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Your Monthly News & Updates
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Parks and Natural Areas Roundtable - July 9
Speakers will include Marlon Conley with the Trust for Public Land, and Tim May with Halff Associates, Inc. A roundtable discussion will follow the presentations, and the group will discuss changes to the annual PNA awards timeline and recognition event.
The
Parks and Natural Areas Roundtable
serves as a forum for discussion of parks and natural areas in the H-GAC region and is open to anyone who would like to participate.
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Buy-outs, Acquisitions, Elevations Worksho
p - July 13
The workshop will bring together professionals with extensive knowledge on voluntary buy-outs, acquisitions, and elevations in the region. Local practitioners and state agencies will share their strategies and resources to develop a program for local communities.
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Bringing Back Main Street Roundtable - July 24
Jaimie Masterson, Associate Director of
Texas Target Communities,
will discuss planning and technical assistance services available to small and rural communities. The group will also hear from small business owners in Rosenberg about how to engage and collaborate with local businesses to reduce vacancy and build a better commercial corridor.
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Hosting a Pharmaceutical Take Back Event Roundtable - July 26
Join H-GAC for Hosting a Pharmaceutical Take Back Event roundtable from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, July 26, at H-GAC Conference Room B, Second Floor.
Local agencies and organizations interested in hosting a take back event as part of the Drug Enforcement Agency's collection efforts in April and October each year can hear tips from people who have hosted multiple events. Featured presenters include Cheryl Burton-Fentress with Harris County and Becki Begley with H-GAC.
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Housing for the Future: A Regional Conversation - August 17
This summit will bring together housing experts and local officials from across the region to discuss a broad vision for the region's housing and the specific strategies that can be used to increase housing availability, quality, and choice across rural, suburban, and urban communities.
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Regional Recycling Roundtable - August 23
The next
Regional Recycling Roundtable will be from 10 a.m. to noon
Thursday, August 23, at H-GAC Conference Room A, Second Floor. The topic will be tire recycling.
This roundtable series provides education/outreach to bring new ideas and knowledge to local governments, solid waste businesses, and interested residents on a wide range of recycling-related topics.
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H-GAC Seeks Feedback on Hurricane Harvey Funding Draft
Method of Distribution
H-GAC is seeking input on the draft method of distribution (MOD) of $241 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Disaster Recovery funding to counties and local jurisdictions for buyout/acquisition and infrastructure projects associated with Hurricane Harvey. The allocation includes $111 million for a local buyout/acquisition program and $130 million for local infrastructure projects in Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Waller, Walker, and Wharton counties.
H-GAC will accept written comments on the MOD through 4 p.m. Friday, July 6. Comments can be made online, mailed to H-GAC (Attention Jeff Taebel), or hand-delivered. More information about the comment period and methods for delivering comments are published online.
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H-GAC Releases Interactive Report on Socio-Economic Changes
The Socioeconomic Modeling team at H-GAC released a new
Interactive Regional Growth Report. It compares key demographic and socio-economic changes of the Houston-Galveston Region to other major metropolitan areas in the US over the past few decades. It helps understand the reasons, strengths and potential challenges behind the region's growth.
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How's the Water? 2018 Basin Highlights Report Available Online
The H-GAC
Clean Rivers Program publishes an annual report for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality summarizing the state of water quality in the region.
The
2018 Basin Highlights Report includes a regional water quality summary and trends analysis, detailed characterizations of three watersheds, and a technical water quality primer. The
report is accessible online with interactive maps, photos, and graphics.
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2019 Texas Environmental Excellence Awards
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.
The application period for the 2019 awards is now open. Winners will be honored at an awards banquet held on
May 15, 2019, where videos of the winning projects will be featured.
See the winner videos for 2018. Applications will be accepted through
Friday, September 28.
2018 EPA Region 6 Outstanding GI/LID Project Competition
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 is seeking abstracts for outstanding Green Infrastructure/Low Impact Development projects to be highlighted at the EPA Region 6 Stormwater Conference August 19-23 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Students and professionals are invited to submit abstracts by Monday, July 9. The call for project abstracts and competition rules are available online. For more information, contact Nichole Young at 214-665-6447 or Suzanna Perea at 214-665-7217.
