Bruce Beutler (pictured) of The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas was recently awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine, an honor he shares with two other scientists for discoveries about the immune system.

Beutler and a scientist in France won for their work on "innate immunity," a non-specific form of protection found in all classes of plant and animal life. The men's discoveries have led to revolutionary treatments in autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis.

Beutler, who started his scientific career at UT Southwestern and served on the faculty from 1986 to 2000, previously was chairman of the Department of Genetics at Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif. He returned to UT Southwestern this month to serve as founding director of the new Center for the Genetics of Host Defense.

"We are especially delighted by his return to UT Southwestern where he did his initial groundbreaking work," said UT Southwestern President Daniel K. Podolsky. "[We] know that he will continue in his path of important discovery for many years to come."

Beutler, the fifth Nobel laureate on the faculty at UT Southwestern, earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California, San Diego, and a medical degree from the University of Chicago. After postgraduate training at UT Southwestern, he completed a two-year fellowship at Rockefeller University.

Matthews, Albus appointed regional commanders for DPS

Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) officials recently announced the appointment of two new regional leaders. Carey Matthews (left) will serve as Regional Commander for DPS Region 4, while Gary Albus (right) will serve as the Regional Commander for DPS Region 6.

Matthews, who previously served as Highway Patrol Major in Region 4 in Midland, will now oversee much of West Texas. Matthews, who began his career with DPS in 1988, graduated from Northwestern University's School of Police Staff and Command.

Albus will oversee law enforcement operations and service functions in Central Texas as well as a portion of the Texas coast. Albus, who graduated from Northwestern University Traffic Institute School of Police Staff and Command, started with DPS in 1979.

The governor recently appointed Cynthia Tauss Delgado of League City to the Texas Lottery Commission to serve a term that expires on Feb. 1, 2017.

Delgado is the president of a private company and is a past member of the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, Texas Department of Criminal Justice Victims Services Advisory Board and the Texas Economic Development Council. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston at Clear Lake.

Delgado leaves DSHS for San Antonio-based nonprofit

Ben Delgado (pictured), associate commissioner for the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHC) since 2007, has been named the new executive vice president and chief operating officer for BCFS in San Antonio, a $45 million international nonprofit health and human services organization.

Delgado will bring three decades of leadership experience to his new post. His career has included public health, child and adult protective services and consumer protection

Prior to serving with DSHS, Delgado served as acting commissioner of the Department of Family and Protective Services and has held executive positions with the Texas Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health, the State Comptroller's Office and the Governor's Office.

Head of Purdue civil engineering to lead A&M engineering programs

Margaret Katherine Banks (pictured), head of the School of Civil Engineering at Purdue University, has been named vice chancellor for engineering for the Texas A&M University System and dean of the Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University, effective Jan. 10, 2012.

Banks, who will also serve as director of the Texas Engineering Experiment Station, was chosen from more than 60 nominations for the dual positions.

In her new role, Banks will lead the university's largest academic colleges, which includes more than 11,000 undergraduate and graduate students. 

Banks received her bachelor's degree from the University of Florida, a master's from the University of North Carolina, and a Ph.D. from Duke University.

University of Mary Hardin-Baylor officials recently won a substantial challenge grant to help raise funding to build a new nursing education facility.

The challenge grant, donated by a contributor who remains unidentified, requires that the cost of the 76,200-square-foot nursing education facility must be no more than $20 million and that the university raise all the funds through gifts and grants by December 31, 2012, said Dr. Randy O'Rear, the president of UMHB.

Groundbreaking for the new Isabelle Rutherford Meyer Nursing Education Center at the Scott & White College of Nursing is scheduled for Oct. 21 and should be completed in December 2012.

UT Marine Science Institute researchers awarded $5.6M grant

A team of Arctic researchers led by the University of Texas Marine Science Institute's Ken Dunton (pictured) will use a $5.6 million grant from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) to perform a study of the Hanna Shoal ecosystem in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska's northwest coast. The area is of interest to the oil industry for drilling.

