UTHSC San Antonio approved for new learning, teaching center

The University of Texas System Board of Regents has approved design development plans and authorized the expenditure of $45 million from Permanent University Fund bond proceeds to construct an Academic Learning and Teaching Center at the Northwest San Antonio campus of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

"This new center will accommodate the added medical students who are bound for the new UT medical school in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas," said Health Science Center President Dr. William L. Henrich.

The center is expected to be completed by spring 2015 and will include mostly flexible classrooms and lecture halls as well as house a new human anatomy teaching facility. Henrich said the new teaching space and its advanced technology are "critically needed." He added that the center will be the first building devoted primarily to education that has been built on the central campus in recent years.

Raspiller resigns as president of Blinn College Brazos campuses

Ted Raspiller (pictured), president of the campuses of Blinn College in Brazos County, recently resigned, effective at the end of July. He has accepted a job as the new president of John Tyler Community College in Virginia.

Raspiller served as the dean of technical and workforce education at Blinn College from 1999 to 2003 and returned in 2010 as provost until he won appointment as president of the campus in Bryan. Raspiller won recognition for creating a partnership with Texas A&M University to enter into a transfer agreement that permits more than 1,000 students to co-enroll in both institutions.

Blinn officials expect to begin seeking applications within two weeks to begin a national search to find a new president.

UT Regents approve plans for construction of medical school

Plans were approved this week by The University of Texas System Board of Regents that will lead to construction of a new medical school at The University of Texas at Austin. Regents approved a $334 million plan to build the Dell Medical School. The plan will allow for the construction of research, educational and administrative facilities. It will also include a medical office building and parking garage. The plan calls for 515,000 square feet of space, with a new hospital to be built by medical school partners Seton Healthcare Family and Central Health.

Although not immediate, a long-term proposal would result in relocation of the Erwin Center, but probably not before six to 15 years from now. The Dell Medical School will be the fifth in the UT System and is expected to open in summer 2016.

"The new medical school campus will be part of our academic campus, and this will be a powerful connection," said UT President Bill Powers (pictured). "Our medical students will be walking distance from some of the most innovative research in the world - not only in medicine but in pharmacy, chemistry, medical business systems, and biomedical engineering." Financing will come from revenue bonds issued by UT Austin, backed by funding from UT System and the Available University Fund. Regents have committed an additional $25 million a year for operating costs associated with the medical school.

Tarleton College selects Styron as dean of liberal and fine arts

Tarleton College officials recently selected Kelli C. Styron (pictured) as the new dean of the College of Liberal and Fine Arts.

Styron, who served as interim dean for the past 18 months, holds a bachelor's degree and a law degree from Baylor University.

Her previous experience includes serving as executive director of compliance, evaluation and institutional reporting and as the department head for Social Work, Sociology and Criminal Justice. She also is a faculty member in the Department of Criminal Justice.

Giordano heads health services researchent at MD Anderson

Officials of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center recently appointed Sharon H. Giordano, M.D. (pictured) to head a newly created Department of Health Services Research.

In her new role in the Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences, Giordano plans to continue to treat patients with breast cancer while performing her new duties. Plans are to incorporate areas of research from many specialties such as breast medical oncology, general internal medicine, gynecology, radiation oncology, economics, surgical oncology, biostatics, epidemiology and economics to provide personalized treatments for cancer patients.

Currently a professor in the Department of Breast Medical Oncology, Giordano has a bachelor's degree from Yale University and a master's degree from The University of Texas School of Public Health. She received medical training at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, interned at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and joined the faculty at MD Anderson in 1999.

Arlington eyeing $14 million conversion to digital radio system

At the urging of Fire Chief Don Crowson, Arlington City Council members recently began considering his proposal to spend about $14 million to convert the city's out-of-date radio system to a digital system by January 2015, as state and federal regulations mandate.

A digital radio system would allow Arlington public safety responders and other personnel to communicate with each other without interruption in addition to communicating with emergency officials in other cities and counties during natural disasters and other emergencies, Crowson said. The current analog system is 28 years old and replacement parts no longer are manufactured, he added.

The $14 million cost estimate for the conversion includes three radio towers, servers and radios for almost 400 vehicles, the fire chief said. Once funding is identified, a new digital radio system could be in use within 14 to 18 months, he said.

