Leaders cite plans for $800M in San Antonio highway expansions

An $800 million expansion of I-10, US 281 and Loop 1604 in San Antonio was recently announced in the Alamo City. "The collaborative infrastructure projects we're announcing will help relieve congestion and keep San Antonio drivers and the region's economy moving in a way that improves business, enhances the quality of life and decreases the number of hours lost sitting in traffic," said Texas Transportation Commission Chair Ted Houghton.

The expansion will include both tolled and non-tolled lanes, connectors and improvements to existing lanes. According to Texas Department of Transportation officials, the projects include: addition of two managed lanes in each direction north of Loop 1604 and tolled connector ramps at the interchange at Loop 1604 and I-10; expansion of US 281 from Loop 1604 north to Stone Oak Boulevard to a four-lane, non-tolled expressway with two toll-managed lanes (one in each direction) and non-tolled connector ramps at the Loop 1604 interchange and expansion from Stone Oak Boulevard to Bexar/Comal County line to a four-lane tolled expressway with frontage roads; and expansion of Loop 1604 to a four-lane, non-tolled expressway (two lanes each direction with frontage roads) from SH 151 to US 90. The projects are expected to begin by early 2015.

Nabers to address P3s at Water Reuse Tech Summitt 2014

Public-private partnership (P3) expert Mary Scott Nabers (pictured), president and CEO of Strategic Partnerships, Inc. and co-founder of the Gemini Global Group, will be among nearly two-dozen speakers and panelists participating in the upcoming Water Reuse Tech Summit 2014. The event, slated for Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 27 and 28, in San Antonio, will include sessions on diversity of water reuse opportunities, investment opportunities in water, water innovation technologies, information on case studies of water reuse in a variety of industries and other water issues.

Nabers, who will speak during the Tuesday session, will offer a presentation on "Public-Private Partnerships: Critical Needs and New Opportunities - What will Texas do?" She will address whether - and when - public officials in Texas will embrace new financial options such as P3s in the wake of continued dwindling public financing sources. Nabers also will speak to the new technologies that will be available and the role new infrastructure will play in promoting those technologies.

More information on the conference and the agenda are now available and registration is open. The summit will be at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in downtown San Antonio.

Texas A&M eyeing $50M for improvements to recreation center

Texas A&M University officials recently began seeking bids for contractors to work with an architect in a $50 million project to upgrade and enlarge the student recreation center.

Current plans call for renovating nearly 56,000 square feet of space in the center and natatorium and building more than 13,000 square feet of new space to replace athletic facilities that shrunk to make room for the expansion of Kyle Field. A&M officials plan to double the size of the weight room, add two new basketball courts, remold the indoor and outdoor swimming pools and create new activity rooms for group exercise. Other upgrades include retrofitting lighting fixtures with more energy-efficient bulbs and increasing energy efficiency in the facility. Because design plans for the student center project are flexible, university officials hope to add an additional eight-lane indoor pool, depending on the final design plan.

Once the facilities planning and construction department of the A&M System review bids, recommend a final design and the estimated cost of the student center project to the chancellor, the Board of Regents for the A&M System must still give final approval for the project. Construction could begin as early as April and be completed as soon as January 2016.

TAMU System Vice Chancellor Terry Fossum resigns post

Less than a year after her position was created at the Texas A&M University System, Vice Chancellor for Global and Corporate Partnerships Terry Fossum has announced her retirement. Fossum, a Texas A&M employee since 1987, was named interim vice president for research in 2012. Last May, she was elevated to the vice chancellor post. Her charge in the vice chancellor position was to cultivate the creation of public-private partnerships for the System and its affiliated universities.

According to the Bryan-College Station Eagle, Fossum announced her resignation internally in a Dec. 20 letter to TAMU System Chancellor John Sharp. The newspaper quoted the letter in which Fossum told Sharp that given the apparent continuation of federal funding cuts to higher education, partnerships with private industry will be essential for continued growth in research at universities.

Neither Fossum nor TAMU System officials commented on the reason for her sudden retirement. In a prepared statement, Sharp thanked Fossum for her years of service to Texas A&M. 

Water infrastructure loans available; but not enough takers

As water infrastructure throughout the state continues to age, cities, counties, water systems and other entities find themselves continuing to pay maintenance and rehabilitation costs on water and waste water treatment plants, distribution systems and other facilities. In many cases, they are paying millions of dollars to piece together systems that in all likelihood should be replaced.

