort Bend County Public Transportation Office
12550 Emily Ct., Ste. 400
Sugar Land, TX 77478-3288
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
The Lone Star Convention Center (Yellow Rose Room)
9055 Airport Road
Conroe, TX 77303
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
The public comment period that began on Monday, August 1, 2011 has been extended until Wednesday, September 14, 2011.
Comments may be emailed to publiccomments@h-gac.com, faxed to 713-993-4508, or mailed to H-GAC Transportation Department, P.O. Box 22777, Houston, TX 77227-2777. For more information, and a downloadable copy of the Draft RCTP, please visit the project website at www.ridethegulfcoast.com. You may also call toll-free 855-363-2516 for more information or to leave comments. |
FM 1092 Corridor Access Management Study Holds Public Meeting | Four access management studies are currently under development in the region. Several public meetings have been held in order to inform the public and to receive feedback from the public in the study areas.
The FM 1092 Corridor study area is defined as the southern section of FM 1092 from SH 6 South to Dove Country Road, just north of the city limits of Missouri City. A public meeting for the FM 1092 study is scheduled.
August 31, 2011
6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Quail Valley Middle School
3019 FM 1092
Missouri City, Texas 77549
For information contact Christy Willhite.
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Area Agency on Aging Plans Outreach, Training Events |  Ensuring some of our more vulnerable elderly citizen's rights are protected and voices heard, H-GAC's Area Agency on Aging (AAA) Ombudsman Program is planning its outreach campaign for October, which is National Resident Rights Month (nursing homes and assisted living centers). We hope to have articles on some of our volunteers and activities in the nursing homes. If any local community leaders would like to recognize volunteer ombudsman that serve in their area by advocating for nursing home residents in giving time every week to visit the residents at a nursing home, AAA would love to coordinate that in October.
The AAA will be sponsoring Benefits Counseling training on Medicare programs at St. Matthews Baptist Church, 6333 Highway 6, Hitchcock, Texas on September 12-13 for professionals working with the elderly. AAA will also be sponsoring a Medicare Plan Finder workshop at the New Beginnings Hall, 322 Laurel Street, La Marque, Texas on September 27 for persons over 65 and caretakers to help Medicare beneficiaries learn about selecting or changing plans to fit their prescription drug needs.
The AAA has two workshops coming up to explain and help with enrollment forms for Medicare low-income subsidy prescription drug program (Extra Help) and Medicare Savings Program which helps with premium costs.
Galveston County:
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Time: 10:00 a.m. to noon
Contact Person: David Dunaway
Moody Methodist Church
2803 53rd St
Galveston, TX 77551
Church: 409-744-4526
Two Offices Relocated: The AAA satellite office, Conroe location, relocated on August 4. The new address is 701 N Loop 336 E, Suite 109, Conroe, Texas 77301-1521. The AAA Nutrition Provider, The Friendship Center, Montgomery County Committee on Aging relocated one of its remote locations in Montgomery County on July 8. The new facility is located at 2500 Lone Star Parkway in Montgomery, Texas 77356 For more information on any AAA service or event please contact Angela Bergaila at 713-993-4507. |
Census Bureau Releases More 2010 Census Data |  On August 11, 2011 the Census Bureau released the 2010 Census Summary File 1 (SF-1) for Texas. The data on the demographic composition of population, households, and families is organized into 275 tables with a combined total of 7,993 variables. H-GAC has downloaded and processed the data, and is making it available to data users in the region. The data for the 32 most widely used tables for different census geographies (blocks, census tracts, zip codes, etc.) in the 13-county H-GAC region has been posted at this ftp site
ftp://ftp.h-gac.com/Pub/CE/SEM/Census_2010_SF1/
The data is presented as excel spreadsheets (with the exception of block data which is formatted as CSV), and the data dictionary, with information on the names of tables and variables, is provided. GIS users can join the tables to the census boundaries files available from this ftp site
ftp://ftp.h-gac.com/Pub/CE/SEM/GIS_Data/GIS_Downloads/
The full documentation for the SF-1 data is available from the Census
http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/sf1.pdf
All other SF-1 tables not currently posted on our ftp site will be made available to users upon request. Please send questions, comments, and requests to forecast@h-gac.com.
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Gulf Coast Workforce Board News |  The Gulf Coast Workforce Board approved the closing of four of its Workforce Solutions career offices - Downtown, Winnie, Spring Branch and Galveston - reducing the total from 29 to 25. Customers will be directed to other career center offices and some services for affected customers will be provided through call centers, online and by some staff on a limited basis at some no-cost locations yet to be determined. System staff positions will be reduced from 950 to 800. Reduced services are a result of an 18% cut in federal funding.
