Announcements

Texas Community Development Block Grant Regional Project Priority Survey, Public Meeting  

H-GAC in conjunction with the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) is beginning the planning process for the 2027 Community Development (CD) application cycle.

The TDA administers the non-entitlement portion of the Texas Community Development Block Grant (TxCDBG) Program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The Community Development Fund is the largest TxCDBG funding category and is awarded through a competitive application process in each of the state’s 24 planning regions.

The next funding cycle is anticipated to be released in Fall 2026 for funding as early as Fall 2027. For more information, please visit texasagriculture.gov.

Although most funds are used for Public Facilities (water/wastewater infrastructure, street and drainage improvements and housing activities), there are numerous other activities for which these funds may be used. 

As part of this process, H-GAC is seeking input on the establishment of regional project priorities. Please review and rate the PROJECT PRIORITIES on a survey.

The survey closes at noon on Tuesday, July 7. 

Survey results will be discussed in a public meeting at 2 p.m. Thursday, July 9, at H-GAC second floor Conference Room D and on Zoom. Our region's recommended project priorities will be considered for approval by the H-GAC Board of Directors in July. Once approved, H-GAC will share the regional priorities with the Texas Department of Agriculture. 

For questions, please contact Ellary Makuch.

Public Comment Period for Draft Water Quality Management Plan Update Open Through July 

Each year, H-GAC conducts water quality management planning as part of a Clean Water Act Section 604(b) grant program funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The Water Quality Management Plan Update describes activities that provide data and analysis regarding wastewater infrastructure, watershed planning, and sources of nonpoint source pollution that affect water quality in the Houston-Galveston region. Data collected through this project form the foundation of H-GAC’s watershed-based planning efforts in the region.

As part of this process, the Draft Water Quality Management Plan Update is released for a public comment period. The public comment period will close at the end of the day Friday, July 31. The public is invited to provide comments on the report.

The Draft Water Quality Management Plan Update report is available at www.h-gac.com/water-quality-management-planning.

Written comments can be submitted by email to Bill Ervin.

H-GAC Joins UTMB for Galveston's Blue Zones Project  

The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) is partnering with local leaders, including H-GAC, to launch Galveston's Blue Zones project, Ignite Galveston. The project is currently in the planning phase and will officially kick off on February 20, 2027.

Blue Zones is a global movement proven to improve health and well-being for entire communities, supporting better habits, reducing chronic disease, and boosting quality of life and life expectancy. The concept and company were conceived by Dan Buettner, after he and a research team visited several places throughout the world that had "age-defying elders" and discovered common denominators in lifestyle habits. Blue Zones now applies their research and community transformation model across the United States to improve well-being, making healthy choices easier through changes to lifestyle and surroundings. 

H-GAC is serving on the Ignite Galveston Steering Committee and will provide input on other committees. For more information, visit bluezones.com/ignite-galveston.

Area Agency on Aging Offers Free Benefits Counseling  

H-GAC's Area Agency on Aging program offers Benefits Counseling Days each month across the region. During these free, in-person events, attendees can meet with a Certified Benefits Counselor to discuss Medicare, Medicaid, and Advance Directives and receive personalized guidance.

Assistance is available to anyone eligible for Medicare, regardless of age, and their caregivers. The H-GAC Area Agency on Aging serves Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Walker, Waller, and Wharton counties.

Dates and locations are listed online.

Parks and Natural Areas Roundtable – July 13 (In Person)

The next Parks and Natural Areas Roundtable will be from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Monday, July 13, at H-GAC.  

We will celebrate Park and Recreation Month with speakers highlighting two of last year's award-winning park projects, hear updates about this year’s Parks and Natural Areas Awards Program, and share your upcoming events, successes, and challenges as part of our regular round robin discussion. 

Speakers include: 

• Fangyi Lu, Project Manager and Lead Designer, discussing Club Creek Park & Houston Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the 2025 Winner in the H-GAC Parks and Natural Areas Awards On-the-Ground Project Over $500K category. 
• Representatives from Harris County Precinct 4 will discuss Planning, Design, and Construction of Burnett Bayland and Bayland Parks Master Plans, the 2025 Winner in the H-GAC Parks and Natural Areas Awards Planning category. 

Registration is requested. 

For more information, contact Andrea Tantillo. 

Area Agency on Aging Roadshows – July 21, August 13 (In Person)

H-GAC will host two events this summer to share information about aging services available across the region. The Area Agency on Aging Community Roadshows offer community members the opportunity to learn more about services available to older adults and caregivers.