But, with government budgets shrinking, the multi-million-dollar replacement facilities that they need are out of the question. And in some cases, it appears that new construction costs aren't the only thing they can't afford.

The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) this week issued a bulletin reminding public entities that the agency has funds available for financial assistance - millions of dollars' worth of assistance - from two programs that could help numerous entities with their water infrastructure needs. Most of the available funding that remains would be in the form of loans. And, loans have to be paid back. In many cases with smaller communities where government officials are struggling to make ends meet, taking on debt is often not an option.

TWDB officials say there is $250 million left of the original $325 million available from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF). And, $150 million - and possibly more - is available from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF).

TCEQ to award up to $24M in grants for natural gas vehicle program

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) officials recently announced plans to award up to $24 million in grants to encourage the use of natural gas vehicles or to install a natural gas engine in an existing vehicle.

The Texas Natural Gas Vehicle Grant Program will make the awards to entities that own or operate heavy-duty or medium-duty vehicles that will switch to vehicles powered with natural gas. To be eligible, vehicles must reduce by at least 25 percent emissions from nitrogen oxides and be operated by that entity in one or more eligible counties.

Applicants for the grant, however, must work with a participating dealer under contract with TCEQ to apply for the grant. Deadline for applications is at 5 p.m. on May 31, 2015. More information on the application process, eligibility requirements and application forms are available at www.terpgrants.org or by calling 800-919-TERP (8377).

ACC Hays Campus in Kyle sets dedication, grand opening Jan. 16

Austin Community College's new Hays Campus in Kyle will be dedicated during a grand opening celebration on Thursday, Jan. 16. The event will be from 1:30 to 3 p.m. and will feature remarks by special guests.

The Hays campus features a 91,000-square-foot, three-story campus building (as seen in accompanying photo) and can accommodate up to 2,000 students. The facility also features a library and student commons areas in addition to its state-of-the-art instructional spaces.

ACC officials report that enrollment - which began last November - has already exceeded expectations. In addition to academic courses, the campus is offering career training in areas such as business, computer networking/security and child development.

The Hays Campus, located at 1200 Kohlers Crossing in Kyle, is ACC's 10th full-service campus. The grand opening and dedication event is open to faculty, staff and members of the community. Refreshments will be served.

State water development agency seeking comments on water loss

Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) officials recently requested the public to comment on rules needed to implement legislation approved during the last legislative session. The legislation requires retail public utilities receiving financial assistance from TWDB to use a portion of that funding to reduce water loss if the loss exceeds a certain threshold.

The rules cover water loss measures, threshold amounts and the actions the public utility must take to decrease that water loss, according to TWDB officials.

A public meeting is scheduled at 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 15 at the Stephen F. Austin Building in Austin to discuss proposed rules covering water loss. TWDB officials also will accept written comments until Feb. 1, 2013. More information on how to submit comments or on water loss metrics is available from John Sutton by calling 512-462-7988 or by e-mail to john.sutton@twdb.texas.gov.

Round Rock ISD to buy land next to Cedar Ridge High School

Trustees for Round Rock Independent School District recently approved a contract to purchase 19 acres of land adjacent to Cedar Ridge High School to build more facilities for the district.

The earnest money contract with StoneRidge Capital Partners Ltd. allows district officials 90 days to determine if the land on Gattis School Road is suitable for future use before the contract is finalized.

While the facilities and construction director for the district told trustees that the land could be used for a performing arts facilities, athletic facilities or for administrative purposes, the board president said trustees have not yet decided on a specific construction project or how the 19 acres of land will be used if the purchase is finalized.

Nearly two years of consecutive monthly sales tax increases

State sales tax revenue reported this week shows those revenues have increased for the last 45 consecutive months. State Comptroller Susan Combs reports that sales tax revenue in December was up $2.25 billion, a 3.9 percent increase over December of last year. Combs attributes much of the increase to consumer spending in retail trade, as well as spending in telecommunications.

As a result of the December revenues, Combs will be sending allocations to cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose districts totaling $573.5 million, which is up 8.1 percent over January 2013.

Texas cities will share $375.1 million as their January allocation, up 7.4 percent for the same month last year. Counties saw a decline of .4 percent and will share $36.4 million.

Transit systems showed a healthy increase of 10.3 percent over the same month last year and will share an allocation of $130.3 million, while special purpose taxing districts will share $31.7 million, up 19 percent over January 2013 figures. The allocations may be viewed by city and by county.