The main objectives of the study, which will be conducted through 2016, are to identify and measure physical and biological processes that contribute to the high concentration of marine life in the Hanna Shoal area. "Industry is ready to begin exploratory drilling, but they want as much information as possible to avoid having any obvious or measureable impacts on the local ecosystem," Dunton said. Dunton said the information gathered by the researchers will allow BOEMRE to make decisions on how to recover oil and gas from in the Chukchi Sea with a minimum risk to the Arctic ecosystem.

Co-principal investigators at The University of Texas at Austin are Steve Lanoux, assistant director for operations at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI), and David Maidment, professor of civil engineering in the Cockrell School of Engineering. Susan Schonberg, a research associate at UTMSI, is also heavily involved in developing the project.

University of Texas at Arlington officials recently selected Dr. Carolyn Cason (pictured) as interim Vice President for Research beginning Nov. 1. University officials also will begin a national search to find a candidate to permanently head the research program.

Dr. Richard Billo, associate dean for research in the College of Engineering, and Dr. Krishnan Rajeshwar, associate dean of the College of Science, will assist Carson as interim associate vice presidents for research effective on Jan. 1, 2012.

College officials also tapped Dr. Paul Paulus, professor of psychology and former dean of the College of Science, to lead the search committee to find a permanent Vice President for Research to replace Dr. Ron Eisenbaumer.

Cason joined UT-Arlington in 1997 and served as senior administrator for the Genomics Translational Research Laboratory and the Smart Hospital and Smart Care research program for the College of Nursing.

Howard College awarded $4M grant for distance learning

Howard College, a community college in Big Spring, was recently awarded a $4.3 million federal grant that will go toward distance learning programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

The grant, administered by the U.S. Department of Education, will be paid out during a five-year period that has already begun.

The funds will pay for distance learning equipment, professional development and services to get students interested in the STEM fields.

"We know the great need for innovative STEM programming in our area, and we are confident this grant will go a long way in addressing those unique needs," said Cheryl Sparks (pictured), president of Howard College.

UT's Marine Science Institute to lead study on impact of oil spill

The Marine Science Institute (MSI) at The University of Texas at Austin will lead a group of institutions recently awarded a three-year, nearly $7 million grant to study how oil spills disperse in the Gulf of Mexico and how they affect the Gulf's ecology. The grant is the largest in the history of the MSI and is part of a $500 million research initiative of BP following last year's BP Deepwater Horizon spill.

The goal is to study the impact of the spill on the Gulf and coastal states, with an expectation of improved responses if there are future spills. Dr. Ed Buskey (pictured), professor of marine science and lead investigator on the grant, said the project includes collaborators from four other universities and other organizations. It will focus on how the oil is broken up and dispersed and will involve use of high-speed digital videography and 3-D digital holography to study the interaction between the oil and the organisms that live in the Gulf. 

School Land Board makes purchase of Marquette property

The Texas School Land Board, created to make money for public schools through the sale and leasing of land, recently purchased 1,053 acres of undeveloped property in Galveston for $10 million.

A mortgage delinquency foreclosure auction had been scheduled for the land, which a development company had wanted to turn into a master-planned community called The Preserve at West Beach.

The School Land Board will partner with the development company, which bought the land in 2006 for $36 million, to develop the land. Profits from the development will go to Texas public schools. 

Dallas may place more controls on minority contracts

The budget, finance and audit committee of the Dallas City Council recently began exploring how to tighten controls over minority contracts to prevent the abuse in its Minority and Woman-owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) program.

City officials must provide more protection to minority and women-owned businesses from "pass-through" contracts where much of the money paid to those companies ends up returned to the prime contractor, said Jerry Allen (pictured), a council member. The city must ensure that if a contract states that a certain sum is going to a business owned by a minority or a woman, that money must not be returned to the prime contractor, he added. Allen also suggested that any contractor found using a "pass-through" contract should be prevented from doing further business with the city.