Montgomery County - 10 a.m. to noon, Tuesday, July 21 

Kevin Brady Community Center 

2250 Buckthorne Place 

The Woodlands, TX 77380 

Wharton County - 10 a.m. to noon, Thursday, August 13 

Wharton County Junior College  

LaDieu Building, Room 112 

911 E Boling Highway

Wharton, TX 77488 

Additional roadshows are planned for the fall. 

Learn more about the H-GAC Area Agency on Aging programs online.

Livable Centers Roundtable, Workshop Series Continues – July 23, September 17 (In Person)

H-GAC continues its three-part Livable Centers Roundtable and Workshop Series exploring how communities can become more vibrant and flexible through adaptive reuse, regulatory innovation, and human-centered design.

Attendees will examine strategies for transforming underutilized spaces into active community assets. We will work together to find ways to move beyond traditional single-use zoning and create frameworks that support mixed-use vitality and long-term adaptability. 

This series will equip planners, civic leaders, developers, designers, and community advocates with practical tools and forward-thinking approaches to shape places that grow organically. Participants can attend one, two, or all three events.  

Upcoming events in the series include:

• Roundtable 2: Collaborate to Innovate, 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, July 23. Roundtable 1 on April 23 highlighted the often-present tension between community-driven desires and developer-driven choices. Roundtable 2 will kick off with a presentation that highlights several adaptive reuse projects from the region and elsewhere that have successfully navigated the necessary trade-offs to create a win-win project. Participants will then work in groups to think through real-world adaptive reuse scenarios, carefully balancing the interests of both the community and the developer to design a project that works for all. Registration is requested.
  
• Annual Land Use/Transportation Workshop: Expert Takes on What’s at Stake, 9 a.m. to noon, Thursday, September 17. Hear from a panel of experts about the practices they’ve implemented to support long-term adaptability. Registration is requested.

All events will be held at H-GAC second floor conference rooms. Participant networking is from 9 to 9:30 a.m. for each event. Program activities will begin at 9:30 a.m. each day.

For more information, contact [email protected].

H-GAC Film Conference in Galveston – July 22-24 (In Person)    

Make plans to attend Lights, Camera, Action! H-GAC's first film conference on July 22-24 in Galveston. Whether your community is interested in attracting film productions or becoming Film Friendly Texas (FFTX) certified, this conference will give you the tools, insights, and connections to get started.

Highlights include sessions on permitting protocols, discovering your community's unique qualities, hosting film crews, creative local initiatives, content creation, and budgeting. Attendees can also learn about FFTX certification and other Texas Film Commission programs.

Sponsorship opportunities are available. Details, including agenda notes and registration costs, are available on the conference web page.

For more information, contact Anna (Shadle) Marlow.

H-GAC Watershed-based, Total Maximum Daily Load Summer Stakeholder Meetings  

H-GAC will host stakeholder meetings, annual meetings and/or technical assistance workshops for the following watershed-based, Total Maximum Daily Load plans in July and August: 



1. Oyster Creek – July 23 (In Person)  
2. Caney Creek – July 30 (In Person) 
3. Cotton Bayou – August 4 (Hybrid) 
4. Big Creek – August 5- (In Person) 
5. Upper Oyster Creek – August 6 (In Person) 
6. Tarkington and Luce Bayous  – August 20 (In Person) 
7. Chocolate Bay August 26 (In Person) 
8. Bessie’s and Brookshire Creek – August 27 (In Person) 

The associated map is numbered to correspond to each of the watersheds for reference. 

For more detailed information about these upcoming meetings including meeting times and discussion topics, scroll down to see the full article in the Watershed Meetings section at the end of this newsletter.

Bringing Back Main Street Roundtable – July 28 (Online)

The next Bringing Back Main Street Roundtable will be 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, July 28, on Zoom.

We will open the Zoom meeting at 9:45 a.m. for unstructured networking, and the program will begin at 10 a.m.

Registration is required.

The topic will be housing in rural and small town downtowns, including attracting developers and downtown housing success stories.

Speakers and presentations include:

• Jeri Mintzer, Assistant Vice President for Economic Development, Smart Growth America
• Kevin Shepherd, PE, Founder/CEO Verdunity
• Monte Anderson, President, Options Real Estate Investments Inc.
• Justin Weiss, MPA, ICMA-CM, East Texas A&M University and City of Fate
• Donna Dow, CMSM, Director of Main Street City of Denison

The Bringing Back Main Street initiative offers local communities a place to share best practices and engage in a regional dialogue about revitalizing and supporting vibrant downtown spaces. Each quarter, community leaders gather for a roundtable on topics ranging from small business support to sidewalk infrastructure. 