NADO Innovation Awards
Each year, the National Association of Development Organizations recognizes member organizations that demonstrate innovative approaches to regional economic and community development through the Innovation Awards program. Previous award-winning projects have showcased innovative efforts in a variety of program areas including business and economic development, community health initiatives, emergency planning, brownfields, sustainability, technology, transportation, and workforce development. Applications are due Friday, July 20. For more information, contact Brett Schwartz or Laurie Thompson.
Texas Main Street Designation Application
The Texas Historical Commission is accepting applications from cities interested in becoming designated
Main Street Communities
. Each year, the Texas Historical Commission may select up to five cities for official Main Street Designation. Communities selected this year will enter the program in January 2019. Main Street is an economic development program focusing on small business development, using reuse of historic properties and historic preservation as primary tools. Full applications are due Tuesday, July 31. Main Street communities in the region are Bay City, Huntsville, Rosenberg, and Sealy.
STAR Summit Exhibitor, Sponsor Packets Available
State of Texas Alliance for Recycling (STAR) 2018 Summit exhibitor and sponsor packets are available for the annual conference set for October 28-31 in Galveston. Approximately 200 to 300 professionals representing private sector companies, government, academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, and trade associations attend the summit each year. The summit features educational sessions, equipment demonstrations, round table discussions, and training opportunities.The deadline to guarantee sponsorship benefits is
Wednesday, August 1.
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Center for Houston's Future Summer Salons
The Center for Houston's Future is hosting
three monthly summer salons at 7:30 a.m. at the Junior League of Houston, 1811 Briar Oaks Lane, Houston. These casual breakfast conversations will bring
big-picture thinkers and regional experts together with broader audiences for an extended discussion on regional issues, with a focus on the next steps for creating a sustainable and competitive Houston region. Registration is $30 per person and includes a seated breakfast. Registration for all three is $60 per person. Upcoming salons include Follow the Dollars: Tracking Houston's Economic Vitality, Tuesday, July 10; Follow the Construction: Development in the Post-Harvey World, Wednesday, August 8; and Follow the Big Ideas: Smart Cities, Wednesday, September 13.
America Walks Free Webinars
TDA TxCDBG Workshop
Texas Department of Agriculture will host a TxCDBG 2018 Implementation Manual workshop in Huntsville at 8:30 a.m. on
Thursday, July 19, at the Walker County Storm Shelter, 455 Highway 75, Huntsville. Participants will receive their 2018 TxCDBG Administrator certification.
Registration is required.
Texas Watershed Coordinator Roundtable
Gulf of Mexico Alliance Wednesday Webinars
The
Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA) is hosting a
Wednesday Webinar series at 2 p.m., the last Wednesday of every other month.
Join to learn about resources and projects from around the Gulf. Preregistration is not required. Upcoming webinars include:
Microplastics (Eric Sparks), July 25; Tool Highlights (Dave Reed), September 26; and HAB Detection (Kate Hubbard), November 28.
Wetland Delineation Training Course
Texas Research Institute for Environmental Studies (TRIES) Aquatic Lab is hosting a Wetland Delineation training course
July 30-August 3 at Sam Houston State University, Huntsville.
This intensive training course adheres to the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) Wetland Delineator Certification Program criteria, and students will gain the legal, theoretical and technical skills necessary to proficiently delineate wetlands. More information, including registration and costs, is available on the TRIES website or by contacting Kaitlen Gary at 936-294-2501.
Urban Riparian and Stream Restoration Program Workshop
Texas Riparian Association is hosting the Urban Riparian and Stream Restoration Program workshop from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, August 16, at The Recreation Center at Bear Branch Park - Live Oak Room, 5310 Research Forest Drive, The Woodlands. The training will focus on natural design processes for stream restoration projects. Registration is limited to the first 40 people. The cost is $100 and includes all training materials, lunch, and a certificate of completion. Registration is required by Monday, August 13.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Master Gardeners Composter Training
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Fort Bend County Master Gardeners Association are hosting a
three-day composter specialist event from 10 a.m. to noon
December 5-7 at the AgriLife Extension Office, 1402 Band Road, Suite 100, Rosenberg. This training is sanctioned by the Texas Master Gardener program, and the 24 attendees will receive the title of "Composter Specialist." More information, including an
agenda and registration, is available online.