The purchasing director and chief financial officer told committee members they are studying how to strengthen controls in the purchasing program and plan to recommend policy changes to eliminate the practice of "pass-through" contracts within the next few months.

Ex-Pearl Brewery chief Darryl Byrd to lead SA2020

Pearl Brewery CEO Darryl Byrd (pictured) has been named executive director of SA2020, a long-range planning initiative for San Antonio's future.

Byrd had already been one of three men overseeing an early stage of the SA2020 process. In his new leadership role, Byrd will coordinate with various agencies, nonprofits and groups that are part of the plan.

Byrd's contract and salary are being negotiated. The cost of the program, which will operate as a nonprofit organization on The University of Texas at San Antonio campus, will be paid for with private funds.

ACC moves forward with Highland Mall renovation plans

Austin Community College trustees recently moved forward with the renovation of Highland Mall by choosing the construction manager-at-risk process, which means the contractor takes on liability if the project exceeds budget.

ACC staff plan to request proposals for an architect and engineering firm in January and select the firm in February. A second project will go out for bids in March.

ACC staff wants to move ahead with renovations so that instruction space becomes available. That space can be used to temporarily relocate classes from other campuses, which are receiving renovations.

Pflugerville mulling $3.89 million library expansion

Pflugerville City Council members recently began considering a $3.89 million bid from a construction company to double the size of the Pflugerville Community Library (as seen in accompanying artist's rendering). A vote on the library project contract is scheduled for Oct. 11.

Voters in 2008 approved $7 million in bonds to pay for the library expansion that will enlarge the library from about 12,500 square feet to 28,000 square feet. The newly expanded space will provide more room for adult book collections and a designated space for young adults and children, said Trey Fletcher, assistant city manager.

The library expansion project, which should be completed in 18 months once construction begins, also will provide 100 more parking spaces for library patrons, Fletcher said.

The Texas Transportation Commission recently agreed to set aside $100 million to pay for upgrading US 77 between Cameron and Nueces counties to create an interstate-quality highway.

The funding, part of $3 billion in Proposition 12 bond proceeds, will pay to build new overpasses, crossovers, primary lanes and frontage roads along US 77, which connects Brownsville and other Valley cities to the Corpus Christi area. Future plans are for the US 77 and US 281 to actually become I-69 that eventually will connect with I-37 in Corpus Christi. The project has been discussed for about 20 years, said David Garcia, the deputy administrator for the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority (CCRMA). The project still needs about $140 million in funding to complete the I-69 project, Garcia said.

So far, the Rio Grande Valley share of US 77 has been upgraded as has US 281 to Edinburg, but officials cannot rename the roads I-69 as the roads do not yet connect to an existing interstate highway, Garcia said. CRRMA officials are working to gain permission to allow the upgraded stretches of the highways to be officially designated I-69.

Four Central Texas highways first to get 75mph speed

The Texas Transportation Commission recently approved 75-miles-per-hour speed limits on four Central Texas highways, which makes them the fastest urban highways in the state.

While Texas has nearly 2,000 miles of 75- and 80-mph highways, those speeds were previously restricted to rural areas. Recent legislation, which took effect Sept. 1, allows higher speeds on any state highway found to be safe through a speed study.

The Texas Department of Transportation is now reviewing existing 70-mph speed limits statewide and expects all speed studies to be complete by early 2013, said Carol Rawson (pictured), TxDOT Traffic Operations Division director.

Round Rock city officials recently announced the city plans to allow its contract with Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS) to expire. Officials of CARTS, which provides demand-response bus transportation to citizens in rural areas of 9 Central Texas Counties, have agreed to continue transit service in Round Rock until the end of the year.

The contract will not be renewed because the city has grown in population from 50,000 in 2000 to 100,000 in the 2010 census, said the administrator of planning and programs for the city. While city officials are working to find a replacement for the CARTS service with a private contractor, there is no schedule for any replacement transit service to begin, he said. Once a new service contract is approved, that new service can not begin until 90 days after the contract is approved, he added.