For more information, contact Andrea Tantillo. 

Homeowner OSSF (Septic System) Training Workshops – July 29 (In Person)

Join H-GAC for one of three free Homeowner On-Site Sewage Facility (commonly referred to as a septic system) Education Workshops in the West Lake Houston area on Wednesday, July 29.

Workshops will be held at: 

• 10 a.m.-noon at George and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Library, 8125 Ashlane Way, The Woodlands
• 2-4 p.m. at Montgomery County Central Library, 104 I-45 North, Conroe
• 6-8 p.mm at Barbara Bush Branch Library, 6817 Cypresswood Drive, Spring

Registration information will be available soon at the H-GAC West Lake Houston project website. For more information, contact Rachel Windham.

Annual Debris Management Training – August 19 (Online)

Join H-GAC for a free debris management strategies training in August. 

Successfully Navigating the Public Assistance Program will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, August 19, on Zoom. 

Topics include: 

• Force account tracking 
• Navigating the public assistance process 
• Acquiring public assistance 
• Procurement compliance 
• Best practices for efficient and compliant cost recovery 

Registration is required. 

For more information, contact Erin Livingston. 

Cotton Bayou Riparian & Stream Restoration Workshop – August 24 (Hybrid)

Save the date for the Cotton Bayou Riparian & Stream Restoration Workshop from 8 a.m. to noon Monday, August 24, at the Sam and Carmena Goss Memorial Branch Library, 1 John Hall Drive, Mont Belvieu.

As part of the watershed implementation efforts this year, H-GAC, in collaboration with the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) and other partners, is hosting the workshop focused on riparian restoration and feral hog management for interested residents, landowners and professionals to show attendees how they can implement these practices within Cotton Bayou and other watersheds. 

Registration will be available soon. For more information, sign up for our mailing list or contact Cornell Evans Jr.

Green Infrastructure Workshop – July 7 (In Person)

The Texas A&M AgriLife Green Infrastructure for Texas (GIFT) program will host a Green Infrastructure workshop from 9 a.m. to noon Tuesday, July 7, at the Brookshire Convention Center, 4029 5th Street, Brookshire. 

This free, half-day workshop will cover nature-based practices to clean and conserve stormwater for people and wildlife at any scale: business or home, urban/suburban or industrial, local or regional. 

Local elected officials, municipal representatives, county staff, landowners, and facilities managers will benefit from attending. Speakers will focus on the why and the how of green infrastructure practices. 

Topics covered: 

• Integrating green infrastructure to build resilient communities. 
• Using nature-based solutions to enhance water quality and wildlife habitat. 
• Collecting and cleansing stormwater at home and in your local neighborhood. 
• Protecting and restoring large-scale wetlands and natural areas for flood control and improved water quality. 

Seating is limited, and registration is required. 

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Grant Workshops – Various Dates

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department CO-OP Grant team will host a series of grant application workshops this summer to cover all the elements needed for a competitive application. Offered both online and at sites around the state, the workshop will provide application support and assist potential applicants with an overview of the application process, grant program requirements and priorities, scoring criteria, budget planning and eligible grant expenses, and answer questions from applicants. Opportunities for in-person project consultation appointments with grant staff will also be made available at the site-based workshops. 

The CO-OP Grant will begin accepting project proposals August 3, through October 1, at 5pm CST. Grant Awards will be announced March 1, 2027, and programs will take place over 18 months. 

Registration is required to attend a workshop.

For additional information about the CO-OP grant, contact grant staff or visit the CO-OP website.

Houston Audubon Bird Week – September 19-26

Houston Bird Week 2026 celebrates the important role Houston plays in the journey of billions of migratory birds and the everyday lives of resident birds. Houston Audubon and local conservation partners arrange a week of events centered around the region’s birds and wildlife.

Visit www.houstonaudubon.org/BirdWeek for details. 

Plastic Free July 2026 Starts Now

The Plastic Free Foundation encourages everyone to be a part of the plastic pollution solution by refusing single-use plastic when practical and possible. Plastic Free July is a global movement with resources such as videos, products, and posters. The effort also includes information on how you can reduce your plastic consumption, events to attend, and a pledge you can make to show your commitment to reducing plastic pollution.

Community Connectors Applications Open Until July 17

Smart Growth America is continuing the Community Connectors program to help advance locally driven projects to reconnect communities separated or harmed by transportation infrastructure. This year, the program will focus on communities with divisive or dangerous arterial roads or streets that need changes to improve safety or reconnect divided neighborhoods.