San Antonio moving forward with new $350M children's hospital

William Henrich (pictured), president of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSC) recently updated regents of The University of Texas System on a new $359 million children's hospital and network of clinics planned to open in 2018 in northwest San Antonio.

Regents authorized UTHSC-San Antonio officials to partner with Vanguard Health Systems and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to build and operate a state-of-the-art, 250-bed children's hospital on an 18-acre site at the South Texas Medical Center, Henrich said.

Officials of UTHSC, CHOP and Vanguard currently are negotiating final details of a lease agreement for the new hospital, he added. The partners in the project expect to decide soon on a name for the new children's hospital, Henrich said. Creating an extensive, integrated outpatient system to provide pediatric care should increase the quality of pediatric care in South Texas, he said.

Keller bond group reviewing 14 projects to upgrade roads

Keller Transportation Bond Program Advisory Committee members recently discussed four of the 16 road improvement projects being considered to include in a proposed bond election in November.

The four projects discussed included widening Rufe Snow Dr., installing a traffic signal or roundabout at the intersection of Keller-Smithfield Road and Johnson Road and adding dual left turn lanes on Keller Parkway where it intersects with Rufe Snow Dr. and with Keller Smithfield Road.

Committee members plan to hold one more public meeting to give citizens the opportunity to provide feedback on all 14 proposed projects. The committee then plans to present a list of the prioritized projects to city council members, who will decide whether to hold a bond election and which projects to include on the ballot.

New Board of Managers replaces trustees for El Paso ISD

The Board of Managers appointed by the Texas Education Agency to take over operation of the El Paso Independent School District recently selected former Texas Representative Dee Margo (pictured) to serve as the president of that board. The board also selected Ed Archuleta, a former chief executive officer for El Paso Water Utilities as the vice president.

Other board of manager appointees are Carmen Arrieta-Candelaria, chief financial officer for the City of El Paso; Bianca Enriquez; executive director of Region 19 Head Start; and Judy Castleberry, a former conservator.

The next step for board of manager members is to select a new superintendent to replace former Superintendent Lorenzo Garcia, who is serving prison time for his role in an alleged cheating scheme. Interim Superintendent Vernon Butler has said he plans to leave that position after June. Board members expect to review the 92 applications submitted for the job and select a sole finalist for superintendent by the end of June.

County Judge Sam Biscoe said the facility is needed so that prosecutors can move from their offices in three buildings to a central location. The next step will be for the county to seek bids on the project.

County commissioners also agreed to hire an engineering and construction firm to manage the planned $340 million civil courthouse to be built in the downtown area. The project will likely go before voters as a bond issue. That facility is expected to be a multi-story, 500,000-square-foot building.

Round Rock eyeing new $38.3 million public safety training facility

Round Rock police and fire officials recently urged bond advisory committee members to include a proposal for a new $38.3 million public safety training facility in a November bond election under study by that group.

Police Chief Tim Ryle (left) and Fire Chief David Coatney (right) support building police and fire training facilities with a course for driving exercises on a 72-acre site behind the police station. The cost to operate and maintain the training facility would be about $300,000 a year, city officials said. Currently, police officers, firefighters and emergency medical services personnel in Round Rock cost the city about $600,000 a year for training received using outside agencies such as the U.S. Army in Fort Hood, the fire chief said.

Fire department officials now rent training facilities from Pflugerville, Leander and Georgetown fire departments for training. Committee members also are considering proposals for a new library system, new fire stations and upgrades to parks and recreation facilities. Committee members are scheduled to present recommendations to city council members in late June.

Belton approves projects for proposed $4.1 million bond election

Belton city officials and members of the Capital Improvements Committee recently approved four projects totaling $4.1 million to include in a proposed bond election in November.

The approved projects are a $2.5 million proposition to expand the police station by 10,000 square feet, an $800,000 proposal to upgrade streets and roads, the purchase of a $400,000 fire truck, a $310,000 proposition to upgrade parks and recreation facilities at four parks and a $200,000 proposal to upgrade sidewalks.

The preliminary list of prioritized projects is scheduled to be presented to members of the Planning and Zoning Commission and Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone Board later this month and then given to city council members who will make a final decision on whether to hold a bond election and which projects to include.