A San Diego firm has shown interest in transforming the vacant 79-acre site of the former Dallas Cowboys' Texas Stadium in Irving into a mixed-use residential and retail development. The firm, Oliver McMillan, has $3 billion in projects to its credit and has for the better part of a year been exploring its options for the old stadium site. The firm's CEO said he is confident such a development would work at the stadium site. Irving officials are open to hearing a proposal and Thursday voted to enter into six months of talks exclusively with Oliver McMillan, giving the firm that time to come up with some plans. They are hopeful such an agreement between the city and the developer could turn their stadium loss to a positive. Oliver McMillan already has a similar $575 million project under way in Houston for a retail, office space and residential development set to open in 2015.

Travis County water district eyeing $80.4 million bond proposal

Travis County Water District 10 board members recently agreed to hire a bond expert to help in planning a bond election. Such an election would ask voter approval of an estimated $80.4 million in bonds this year to improve water pressure and firefighting capability in West Lake Hills. The consultant will provide advice to board members on procedures needed for a bond election, but board members will then decide whether to schedule a bond election in May or November, said Clif Drummond, president of the water district board.

West Lake Hills city officials last year requested upgrades to increase water flow pressure to fire hydrants in the city with a goal of preventing house fires from spreading into larger brush and wildfires that caused so much damage near the area two years ago.

Superintendent Bob Morrison (pictured) urged board members to divide and assign facility projects for a period of five years, 10 years and 15 years. District staff members would then determine the fixed costs for the non-negotiable projects on the list and report those cost estimates to trustees to decide to include in a bond proposal, he said.

Improvements to security and updating mechanical systems are the most needed in the 84 district facilities studied, said the consultant who performed the facilities study. Some facilities were built as long ago as 1936, the superintendent noted. District officials plan to discuss the proposed bond issue at each board meeting until a decision is made on whether to proceed, the board president said.

College Station city officials recently moved forward to create a framework of municipal utility districts (MUDs) to provide water, sewer and drainage services to areas where municipal utility services are unavailable.

Because the city has never had a MUD, council members plan to establish the rules for creation and for dissolving municipal utility districts at their next regular meeting.

Under current state law, developers pay for the cost of creating a MUD to be used for financing those costs over a long period and often are able to recover infrastructure costs more quickly than normal land sales. Once the developer completes infrastructure of the district, MUD officials then issue bonds to pay for that construction and use bond proceeds to reimburse the developer. All debt issued by a MUD must win approval of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Taxes and monthly fees for services are then paid by homeowners and landowners in the MUD to cover the cost of operations and maintenance of the system.

Governor selects Steen for Higher Education Coordination Board

The governor recently appointed John T. Steen Jr. (pictured) of San Antonio to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board less than a month after Steen announced his departure as Texas Secretary of State. Steen's term on the board that sets policies and coordinates efforts to improve higher education in the state began on Jan. 8 and expires on Aug. 31, 2019.

An attorney and fellow of the San Antonio Bar Association, Steen was the 108th Secretary of State. He also is an executive committee member of the University of Texas System Chancellor's Council and vice chairman of the University of Texas at San Antonio Development Board. He previously was a member of the Austin College Board of Trustees, vice chair of the San Antonio Community College District Board of Trustees and president of the Fiesta San Antonio Commission. Steen also is a past chair and commissioner of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, is a former member of the board of the Texas Public Safety Commission and a former member of the Texas Commission on Economy and Efficiency in State Government.

Grays, Skaarup accepted into 2014 Leadership Texas class

Brenda Grays (Texas A&M University), Executive Women in Texas Government (EWTG) Brazos Valley Affiliate chair, and Tanya Skaarup (Texas Department of Information Resources), EWTG communications director, were recently notified of their acceptance into the 2014 Leadership Texas class. Launched in 1983, Leadership Texas is the longest-running program to develop women leaders in the United States. Each year, a series of interactive, expert-led sessions are held for the participants, who are competitively chosen from a wide field of applicants who reflect the diversity of personal and professional backgrounds in the state.

Both Grays and Skaarup received EWTG Leadership Texas Class of 2014 Scholarships. They will explore the four cities in which the classes are held and hear from experts, government officials and other leaders. "Participants will visit Dallas, Laredo, Abilene and Austin where each city's opportunities and challenges will help to illuminate the participants' knowledge of our rapidly evolving state across three common themes - the economy, education and the environment," said Candace O'Keefe-Mathis, CEO of Women's Resources. O'Keefe-Mathis said it is necessary for today's leaders to understand the cultural, social and economic issues of the day to be able to impact the future of the state.

