August

Meetings and Events

CDBG Applications Due to ORCA in October

Chambers County Transit Plan Public Meeting

Commute Solutions Month

Food and Sustainable Prosperity Conference

H-GAC Board of Directors

Find Your Solution

H-GAC is sponsoring several events this month focusing on the wide range of commute alternatives available across our region.  The H-GAC region is large - 12,500 square miles - and there are many employment centers.

For this reason we facilitate many commute options: teleworking, vanpooling, carpooling, transit alternatives.  No one solution is right for everyone, but there is a right solution.  As the pace of life quickens as we head toward fall, this would be a good time to find your right commute solution.  Our web site, www.MySolutionIs.com can help.

Jack Steele
Executive Director

Grant applications for the H-GAC Regional 2009-2010 TxCDBG Community Development (CDBG) grant funds are due to the Office of Rural Community Affairs (ORCA) by 5:00 p.m., October 17, 2008.

Applications and the application process have been changed this year. Previously, applicants delivered copies of their grant applications to both ORCA and to the appropriate COG. Under the new changes, the applicants need to send copies of the application to ORCA only, who will review and forward to the appropriate COG and Regional Review Committee after the deficiency period has elapsed and corrections are received.

H-GAC recently released the Regional Review Committee's 2009-2010 Guidebook. The Guidebook provides applicants from the H-GAC region with the guidelines necessary to be scored under the H-GAC Regional Review Committee scoring criteria.
The application and the Application Guidebook for the 2009-2010 CD Fund are available on the ORCA website at

www.orca.state.tx.us .

Application questions should be directed to:  Mark Wyatt, Director of Community Development, Office of Rural Community Affairs, Texas Community Development Block Grant Program, PO Box 12877, Capitol Station, Austin, Texas 78711.

The Houston-Galveston Area Council, in cooperation with Chambers County and the Texas Department of Transportation, invites you and your colleagues to voice your opinions:

Chambers County Transit Plan Public Meeting
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Chambers County Courthouse
404 Washington Avenue
Anahuac, Texas 77514

This transit plan for Chambers County is part of the Gulf Coast Regional Public Transit Coordination Planning process that addresses the need for improved public transportation options for Chambers County residents, including the elderly, disabled, and low income individuals who are mobility challenged.  

H-GAC is hosting this public meeting to present findings and recommended solutions derived from the first round of public meetings held in July 2006. Opening remarks and a formal presentation will begin at 3:00 p.m., followed by questions and answers. Light refreshments will be served. Please join us!

Your input is vital to the success of these proposed transit improvements. The public comment period is open through 5:00 p.m. Monday, September 15, 2008. Remarks can be made at the meeting, mailed or faxed to H-GAC, or submitted online. Visit

to submit comments and view a draft copy of the Chambers County Regional Public Transportation Coordination Summary.
For more information about the Chambers County Transit Plan or its timetable, please contact Mr. Kari Hackett, H-GAC Program Manager, at

or 713-993-4576.

What's your solution? Make your pledge now!

Want to link to the pledge site? Go to

where you'll find web icons that you can use to link from your web site.

Also in the MySolutionIs Tool Kit, you'll find an employer article template. This article template is perfect for any organization's newsletter, Intranet or employee communications. It announces the pledge drive and describes the different alternatives that make up Commute Solutions. It is a Word document that users can tailor as needed.

We have 18 x 24 posters to promote the MySolutionIs pledge drive for you to post and share. The pledge site,

Thanks in advance for your support!
 
Commute Solutions is a program of the Houston-Galveston Area Council.

Public demand for farmers markets, the desire for locally grown foods, rising fuel prices, and rising concerns over food safety present farmers and food producers with fantastic opportunities to fill niche markets, nourish our communities with wholesome foods, and increase our understanding of how agriculture affects our everyday lives. 

Even more exciting is the opportunity to move beyond small-scale niche markets and obtain a foothold in the regional food economy for the nation's fourth largest metropolitan area. 

What is the status of agriculture within our region?  What foods are grown, harvested and processed within 150 miles of Houston?  Why is buying local important to our economy, our health, and our future?  How will future land use and transportation planning affect opportunities to produce more local foods?  What role does economic development play in overcoming the hurdles our region currently faces in getting food from farm to market?

Come to the Food and Sustainable Prosperity Conference and find out! 

Thursday, September 4, 2008 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
The Crystal Ballroom at Rice Lofts
 909 Texas Avenue

$50 Early Registration. $75 after August 28
Early Bird registration deadline August 17

More information, including registration, can be found at www.houstonfood.net