Child dog and man walking on a nature trail black and white photo
 
| Announcements
H-GAC, GCEDD Offer Economic Recovery Resources Tools

H-GAC and the Gulf Coast Economic Development District maintain an economic recovery resources webpage with listings of economic recovery updates, available funding opportunities, upcoming webinars, and partner resources. We will update this website as new opportunities become available and will issue the Economic Recovery Resources - Weekly Update to help our local partners stay on top of new funding opportunities.

Subscribers to the monthly Regional Economic Development Digest will receive the weekly update automatically. Subscribe to the Digest and weekly update.

H-GAC has combined our agency recovery resources in a single webpage, including information about economic recovery,  teleworking and meeting resources, Workforce Solutions, small business assistance and cooperative purchasing, research and data, H-GAC Board of Directors meetings, and more.

connected nation texas
Feedback Needed on Broadband Surveys in Liberty, Wharton Counties

Connected Nation, through a grant provided by the  Texas Rural Funders Collaborative, just completed a broadband survey in Walker County, and is conducting broadband surveys in Liberty and Wharton counties. 

Connected Nation is looking for feedback from residents, businesses, and organizations to gather data on their internet access and needs. Once the surveys are complete, the Connected Nation team will  begin the next phase and analyze the data, provide a detailed summary, and recommend projects and programs aimed at filling the gaps in the community's broadband technology landscape. The next steps will be developing and implementing a plan to help build collaborations between various broadband providers and community stakeholders to bring affordable, reliable, and high-capacity infrastructure to underserved areas.

If you live in  Liberty or  Wharton counties, please take the survey and share the link with your friends and neighbors. Understanding internet use and needs is crucial to making the business case for expansion in rural areas. Your participation is appreciated.

 
| Upcoming Events
BIG Spring Meeting - June 2

The  Bacteria Implementation Group (BIG)  spring meeting is from 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, June 2. The meeting will be held as a webinar. 
 
Topics will include the BIG Implementation Plan (I-Plan) revisions and Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) updates.

Registration is required. For more information or to submit public comment, contact 
Steven Johnston  at 832-681-2579.

H-GAC EDA CARES Act Grant Webinar  - June 18

The U.S. Economic Development Administration is providing $268 million in grant funding through the  Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act  to support job creation and bolster economic recovery. 

Join H-GAC from 2 to 3 p.m. Thursday, June 18, for a webinar with the Economic Development Administration to learn how your community can access this grant funding for economic development.
  • Jeffery Sjostrom of the Galveston Economic Development Partnership will demonstrate how the City of Galveston has leveraged Economic Development Administration funding to speed economic recovery.
  • Jason Wilson of the Economic Development Administration will discuss the CARES Act funding available and their criteria for making investments.
  • Joshua Owens of the Gulf Coast Economic Development District will present on the application process and the information you will need to submit a competitive application.
Registration is required.

Coastal Communities Outreach Roundtable - June 18

The  Coastal Communities website and Toolbox provides resources for communities to create their own water quality outreach plan or supplement their current plan with available messaging. Join H-GAC for a virtual roundtable at 2 p.m. Thursday, June 18, to discuss what additional tools and messages should be included in future Toolbox expansions to meet the water quality outreach needs of local communities.
 
Join our  virtual roundtable. For more information, email Kendall Guidroz at  waterresources@h-gac.com .

Water body curving into to landscape Big Creek Watershed Meeting - June 23

H-GAC will host a Big Creek Watershed meeting from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, June 23. This meeting with be held as a webinar.
 
During this informational public meeting, H-GAC staff will discuss and seek feedback on a project to address water quality issues in the Big Creek Watershed of central Fort Bend County and plan for future solutions.
 
Registration is required. For more information, contact Justin Bower.

Color blocks depicting park scenes and words Parks and Nature Areas Parks and Natural Areas Roundtable - July 13

Save the date for the next  Parks and Natural Areas Roundtable from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.  Monday, July 13. This roundtable will be held as a webinar. Attendees will hear from Ashley Jones with Moore Archeological Consulting, Inc., who will discuss parks development and cultural resources. Attendees will also discuss the annual Parks and Natural Areas Awards program.
 
The Roundtable meets the second Monday of March, July, and September with field trips scheduled in May and November. The group is open to anyone who is interested in participating.
 
Registration is required. For more information, contact  Andrea Tantillo.

Bringing Back Main Street Roundtable - July 28

Save the date for H-GAC's next  Bringing Back Main Street Roundtable  from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 28. The time, place, and focus for this roundtable will be announced. The roundtable will be held as a webinar, and the topic will be announced.
 