Dallas Airport System seeks bids aimed at businesses in S. Dallas

Dallas Airport System officials recently issued a request for proposals seeking companies committed to increasing advertising revenue and attracting more advertisers from southern Dallas to Love Field, the Dallas Executive Airport and the Dallas Heliport. The company selected must exhibit the ability to attract more advertisements from businesses located in southern Dallas, airport officials said.

Airport officials set aside three locations at the new Love Field terminal to include advertising clients from the southern sector of Dallas, according to the director of aviation. Static ads must feature advertising for south Dallas, but digital ads with multiple advertisers must feature 60 percent of the advertising for southern Dallas, he said. Expectations are that most of the set aside sections will feature lower rental rates to attract a broader selection of businesses and owners of smaller businesses.

Colleyville eyeing three options to expand Pleasant Run Trail

Colleyville city officials recently set up meetings to gather public opinion on three options for upgrading the Pleasant Run Trail. City officials plan to expand the trail, add a sidewalk, build a road and improve water management.

The city received a $213,000 federal grant for the trail, and then council members decided to expand the project to include the road, sidewalks and drainage projects that could cost as much as $999,000 according to preliminary estimates.

The options to be discussed in the public hearing include expanding the two-lane road into a three-lane road with a left turn lane, building a two-lane road in 28- and 31-feet varieties and installing ribbon curbs with ditches or using a gutter drainage system with curbs. Construction on the trail project could begin early next year, city officials said.

Caldwell County readying to renovate facility for justice system

Caldwell County commissioners recently approved taking $1 million from the county reserve fund to pay for part of the renovation of a former business building into a new judicial center. The new facility would put all of the county's justice system in one facility. The county would then issue a tax note for about $4.5 million for the remainder of the costs.

The county will advertise for 2013 series of Tax Notes in the amount of $4.5 million. Bids are expected by mid-May. Then the notes could be funded by mid-June, when work will begin on the project. The project is expected to take about 11 months to finish.

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TEA removes monitor from Dallas ISD

The Texas Education Agency commissioner recently ended state monitoring that has been in place for the last five years to oversee the progress at Dallas Independent School District on improving district schools.

Bobby Parker, a former superintendent for Waxahachie ISD who took over as monitor in early 2012 from Judy Castleberry, ended his responsibilities overseeing district finances, academics and tutoring programs in March, said Michael Williams, TEA commissioner.

Huntsville to spend $10,000 to upgrade sidewalks near schools

Huntsville city officials recently agreed to use $10,000 from the city's fund balance to complete a sidewalk project to provide safer routes to schools in that city.

Council members learned last month that an incomplete sidewalk project near SH19 is running over budget because of drainage issues and old estimates. Council agreed to provide more funding to complete the sidewalks near Huntsville Intermediate School rather than scrapping the project.

Texas Department of Transportation officials awarded the almost $600,000 in 2010 to build new sidewalks near the intermediate school, two elementary schools and a middle school. The other sidewalk projects are completed and were within budget, city officials said.

Governor's Small Business Forum hosts event in Galveston

"Business Without Borders, Marketing in Today's World" will explore the many ways small business owners can grow their business. Presented by the Galveston County Small Business Development Center, the forum is slated for 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 30, at Moody Gardens Hotel in Galveston. Those attending will learn the latest techniques for Internet marketing, hear from "big businesses" that want to do business with attendees, understand the incentives available for job creation, discover federal and state incentives for exporting and learn how to finance international transactions. Those who should attend include business owners who want to grow sales, CEOs and marketing executives, owners and managers whose companies trade internationally and business owners considering international expansions. Keynote speaker will be Craig Zablocki, top tiers speaker and author of numerous books and articles. Registration is now open.
 

Sales tax revenue in April was $2.15 billion, up 3.9 percent from April of last month, according to State Comptroller Susan Combs. The comptroller this week announced that she will distribute $668.5 million in sales tax allocations to Texas cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose taxing districts. That figure is up 5.6 percent compared to May 2012.

Texas cities will share $441.8 million, up 4.9 percent over May of last year. Counties will share $42.5 million, up 3.6 percent since last May. A total of $150 million will be distributed to transit systems in Texas. That amount is up 6.4 percent from last year. And finally, special purpose taxing districts saw an increase of 13.3 percent over figures for the same month last year and will share $150 million. The sales tax figures represent monthly sales made in March as well as January, February and March sales by businesses that report tax quarterly.