This call for applications will support three teams from small to mid-sized cities (between approximately 50,000 and 500,000 in population) to participate in a year-long cohort (August 2026 - June 2027) for training and support, culminating in the design and implementation of a temporary street safety pilot project to test out permanent changes to reconnect the community.



The application deadline is Friday, July 17.

2027 Texas Environmental Excellence Awards Application Open, Area Projects, Individuals Earn Recognition in 2026

Each year, the Governor's Office and commissioners from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality honor the state's most outstanding environmental projects through the Texas Environmental Excellence Awards. Winners from across the state exemplify how Texans set the standard for ensuring clean air, clean water, and the safe management of waste. 

Congratulations to: 

Erica Jazmin Villareal, Science Teacher, Channelview for being honored as the 2026 Winner in the Educator of the Year category.  

2026 finalists from the H-GAC region include: 

• Education: Harris-Galveston Subsidence District - H2O Lab! Water Conservation School Program 
• Environmental Educator of the Year: Dustin Perez - Robert Crippen Elementary School, Porter and Wendy Reistle - Environmental Institute of Houston at the University of Houston Clear Lake, Houston 
• Pollution Prevention: Vallourec - Vallourec South Waste Reduction and Recycling Initiative 

The application period for the 2027 awards is now open. To see all winners from 2013 to 2026, visit the Texas Environmental Excellence Awards webpage. The application deadline is Friday, August 28. 

Project in Galveston County Receives TPWD Trail Grant

The Galveston Bay Foundation in Galveston County was awarded a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Recreational Trails Grant of $220,304 for the construction of a 1.5-mile, 7-foot-wide multi-surface trail which will include bridges, picnic tables, benches and an educational kiosk. This new trail will be part of the Gessner Center Trail & Resiliency Project. 

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approved more than $6.17 million in grants during its May meeting in Austin, funding 21 trail construction and maintenance projects across the state, including the Galveston Bay Foundation Project. 



The National Recreational Trails Fund (NRTF) supports recreational trail construction, renovation and acquisition through grants funded from a portion of the federal gas tax generated by fuel purchases for off-highway vehicles. The fund must be used to support a diverse mix of both motorized and non-motorized trail projects. 

Galveston Selected to Receive $2 Million 2026 Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup Grant

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced more than $9.4 million in Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup (MAC) grants to accelerate the cleanup of polluted sites across Texas, including $2 million in Galveston. With these funds, EPA is investing directly in American communities to cleanup and redevelop blighted properties.

EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 and, once these grants are awarded, will have provided over $3 billion in grant funding to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. To date, brownfields investments leveraged more than $45 billion in cleanup and redevelopment. Over the years, the relatively small investment of federal funding was able to leverage, from both public and private sources, more than 228,900 jobs. Through fiscal year 2025, on average, $19.47 was leveraged for each EPA Brownfields Grant dollar awarded through multipurpose, assessment, revolving loan fund and cleanup cooperative agreements.

News and Notes

Texas congressman introduces plan to create National Recreation Area along Gulf Coast

Texas congressman Randy Weber introduced a bill that would establish a National Recreation Area across five counties along the Gulf Coast. The Lone Star Coastal National Recreation area would cover portions of Jefferson, Chambers, Galveston, Brazoria and Matagorda counties on the Upper Gulf Coast. 

Galaxy All-Abilities Park now open in Sugar Land

Fort Bend County officials gathered June 13 to cut the ribbon on Galaxy All-Abilities Park, the first all-abilities park funded by the county, located in Sugar Land. The 1.6-acre park, features a space theme as a nod to the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, the official Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros with its stadium located nearby. 

Funding Sources

Funding Sources

H-GAC's Community and Environmental Planning Department maintains a list of ongoing funding opportunities for parks improvements, conservation projects, active transportation projects, and downtown revitalization projects. H-GAC also provides a Funding Resources Hub with the Funding Development Program and a listing of many funding opportunities for individuals, local governments, organizations, and others.

If you know of a funding opportunity, forward it to Andrea Tantillo.

All content, including links to websites on these funding lists, is for informational purposes only. Users of this content are responsible for checking its accuracy, currency, and suitability.

Mapping Applications

Looking for interactive applications or GIS data related to the H-GAC Community and Environmental Planning Department? Visit H-GAC's interactive applications web page.

Houston-Galveston Area Council

713-627-3200

www.h-gac.com

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