Women's Resources Leadership Texas is a program of Women's Resources, whose goal is to promote the power of leadership and legacy through programs that connect, inspire, empower and honor women. 

El Paso delays hiring professor as economic consultant

El Paso City Council members recently agreed to delay until Jan. 14 the planned hiring of Tom Fullerton, an economics professor at The University of Texas-El Paso, as an economic consultant for the city. City officials expect to save about $300,000 in the next five years by hiring a consultant instead of a full-time economist as was the practice in the past, noted Lynley Leeper, chief budget officer for El Paso.

The plan is to pay the professor $188,000 over the five-year period to provide economic forecasts for the top 15 revenue streams for the city. That sum is less than the $100,000 the city would pay each year for an economist to provide economic forecasts, Leeper said.

Dallas to vote on $50M proposal to assist in rehab of skyscraper

Dallas City Council members recently agreed to vote on Jan. 22 on a proposal to provide a New York-based development company with $50 million from the Downtown Connection Tax Increment Financing District. The funding will help pay for a $151 million project to convert a 52-story former bank building into residential, office and retail space.

Members of the city's Economic Development Committee approved the rehabilitation project calling for adding 512 residential units, 71,000 square feet of office space and another 71,000 square feet of space for retail and restaurant establishments, along with 925 parking slots. To qualify for the city funding, the developer is required to begin construction on the 1.5 million-square-foot building on Elm Street by the end of August. The building has been closed for four years and represents about 27 percent of vacant space in the central business district, city officials said.

Wichita Falls to seek up to $2M to upgrade its regional airport

Wichita Falls City Council members recently authorized the city manager to apply for a grant of up to $2 million from the Military Airport Program of the Federal Aviation Administration to demolish the existing terminal building and build new passenger bridges. Securing the grant would allow city officials to use current budget funds for other projects such as repairing the apron and several roads in the airport, said John Burrus, director of aviation, traffic and transportation for the city. Construction on the new terminal is on schedule and the new facility is expected to be open in late fall of this year, Burrus said.

Joe Straus, speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, reappointed Chase Untermeyer (pictured) as a commissioner on the Texas Ethics Commission for a term to expire in November 2017. 

The speaker makes two appointments to the eight-member ethics panel, while the governor makes four appointments and the lieutenant governor appoints two commissioners. The agency is charged with regulating campaign finance as well as lobby and political disclosure laws. A former state representative, Untermeyer also was director of personnel for President George H.W. Bush and a former U.S. ambassador. He joined the commission in 2010.

U.S. transportation secretary backs Dallas-Houston high-speed rail

Anthony Foxx, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, recently announced an agreement to prepare environmental studies to lay the groundwork for high-speed rail service to transport passengers at about 200 mph between Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston.

Speaking at the Annual Texas Transportation Forum in San Antonio, Foxx said the agreement between Texas Central Railway, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) calls for TxDOT to sponsor an environmental impact study on the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington portion of the proposed rail line and the private sector to perform the proposed environmental study for the Houston-Dallas corridor. TxDOT officials said the agency plans to coordinate with FRA and the private sector to explore options for the proposed high-speed rail service, but that no timeline has been determined for the studies to begin.

Foxx also noted that much more work is needed to develop the rail line, but is very happy that private funding is leveraging federal grant funding for the proposed project.

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Railroad Commission moves forward on hiring seismologist

The Texas Railroad Commission (TRC), in response to concerns regarding how oil and gas activities may be causing seismic events in certain areas of Texas, has decided to hire an on-staff seismologist. TRC Executive Director Milton Rister was instructed by commissioners to begin a search for candidates for the job.

Commissioners note that it is important for the agency to continue to gather evidence and data to show if there is any way seismic events could be caused by oil and gas activities. Commissioner David Porter said having a seismologist in-house would allow the commission to have a better means of following research while coordinating sharing of information with the research community.

According to the commission, the seismologist will coordinating with other academic experts studying seismic events in Texas; obtain, study and interpret various forms of data to evaluate seismic activity associated with known faults and historic and/or ongoing oil and gas exploration and production activities; lead efforts to conduct research as well as internally integrate oil and gas science with seismic science; coordinate communications and information gathering with stakeholders; review, analyze, interpret and comment on technical data from seismic data sources, computer models and digital maps; and develop recommendations and action plans.

Arlington taps three new

directors, assistant director

Arlington city officials recently selected three new directors of city departments and an assistant director following the retirement of two long-time department directors.