The allocations can be viewed by city and by county.

Karnes City selects Tymrak

as its new city manager

Karnes City officials recently selected former Mayor Don Tymrak (pictured) as the new city manager.

Tymrak replaces former City Manager Larry Pippen who resigned in December. City officials received more than 600 applications, including candidates from other states, for the post.

Council members plan to appoint a new mayor who will serve until the next election for mayor scheduled in May 2014.

Denison approves $2.27 million

to build a new fire station

Denison City Council members recently voted to issue $2.27 million in new debt to pay for building a new fire station and refinancing existing debt and use the savings from refinancing to assist in paying the old debt.

Any bond funding remaining after paying for the fire station project will be used to repair existing city facilities, the finance director said. Council members still must approve a final design for the proposed fire station before the project is finalized.

TxDOT awards $501,000

grant to Dalhart airport

Texas Department of Transportation officials recently approved a $501,000 grant from the Aviation Facilities Grant Program to the Dalhart Municipal Airport. City officials plan to spend the grant fund to upgrade concrete runways and for other improvements at the airport.

Hewitt hires construction manager for new police and fire facility

Hewitt City Council members recently selected a company to serve as construction manager for a project to build a new 22,000-square-foot facility to be shared by the police and fire departments.

City officials selected K4 Construction from five companies that submitted proposals for the building designed to house up to 50 police officers and 18 firefighters in addition to providing storage, locker and conference room space. The departments will share a training room, fitness center and public areas such as restrooms.

Meiner retires as fire marshal in Midland for new position

Jeff Meiner (pictured), the fire marshal in Midland, recently retired from that post. He accepted a post as the assistant fire chief for the Texas A&M Forest Service at West Branch, which serves 38 counties. Meiner also will be a member of a national response team that can be deployed in natural disasters and emergencies.

A 21-year city employee, Meiner previously worked for the U.S. Forest Service. City officials selected Assistant Fire Marshal David Hickman to serve as the interim fire marshal while fire department officials search for and select a new fire marshal.

Trica retiring as assistant superintendent at Lubbock ISD

Kelly Trica recently notified officials of Lubbock Independent School District that she plans to retire at the end of this school year. Previously an assistant superintendent for Houston ISD, Trica joined Lubbock ISD in 2009.

Trica is the chief academic officer and oversees all schools and academic services, including curriculum and instruction, assessment, support services and professional development.

Sherman awards design contract for $5.8 million road project

Sherman City Council members recently awarded a design contract to a local company to design a $5.6 million road leading to the Loy Lake Bridge. The Texas Department of Transportation is designing and managing construction of the project to widen the bridge. The road and bridge project should take about two years to complete, city officials said.

Cruz chosen as president

of Greater San Marcos Partnership

The Greater San Marcos Partnership (GSMP) has chosen Adriana Cruz (pictured), Vice-President for Global Corporate Recruitment at the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, as its new president. She will begin her new charge on June 3. Cruz has held the post at the Austin chamber for the last seven years and was responsible for relocation and expansion projects in the corporate headquarters and technology sectors.

In her new post with the GSMP, Cruz will lead efforts to help attract new capital investment and job creation in Hays and Caldwell counties, focusing on business expansion and recruitment, growth of existing industry and entrepreneurship and image enhancement and marketing.

Beaumont selects Caballero

as new event facilities director

Beaumont City Manager Kyle Hayes recently appointed Lenny Caballero as the new event facilities director, effective on June 17. He replaces Claudia Hawkins, who is retiring after 35 years with the city.

Caballero is now director of the Montagne Event Center and a special assistant to the president of Lamar University. He previously was an assistant to the city manager and a special projects coordinator for the city of Beaumont before joining Lamar University in 2010.

His duties include managing the Beaumont Civic Center, Julia Rogers Theatre, Jefferson Theatre and the new Event Centre.

Copperas Cove ISD selects Edgar new director of business services

Copperas Cove Independent School District trustees recently selected Dina Edgar as the new executive director of business services. Edgar will replace Robert Edmonson, who is retiring from that job after 20 years with the district.

Edgar currently is the director of business services at Leander ISD, previously worked for a school district in New York and in the private sector. She is expected to begin her new job in June and work with Edmonson until he retires in August. 