The Workforce Board also approved 2012 contracts for its current 2011 contractors - Houston Works USA, Interfaith of the Woodlands, ResCare Workforce Services, Employment and Training Centers, Neighborhood Centers Inc. and Collaborative For Children.
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Applications Being Accepted for Parks and Natural Areas Program |  The H-GAC 2011 Parks and Natural Areas Award Program application is available online.
Any public, private or non-profit organization may apply in one of four categories: 1) Planning Process, 2) Policy Tools, 3) On-the-Ground Projects over $500,000 and 4) On-the-Ground Projects under $500,000. Entries in the Planning Process category can include comprehensive plans, natural areas, studies, and public involvement, while Policy entries can include funding, staffing and protective codes. On-the-Ground Projects will be considered in two budget categories - over $500,000 and under $500,000 - and can include pocket parks, restoration of natural areas and greenway projects.
There is no entry fee, and winning entrants will be selected by a panel of environmental, planning, design, and park professionals. Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. Thursday, September 1. For more information, contact Kelly Porter at 713-993-4529.
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Eco-Logical GIS Mapping Tool Receives Attention | 
H-GAC's Eco-Logical GIS mapping tool was recently highlighted in the Summer 2011 edition of ESRI's ArcNews publication.
You can find the Eco-Logical GIS mapping tool, along with many other useful maps and GIS data on our website. |
Texas Stream Team and H-GAC Present 2011 Meeting of the Monitors |  Texas Stream Team is partnering with H-GAC to hold the 2011 Meeting of the Monitors from September 29 to October 1 at the Hilton Houston NASA Clear Lake.
This is an opportunity to participate in hands-on citizen scientist workshops and hear presentations on topics such as water quality in Texas, solutions for urbanizing areas, and volunteer coordination.
More information is available online.
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Earn Extra Points for HUD Grant | 
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has created a system to award points for certain HUD grants for applicants working with communities that have received Preferred Sustainability Status under the HUD FY2010 Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program.
To be eligible for these bonus points, applicants must receive a Certification of Consistency with the Sustainable Communities planning process. More information is now available on the Regional Plan for Sustainable Development's website at www.gosustainablenow.org. |
Sign Up to Cost-Share 2012 Aerial Imagery | 
H-GAC's Data Services GIS group recently opened up the 2012 Aerial Imagery website for cost-share participation. H-GAC acquires aerial imagery on a bi-annual basis and has collected over 7,500 square miles of imagery in the past through a money saving, cost-sharing program. The more participants who cost-share, the lower the overall cost per participant.
Aerial coverage has included the urban counties in past years but we would like to expand our cost-share coverage to all counties for this cycle.
Please click to access our cost-share participant webpage where you can sign up with no obligation to purchase at this time.
For more information, please contact Robert LaBarbera at 713-993-4519.
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Loan Programs Available through H-GAC | H-GAC currently manages a suite of business loan programs including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Small Business Administration 504, and the Economic Development Administration Revolving Loan Fund.  The Drayage Loan Program helps short haul trucking companies/owner-operators purchase fuel-efficient and cleaner running trucks. For more information, please visit www.hgacdrayageloan.com.
 The SBA 504 Loan Program provides long-term business expansion financing for real estate, construction, and equipment purchases. Additional information is available online at www.h-gac.com/go/sba.
The EDA Revolving Loan Fund assists businesses impacted by Hurricane Ike. Visit www.gcedd.org for more information.
Anyone interested in applying for a loan or getting more information should contact Paula Bowden at 832-681-2512 for the Drayage Loan Program, Devin Holum for the SBA 504 Loan Program at 832-681-2592, or contact Stephanie Ellis at 877-354-4264 for the EDA Revolving Loan Fund.
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About H-GAC | H-GAC Board of Directors Meetings The agenda and attachments for the Board of Directors meetings are posted on our website the week before each meeting. Board meetings are held at 10:00 a.m. on the third Tuesday of each month on the second floor at 3555 Timmons Lane, Houston, Texas 77027. H-GAC now publishes four electronic newsletters. In addition to this Regional Focus, we offer Community and Environmental Update, The Vision (transportation news), and Procurement Made Simple (HGACBuy). You can subscribe to any of them by clicking on the link at the bottom of this email to update your profile.
H-GAC on Facebook Houston Community Newspapers Online is hosting H-GAC's new blog called H-GAC Regional View. You can find it here. We plan to feature a different program topic every week. |
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