| | Serving Our Region H-GAC continues to serve our region in many ways, a few of which are highlighted in this Regional Focus.
We have public information and training events in several areas including: transportation planning and funding, vehicle fleet emission reduction, information for newly elected officials, and a planning commissioners workshop. All of these events, different as they are, have one purpose: to serve our region and its local governments.
I hope you will take advantage of these opportunities. More will be coming in the near future. We would also like to hear from you about how H-GAC can serve you better. I would welcome your comments or suggestions at jack.steele@h-gac.com. Jack Steele
Executive Director |
| Gulf Coast Workforce Board Re-brands Its Delivery System | The Gulf Coast Workforce Board is changing its system name from The WorkSource to Workforce Solutions on July 1, 2008. The change is part of a statewide initiative by the Texas Workforce Commission to promote a common brand name for all 28 workforce boards in Texas.  The Gulf Coast workforce system is a regional network of business, education, labor, government, and community organizations serving the City of Houston and the 13-county Gulf Coast region of Texas. Through its delivery system of 33 career offices and an employment services division, the Board helps employers meet their workforce needs and individuals build careers so both can compete in the global economy. |
| Planning Commissioners and Elected Officials Training Workshop | H-GAC's annual Planning Commissioners and Elected Officials Training Workshop is scheduled for Friday, June 13, 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Cost for the workshop is $75. For information or to register for the workshop, please contact Ornita Green, Houston Section APA Director, 281-403-8600 or email ogreen@missouricitytx.gov. Contact Meredith Dang at meredith.dang@h-gac.com for more information. |
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| Advancing the Choice Conference |  The 2008 Advancing the Choice Conference is scheduled for Wednesday, June 18 at the Stafford Centre, located at 10505 Cash Road in Stafford.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Registration - $60
Continental breakfast: 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Conference: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Reception: 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. For more information and to register online, click here, or call 713-993-4577 or e-mail atcinfo@h-gac.com. |
| Newly Elected Officials Workshop | | H-GAC will host its annual Newly Elected Officials Workshop on Thursday, June 26, 2008, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Marriott Houston Westchase Hotel. All newly elected city officials are invited to attend. The workshop will provide information on state laws affecting city councils and council members, city council and city staff relations, city financial management, and dealing with the media. To register, please call Althea Edwards at 713-993-4555, or email althea.edwards@h-gac.com. The cost for the workshop is $50, which includes lunch and handouts. |
| Transportation Public Meetings | In July H-GAC will host its second round of quarterly public meetings and invites the public to learn more about what is happening with transportation throughout our region. H-GAC is holding public meetings to discuss: - Local projects within each area, including transit in the Pearland and Baytown areas
- Managed Lanes--What are they and why are they coming to our region?
- Transportation funding issues
- Update on Subregional Planning
The meetings will be held at the following locations:
Monday, July 21, 2008, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Westside Event Center
2150 Countryplace Parkway
Pearland, TX 77584
Tuesday, July 22, 2008, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Johnnie Arolfo Center
400 W. Walker
League City, TX 77573
Tuesday, July 22, 2008, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Baytown Community Center
2407 Market Street
Baytown, TX 77520 |
| AirCheck Texas Has Waiting List | | The AirCheck Texas program has been a big success in the five counties that it serves in the H-GAC region. Consequently, the program is out of money and is accepting applicants on a waiting list. The program expects to receive additional funding beginning in September 2008. For information about the program, click here.
Email with questions at airchecktexas@h-gac.com or call 832-681-2527 or 866-237-9392 toll free.
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| Envirocast: Going Green | The launch of the Envirocast project is coming on Tuesday, June 17. The series, titled "Going Green", will be aired by H-GAC's broadcast partner, KPRC-TV Channel 2, during the weather segment. The series will feature environmental news stories of all types, and particularly stories where citizens themselves take an active role in maintaining our natural resources. The videos will be available on the Click2Houston web site. There will be additional resources for "green" information, and links to other partner web sites. Click here to access Channel 2's "Going Green" web site. You can also get to the web site by going to KPRC's web site and clicking on "Going Green" on the left side of the page. H-GAC staff has developed a "content providers network" spanning the 13-county region. If you have local stories you'd like to share, contact Carl Masterson, carl.masterson@h-gac.com. |
| Geographic Information Systems Data Availability | H-GAC's Data Services Department provides geographic information in digital format (GIS) to H-GAC departments, member agencies, and to the general public. The H-GAC web site provides easy access to data sets and layers that are requested most often, and this data is free via internet download. Click here to access this data.  Vector data, available for free download, is provided in individual shapefiles to serve a wider variety of applications. Most of the data covers only the H-GAC region; however, several are statewide, as noted. For more information please contact Thomas Schultz at thomas.schultz@h-gac.com or 713-993-4568. |
| H-GAC Board of Directors | | The agenda and attachments for the Board of Directors meetings are posted on our web site at www.h-gac.com. The documents are posted 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. |
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