H-GAC hosts quarterly roundtables to help local governments, chambers of commerce, and economic development interests promote the economic revitalization of downtown areas.
 
Registration is required. For more information, contact Cheryl Mergo  at 713-993-4520.

 
| Partner Announcements
Public Comment Open for State of the Bay, Fourth Edition
The Houston Advanced Research Center and the Galveston Bay Estuary Program is seeking public comment on the State of the Bay, Fourth Edition through 4 p.m. Monday, June 8. After the public comment period closes, the document will be revised as appropriate and submitted to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for additional comments before the final web-based draft is completed. Download specific sections of the document and use the Excel document to submit your comments. You can then upload your completed Excel file. If you have questions about the draft document, please e-mail stateofthebay@HARCresearch.org.

Gulf Coast Center for Precision Environmental Health COVID-19 Registry COVID-19 REGISTRY blue words beside virus graphic
The Gulf Coast Center for Precision Environmental Health (GC-CPEH) has released an opportunity to participate in the COVID-19 registry. The GC-CPEH is a partnership between UTMB, Baylor College of Medicine, and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health and is supporting Rice University in a critical research study to provide information, data, and answers on the spread of COVID-19, who is being affected, and how. Data from the registry will be stored in a highly secure system build by Rice University. Information learned from the registry will be published, but will not include details that would identify any participants.
 
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Resilient Texas Website
Texas communities working on long-term recovery from Hurricane Harvey can find Infoshare resources at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service's new Resilient Texas website. Visit the site for both new and previous information shared in weekly emails. FEMA's Texas Recovery Office partnered with AgriLife on the site and will continue to provide resources both in email and for the website.

TAB logo with tree Free Technical Assistance Available for Brownfields Re-use for EPA Region 6
Kansas State University Technical Assistance to Brownfields program provides free site re-use planning and visioning services, and site inventory and prioritization assistance to local governments that don't have the resources to get this done on their own. This assistance is usually enough to "start the ball rolling," for developing strategies and to attract funds to do more extensive planning work and to redevelop brownfields. For more information, contact Blase Leven, the Program Coordinator at Kansas State University, at 785-532-0780.
 
 
Trash Free Texas Get Involved With Trash Free Texas
Trash Free Texas strives to keep trash out of area waterways by working with communities and organizations across the state to connect people to places that need routine litter cleanup activities. Local governments and organizations can get involved by using the  Adopt-a-Spot online interactive mapping application

 
| More Upcoming Events
National Regional Transportation Conference Planning On Hold
NRTC 2020 with National Regional Transportation Conference written around it in a circle
Planning for the  National Regional Transportation Conference, July 28-30, in Kansas City, Missouri, is on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The planning team will keep the website up to date and will send email updates as more information becomes available. The organization also offers a  Regional Development Organizations (RDO) COVID-19 Resource Center for updates and practical information.

EPA Region 6 Stormwater Conference
United State Environmental Protection Agency The EPA Region 6 22nd Annual EPA Region 6 Stormwater Conference  originally planned for August 9-13 in New Orleans, Louisiana, is postponed until 2021, due to uncertainty surrounding significant social gatherings. To assist in meeting the Region's MS4's and partner's annual needs for stormwater updates and training, the Conference Planning Committee is developing a free, virtual training session for the week of August 10. More information will be available on the conference website.

 
| News and Notes
Harvey Households Covered by FEMA Group Flood Insurance Need to Buy Standard Insurance by October 24

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is reminding Texans that FEMA provided Group Flood Insurance Policies (GFIP) to 6,704 households across counties impacted by Harvey.

These three-year policies end Saturday, October 24, so policyholders must plan now to switch to a standard flood insurance policy to ensure continuous coverage. Those who received a GFIP policy as part of their FEMA disaster assistance after Harvey but don't buy a standard flood insurance policy won't receive federal disaster assistance for home repairs if they experience another flood event.

 
| Funding Sources
Funding Opportunities

H-GAC has compiled a list of local, regional, state, federal, and private funding sources for local governments and other organizations. H-GAC also maintains a list of ongoing funding opportunities for parks improvements and economic recovery resources.

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

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

 
| More Information and Programs
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.

Facebook
H-GAC has a Facebook page where information about current and upcoming events is posted. Please visit and like H-GAC's page. While there, visit other H-GAC pages on Facebook, including Recycling, Trash Bash, Regional Data Lab, Bacteria Implementation Group (BIG), and West Fork Watersheds Partnership.

Twitter
Find the latest information about activities around the region at H-GAC's Twitter feed @HouGalvAreaCog. H-GAC's water resources program also offers Twitter updates on water quality issues in the region @HGACwater.