Because the CARTS service was subsidized, it cost the city $300,000 a year, while the new, unsubsidized service is expected to cost about $500,000 a year, city officials said. City staff members are studying ways such as limiting transit service to the elderly and disabled or reducing operating hours to cut costs. Council members, however, will make any final decisions regarding service reductions, city officials said.

El Paso to hold public meetings on 2012 bond proposal

El Paso City Council members recently agreed to begin holding community meetings in November to help prioritize projects to include in a bond election being planned in November 2012.

Possible projects under consideration to include in the bond proposal are upgrades to parks and streets, large projects such as a sports arena or a combination of both community-based and large capital projects, said City Manager Joyce Wilson (pictured). The public meetings, which will continue through February, will help city officials decide which projects the public supports and the estimated price tag for the 2012 bond proposal, Wilson said.

City staff plans to work in each council member's district, with neighborhood associations, businesses and other community members to make sure the public has adequate input, Wilson said. The estimated price tag for the construction, maintenance and operations for projects to be included in the bond issue should be finalized in July 2012, the city manager said. City officials also plan to form a political action committee and develop a marketing plan to help educate voters on the proposed bond election.

Electra Hospital District to receive $11.4 million federal loan

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently agreed to insure an $11.4 million mortgage loan to the Electra Hospital District to renovate critical care access to the hospital. The Section 242 Hospital Mortgage Insurance Program of the Federal Housing Administration is making the loan available.

The Electra Hospital District, which operates Electra Memorial Hospital, plans to use the guaranteed loan to pay for expanding and renovating the hospital, including a new 19-bed inpatient wing with eight private rooms, more lab space and updated plumbing, mechanical and electrical systems. The hospital includes a 24-hour trauma center, laboratory, radiology department, pharmacy, physical therapy, surgery, cardiopulmonary and rehabilitation services.

HUD officials estimate the hospital construction project will support about 187 full-time jobs and provide at least a $32.8 million economic boost to the area economy. By ensuring the loan, FHA is able to provide lower cost financing that will save the hospital an estimated $3.4 million in interest costs.

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The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently agreed to provide a $5.6 million loan under its Community Development Block Grant program to Pharr to help pay for a new aquatic center. About $1.5 million of the federal loan will be used to pay for construction of the aquatic center on Hall Acres Road, said City Manager Fred Sandoval (pictured).

Plans call for the aquatic center to be built between a middle school and elementary school near a new Boys and Girls Club facility and sports complex that also is being planned. A leisure pool, a lap pool, a children's pool and possible water slides will be included in the aquatic center being built to replace a 50-year-old city pool, city officials said.

Pharr-San Juan-Alamo school district officials have agreed to contribute to the project, but are still negotiating on a final agreement for the project. The superintendent has said the school district will pay about $200,000 to add lanes to the lap pool to fulfill a goal of offering competitive swimming to district students. District officials also are mulling a plan to build a $2 million enclosure over the pool to allow use in all weather. Construction on the aquatic center should begin soon and the facility should be ready for use by summer 2012, said Javier Garza, director of community planning and development for the city.

El Paso County commissioners recently approved the second phase of a plan to pare down the number of county department heads reporting to Commissioners Court from 12 to four. Commissioners previously approved having five other county department heads report directly to the public works director.

Under the new plan, commissioners created four departments, Health and Human Services, Court Services, Elections and Support Services, and the heads of each will report directly to the court. Commissioners have not adopted a timetable for appointing the persons to head the newly reorganized departments, the county judge said.

De Leon City Council members recently scheduled a town hall meeting for Oct. 11 to hear public comment on whether to build a new city hall or to repair the current city hall building. It was partially closed earlier this year because of safety violations. City officials estimated the cost to renovate the existing city hall is almost $500,000.