 City officials selected Mike Finley (top left), the former assistant director of fiscal policy, as the new director of finance to replace April Nixon, the former chief financial officer who retired. Lemuel Randolph (top right), who was director of parks, recreation and open spaces in McKinney, won selection as the director of parks and recreation to replace Pete Jamieson, who also retired.

After reorganizing the Financial and Management Resources Department into two separate organizations, city officials appointed Jennifer Wichmann (bottom left), the former assistant director of management resources, as the new director of management resources. A 10-year city employee, Wichmann will oversee legislative affairs, the office of communications, the office of mayor and council, the office of city manager, Knowledge Services, the Action Center and the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation. City officials also selected Erin Roseman (bottom right), currently the cash and debt administrator, as the assistant director of fiscal policy to replace Finley. Roseman previously worked for the city of Fort Worth.

Midland selects Simecka

as new finance director

Midland City Council members recently selected Pam Simecka, currently the finance and budget director for Topeka, Kansas, as the new finance director. She replaced Bob McNaughton, who retired after serving as finance director since 2003 after joining the city in 1983.

Simecka has a master's degree and is a Certified Public Accountant. Her duties include overseeing accounting, investments, tax, customer service functions and meter shop division in addition to preparing and presenting an annual city budget to council members each year.

City of Marble Falls planning

to hire assistant city manager

Marble Falls City Council members agreed to hire an assistant city manager to assist in the duties of City Manager Ralph Hendricks while he is on medical leave.

Rather than hiring an interim employee to fill in for Hendricks, city officials agreed that an assistant city manager position would provide more help in moving forward with city projects, the mayor said.

City council members plan to evaluate the candidates who apply for the job and select the new assistant manager once the posting for the position is closed in early February, he said.

Taft selects De Los Santos

as planning consultant

Taft City Council members recently approved a one-year contract with Ray De Los Santos Jr. (pictured) to serve as a consultant. De Los Santos previously served as city manager in Alice before his termination in November.

The contract calls for De Los Santos to assist in planning and basic consulting, including his experience in city budgets, according to City Manager Kandi Hubert.

De Los Santos also was a recent finalist for the post of assistant city manager in Corpus Christi, but another candidate won selection.

Two Beaumont ISD officials indicted for fraud, conspiracy

A federal grand jury recently indicted Beaumont ISD Finance Director Devin Wayne McCraney and Comptroller Sharika Baksh Allison, for conspiracy and 18 separate charges of fraud.

U.S. Attorney John M. Bales of the Eastern District of Texas said that McCraney and Allison were indicted by a federal grand jury that charged them with conspiring to embezzle the school district out of more than $4 million using wire transfers on 18 occasions to transfer school district funds to bank accounts under their own personal control.

Marlin selects Fletcher

as interim city manager

Dick Fletcher, a resident or Robinson who was that city's first city manager from 1998 to 2009, has been chosen by the city of Marlin as interim city manager. Fletcher will hold that position as the city begins its search for a permanent replacement for former City Manager William McDonald, who left that post last week.

Fletcher was hired by the city through a government employment search agency. That same agency will help the city find a permanent replacement for McDonald. Fletcher has 37 years of public service to his credit.

King to retire from post as

city manager in Lewisville

City Manager Claude King (pictured) of Lewisville recently announced plans to retire from that job on April 30.

Serving as city manager since 1998 and a city employee since 1989, King began his career with the city as the capital projects coordinator and became assistant city manager in 1994.

King earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree from the University of North Texas.

Jacksboro taps Tarpley to lead human resources, tourism for city

Jacksboro City Council members recently selected Brenda Tarpley (pictured) to fill a new position to handle human resources and tourism efforts for the city.

Tarpley recently resigned as executive director of the Jacksboro Chamber of Commerce after more than three years in that job. Her new duties include focusing attention on tourism locations, entities and events in the city to increase visitors who spend money in the city. Tarpley received her certification as a tourism executive through the Texas Travel Industry Association.

Dallas selects three finalists

for open city manager slot

Dallas City Council members recently selected three finalists from a field of six applicants who will undergo a second round of interviews next week for city manager. The three finalists are A.C. Gonzalez, currently serving as interim city manager for the city; Deanna Santana, the city administrator of Oakland, California; and, David Cooke, a former county manager in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The new city manager will replace Mary Suhm, who has retired from that post.