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Timmons Talkers Toastmasters Club Starts at H-GAC
Toastmasters International, the world's leading communication and leadership development organization, recently chartered a new club at H-GAC.
Timmons Talkers is open to anyone who would like to attend and meets from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursdays in one of the H-GAC conference rooms on the second floor (specific room will be posted). More information is available online.
Guests are invited to bring their lunch and see the fun the group has while learning to be better speakers and leaders.
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Gulf-Houston Regional Conservation Plan Targets 24% in Nature-based Infrastructure by 2040
The 8-county Gulf-Houston Regional Conservation Plan (Gulf-Houston RCP), comprised of over 100 governmental, environmental, academic, and business groups with a diverse steering committee, announced the public launch of the Gulf-Houston RCP's 24% by 2040 Nature-based Infrastructure Strategy - a collaboration to improve the quality of life in the 8-county region through increases in protected/ preserved land-use in Harris, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller counties.
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Community Resilience Collaborative Provides Resources to Area Communities
The Community Resilience Collaborative (CRC) is a research- and extension-based coastal planning program that combines the reach and resources of the Texas Sea Grant College Program and Texas Target Communities (TTC).
The CRC provides technical assistance for planning, outreach and education aimed at coastal communities, particularly resource managers, land use planners and emergency managers who deal with hazard mitigation. Planning is emphasized to address critical land use, environmental, hazard mitigation and disaster recovery issues through coastal planning. Priority is placed on providing planning assistance to low-capacity, low-resource and/or underrepresented communities.
For more information regarding the CRC, contact Heather Wade at 979-845-3855.
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Texas Water Development Board Flood Protection Grants
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has posted a request for applications (RFA) for $1.8 million in grants for flood protection planning, flood early warning systems, and flood response strategies.
Applications will be accepted until 2 p.m. on Wednesday, July 11. The TWDB anticipates announcing the recipients of the grant funding in September 2018.
All political subdivisions in Texas with the authority to plan for and implement projects related to flood protection are eligible to apply. The TWDB will review applications and award the grants based on criteria outlined in the RFA.
For additional information, please contact Ivan Ortiz at 512-463-8184
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H-GAC Septic System Repair/ Replacement Funding Program
H-GAC has funding available for the repair or replacement of failing traditional or aerobic on-site sewage facilities (septic systems) in the H-GAC service region.
Funds are available to homeowners who meet certain income restrictions. No cost sharing is required. For more information, contact
Will Merrell at 713-993-4594.
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EDA Harvey
Recovery Grants
The U.S. Economic Development Administration's (EDA) Austin regional office received $129,119,000 in supplemental funding for disaster relief and is actively seeking projects to help communities in the Houston-Galveston region recover from Hurricane Harvey.
- Projects require a 20 percent match, which can include in-kind
- Typical projects will range from $1-$2.5 million
- First round of 14-15 applications anticipated to be funded by September 2018, with 1 or 2 subsequent rounds of funding
- Must demonstrate a nexus to Harvey, in terms of economic recovery or resilience
- Eligible applicants include governments, nonprofits, and universities
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All content, including links to websites, is for informational purposes only. Users of this content are responsible for checking its accuracy, currency, and suitability.
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Community and Environmental Planning Programs
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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 to see the latest information, including Census, Regional Forecast, and more.
Facebook
Find the latest information about activities around the region at H-GAC's Twitter feed
@hgaccog. H-GAC's water resources program also offers Twitter updates on water quality issues in the region
@HGACwater.
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Banner Photo: A fisherman tosses a cast net from a dock into Armand Bayou at Bay Area Park. Bay Area Park in Harris County Precinct 2 is one of the many parks and natural areas in the H-GAC region.
Would you like us to consider featuring your municipality, program, or regional photo on the C&E Planning Update banner? Just forward
Andrea Tantillo
your picture, along with some information about the subject and the photographer, and you might see it in a future month's newsletter.
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