Shah selected as director

of Harris County health agency

Dr. Umair Shah (pictured) recently took the helm as executive director of Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services.

Shah replaced Dr. Herminia Palacio, who resigned to join a foundation. Shah previously served as director of Disease Control and Clinical Prevention for the public health agency.

In appointing Shah to the post, Harris County commissioners credited his extensive experience in hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ike for his selection as executive director.

• Roland Brown of Midlothian, Texas Industrialized Building Code Council;

• Eddie Martin Jr. of Austin, Texas Industrialized Building Code Council;

• Scott McDonald of Canyon, Texas Industrialized Building Code Council;

• Doug Robinson of Coppell, Texas Industrialized Building Code Council;

• Rolando Rubiano of Harlingen, Texas Industrialized Building Code Council;

• Larry Wilkinson of Friendswood, Texas Industrialized Building Code Council;

• Karen Gordon of Port O'Connor, Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners;

• Jeffrey Tout of Granbury, Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners;

• Philip Vickers of Fort Worth, Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners;

• Shari Waldie of Austin, Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners;

• Carley Gomez-Meade of Austin, Texas Diabetes Council;

• Alicia Gracia of Brownsville, Texas Diabetes Council;

• Jason Michael Ryan of Houston, Texas Diabetes Council;

• Curtis Triplitt of San Antonio, Texas Diabetes Council;

• Steven Nguyen of Irving, Texas Institute for Health Care Quality and Efficiency Board of Directors;

• Daniel Wong of Missouri City, chair, Texas Board of Professional Engineers;

• Jason Peeler of Floresville, Evergreen Underground Water Conservation District;

• Christopher Huckabee of Fort Worth, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board;

• Michael Miller of Belton, Texas State Board of Marriage and Family Therapists;

• Keith Rosenbaum of Joshua, Texas State Board of Marriage and Family Therapists;

• Jennifer Smothermon of Abilene, Texas State Board of Marriage and Family Therapists;

• Dennis Wilson of Groesbeck, Texas Commission on Jail Standards;

• Harold Berenzweig of Fort Worth, Correctional Managed Health Care Committee.

Austin Police chief of staff

Carter to head UT police

David Carter (pictured), chief of staff at the Austin Police Department, has been chosen the next chief of The University of Texas at Austin's Police Department. Carter, who will begin his new job on July 1, will succeed Chief Robert Dahlstrom, also a former APD chief of staff.

Carter was among four finalists for the UT post. Dahlstrom will retire at the end of this month after seven years as UTPD chief. He is also a former 28-year veteran of the APD.

Ten student regents appointed

Ten student regents have been appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to serve their respective university systems, and one student representative has been named to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. All of their terms will be effective June 1, 2013, through May 31, 2014. The appointees include:

• Higher Education Coordinating Board - Alice Schneider from Texas A&M University at College Station;
• Midwestern State University - Shelby Davis;
• Stephen F. Austin State University -Matthew Logan
• Texas A&M University - Nicholas Madere;
• Texas Southern University -Faran Foy;
• Texas State University - Matthew Russell;
• Texas Tech University - Joshua Heimbecker;
• Texas Woman's University - Joleesia Berry;
• University of Houston -Benjamin Wells;
• University of North Texas - Rodolfo Reynoso Jr.; and
• The University of Texas - Nash Horne.

Kamfer takes post as

new city manager in Kermit

Pete Kamfer recently began his duties as the new city manager in Kermit. Kamfer previously was the city manager in Raton, New Mexico. To protest the hiring of Kamfer, the mayor of Kermit resigned from that position.

Winter retiring from post

as city engineer in Alice

Monty Winter, the city engineer in Alice for five years, recently said he will to retire from that post effective May 24. Winter, an engineer for 38 years, was the city engineer in Alice for almost six years. He has a degree from the University of Wyoming and holds engineering licenses in Wyoming and Colorado.

to buy 15 new laptop computers

A Beaumont police officer recently requested city council to buy 15 new laptop computers that can withstand the tough conditions in a patrol vehicle to replace 10 aging laptop computers now used by detectives and patrol officers.

The aluminum-clad laptops, which cost about $4,500 each, help police officers log information in seconds rather than waiting to return to the office and handwrite the report, said Officer Danny Brown. If council members approve the request, city officials expect to use grant funds to pay for the technology upgrade.