Three finalists named

for city manager job in Irvine

Despite an effort by three Irving City Council members to extend the contract of Interim City Manager Steve McCullough (pictured) and end the search for a new city manager, council members this week named three finalists to interview for city manager.

Council members selected Gilbert Perales, a deputy city manager in Arlington; Todd Hileman, a village manager in Glenview, Illinois; and Steve Sarkozy, a former city manager in Bellevue, Washington, to return for second interviews with city leaders.

McCullough was a former city manager in Irving for 12 years before retiring in 2006. He returned to the city as interim city manager in September to replace former City Manager Tommy Gonzales, who left that job.

Upshur County delays decision

on new election administrator

Despite a request from officials of two political parties and from the county's tax assessor/collector to create the position of county election administrator, Upshur County commissioners recently decided to take no action on that request.

County Judge Dean Fowler told commissioners the proposal to create the new election administrator position would be placed on the agenda if a commissioner requests that action. In an earlier meeting, four out of five members of the county's election commission supported creation of the new post. If the commissioners vote to create an election administrator position, members of the election commission will select the new administrator.

Tax Assessor/Collector Sherron Laminack, who also is the voter registrar for the county, expressed concern that some election duties interfere with other required duties of her office and some residents also object to elected officials handling elections. County Clerk Barbara Winchester, who oversees all special and general elections in the county by providing voting equipment and supplies to polling places, training and assigning election officials and tabulating returns, also has informed two county party chairmen that her office would not contract with the parties to stage the primary elections on March 4.

Elliff retiring as superintendent

of Corpus Christi ISD

Superintendent Scott Elliff (pictured) of Corpus Christi Independent School District recently announced plans to retire from that post in September.

 Beginning his career as an elementary teacher for the Corpus Christi school district in 1983, Elliff resigned in 1997 to accept a position with an educational group. He returned to the school district in 2005 before being selected as superintendent in 2006.

Elliff said he announced his retirement early to provide board members with ample time to find a new superintendent to lead the district before the 2014-2015 school year begins.

Miller to retire as chief executive officer of Port San Antonio

Bruce E. Miller (pictured), president and chief executive officer of Port San Antonio, recently announced plans to retire on Sept. 30 when his contract expires.

Miller served in that post for 12 years and led in redeveloping Kelly Air Force Base into a business park that accommodates 80 private- and public-sector businesses on 1,900 acres of the former airfield. He previously was CEO of the Rickenbacker Port Authority in Columbus, Ohio, and also worked in developing commercial real estate, in architectural design and urban planning.

More than 13,000 employees at Port San Antonio produce more than $4 billion in annual economic activity for the region, according to Port San Antonio officials. Board members plan to conduct a national search to find a new president and CEO.

College Station selects Gilman

as new deputy city manager

College Station City Manager Kelly Templin recently selected Chuck Gilman (pictured) as the deputy city manager overseeing utilities, public works, parks and recreation and planning and development services.

Templin also appointed Donald Harmon,

currently the assistant director of public works, to replace Gilman as director of public works. Assistant City Manager Kathy Merrill, who served as interim city manager after the death of former City Manager Frank Simpson, will continue to oversee the fire and police departments, human resources and information technology, Templin said. Assistant City Manager Jeff Kersten will manage fiscal services and provide additional oversight of municipal courts and information technology.

• Jason Cooper of Midland, Texas Physician Assistant Board

Houston ISD selects Mock

as district's new police chief

Houston Independent School District officials recently swore in Robert Mock as the new police chief to replace former HISD Police Chief Jimmy Dotson, who is retiring on Jan. 31.

Mock has served as an assistant police chief in the HISD since 2008 after serving in various positions in the Houston Police Department for 22 years. A graduate of the FBI National Academy, Mock also has bachelor's and master's degrees and is a Master Peace Officer.

Serving as HISD chief of police since 2009, Dotson previously was police chief in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and was a law enforcement consultant for the Community Association of The Woodlands.

New Braunfels begins work on new 16-acre neighborhood park

New Braunfels city officials recently began the first step on efforts to build Morningside Park, a new neighborhood park on 16 acres of land donated by the Comal Independent School District.

The first step in developing the park is to gather public opinion on features such as playing fields, sports courts, a walking trail, playground, picnic tables and other features planned for the park, noted Stacey Dicke (pictured), director of parks and recreation. Voters last year approved bonds to pay for the new park.

City officials plan to use a Web site to measure and track public participation, identify the most interested citizens and improve communication among participants. Public meetings also will be held to gather more input on the final design and development of the park.