The city hall was built in the 1930s and also accommodates the De Leon Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture office and has a large auditorium that regularly hosts fundraisers, plays, festivals, parties and senior citizen dances. An engineer recommended part of the facility, including the auditorium, be closed to the public because of faulty electrical wiring and the lack of a working fire alarm system.

Council members earlier voted to demolish the current building and construct a metal building of similar size at the current location, but backed away from that decision when learning the cost would be about $1 million. Officials of the State Fire Marshal's Office are expected to inspect the building before the public hearing to provide more information to the public, city officials said.

Copperas Cove city officials recently agreed to spend $193,000 to renovate the civic center to provide more space for banquets, weddings, military affairs and other events.

The city plans to install a new sound system, paint the interior, remodel two sets of bathrooms and upgrade signage at the city center, said Ken Wilson, who heads the parks and recreation department. The civic center averages about 45 private rentals a year, but also provides space for nonprofit rentals and use by the school district and the city, Wilson said.

Rockport rejects hike and bike trail bids; will re-bid project
The Rockport City Council will reject all bids for construction of a hike-and-bike trail and re-bid the project, which has been on the city's to-do list for more than 10 years.

The project was originally awarded to an Austin company, but the Texas Department of Transportation nixed the bid because the company is not on the state's pre-qualified list. That lowest bid came in at about $600,000.

By rejecting all bids and re-letting the project, the city can remove the TxDOT pre-qualification requirement.

Windcrest City Council members recently approved more than $1.5 million for capital improvement projects, including $871,221 to upgrade streets, $100,000 to repair the civic center, $100,000 for technology upgrades and $90,000 to repair alleys.

City officials streamlined the budget and city spending to pay for the capital projects, including $29,000 to repair the city pool, $429,236 for general fund capital improvement projects and $20,000 to upgrade medians, said Mayor Alan Baxter (pictured).

City officials also plan to spend $175,000 for capital projects for the Economic Development Corporation, $123,446 for projects using hotel occupancy tax revenues and to buy two new police vehicles, electronic ticket writers and three new radar guns, Baxter said. While city employees received no salary increases for the 2011-2012 fiscal year, city officials approved a $500 one-time stipend to be paid to each full-time city employee and a $250 one-time stipend to each part-time employee, said City Manager Rafael Castillo.

The board of the Seguin Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) recently agreed to help the city pay for a new, $2.36 million elevated water storage tank to serve northern portions of the city. A $1.18 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration will pay half of the cost, SEDC will pay $880,000 and the city will contribute $440,000 to build the new 1-million-gallon water tank to replace an existing 150,000-gallon water tank.

The SEDC share of the cost will come from $3.4 million in certificates of obligation issued by that group. Of the $3.4 million, SEDC officials plan to use $2 million for street and drainage upgrades and $500,000 to pay for a new pumper truck for the fire department.

Harrison County awarded $90,000 grant for airport improvements

Harrison County recently received a $90,000 state grant for airport improvements that includes engineering and design for resurfacing the taxiway and runway.

The grant comes through the Texas Department of Transportation's Aviation Facilities Grant Program, which preserves and improves the state's general aviation system.

This grant is the second-largest single-project grant in the county's history, said Harrison County Judge Hugh Taylor.

The U.S. Housing and Urban Development program recently awarded a total of $17.9 million to seven cities in Texas to produce more affordable housing and support community development. The seven cities receiving grants are El Paso, Flower Mound, Fort Bend County, Frisco, Plano, San Angelo and Sherman.

The grant will provide money to help homeless families, homeless individuals and those with HIV/AIDS to find homes, federal officials said. The funds are awarded based on a formula based on population, poverty, the amount of overcrowded housing and the age of a city's housing stock.

TASSCC planning November State of the State Conference

The Texas Association of State Systems for Computing and Communications 2011 State of the State Conference will be held Nov. 18 at the Austin Sheraton Hotel. This year, the conference will focus on national and state trends in technology and e-Government as well as the challenges presented by the state's growing population and strained resources. Among the speakers are: Rich Taggart - SHI Partner and Former Disney CIO; Carter Smith - Executive Director, Texas Parks and Wildlife; Dr. Lloyd B. Potter - State Demographer; Dr. Allan Shark - CIO Leadership Council; Dana Debeauvoir - County Clerk, Travis County; and Chief Nim Kidd - Texas Division of Emergency Management. There will also be a Department of Information Resources update. Information Resource Managers (IRMs) can obtain CPE credits for attending. For more information and to register, click here.  

North Texas Water Summit planned for Oct. 20

The North Texas Commission Regional Resource Summit on Water, hosted by The North Texas Commission and the Tarrant Regional Water District, will be Thursday, Oct. 20, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency DFW, Terminal C. As outlined in the Texas Water Development Board's draft 2012 Water for Texas plan, the state could experience economic losses from not meeting water supply needs if the current conditions approach a record drought. The economic implications of such an event and Proposition 2, legislation that would address the need for water infrastructure planning, will be addressed at the summit that addresses North Texas' future water supply. Speakers will include Rep. Jim Keffer, chair of the Texas House Committee on Energy Resources, representatives of the City of Dallas, Tarrant Regional Water District, North Texas Municipal Water District and Heather Harward of the H204TEXAS Coalition. There will also be a panel of representatives of major businesses and industries. Limited sponsorships are available. For more information and to register, click here.

A quarterly Texas Notary Law and Procedures seminar sponsored by the Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG) is set for Tuesday, Oct. 18. The seminar will be from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the AACOG offices, 8700 Tesoro Drive, Room #1-01, San Antonio, TX 78217. The training event is specifically for Texas Notaries, current and prospective. The class will cover the following: new legislation from the 81st Legislature, current notary laws, proper record keeping, avoiding official misconduct, administering oaths and acknowledgement, legal procedures and processes of notarization and liability protection practices for notaries and employers. State applications for new applicants and renewing notaries will be available for processing at the seminar. For registration form, click here. For more information, click dixielucey@prodigy.net. 

Executive Women in Texas Government host annual conference

The Executive Women in Texas Government 25th Annual Professional Development Conference will take place Monday, Nov. 21, at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort in Lost Pines, Texas. This year's theme is "Making History. Creating Leaders. Embracing Challenges." This conference will "make history" by marking the 25th anniversary of the annual event. Laura Liswood, Secretary General, Council of Women World Leaders, will deliver the opening keynote address. As advisor to a prominent global investment banking and securities firm, Liswood's career has focused on globalization issues and workforce diversity. Connie K. Duckworth, founder and CEO of ARZU STUDIO HOPE, will be the luncheon keynote speaker. She will share her philosophy of economic empowerment through ARZU's goal of providing sustainable income to Afghan women by sourcing and selling the rugs they weave. The conference features 34 workshops for developing skills as well as opportunities for networking with attendees and sponsors. A highlight of the conference will be the naming of the Woman of the Year, the award going to a recipient who has demonstrated leadership skills, dedication to service and commitment to community. There is a discount for early registration through Oct. 16. For more information on the keynote speakers, workshops sessions, exhibitors and silent auction, click here.

Texas Municipal League Conference, Exhibition set Oct. 11-14

Clute approves $1.68 million for city offices, community center

Clute City Council members recently approved $1.68 million to pay for a new combination community center, a visitor's bureau and city offices. The new community center will house the parks office for the city and features a weight room, city officials said. The new facility replaces a building destroyed three years ago by Hurricane Ike.

Corpus Christi city officials plan to ask groups in Nueces, Aransas and San Patricio counties to partner in applying for a grant to help pay for a plan for environmentally sustainable economic and social growth.

The sustainability plan will involve private and nonprofit groups as well as government entities from the three counties working closely to develop the plan, said Rudy Garza (pictured),  interim assistant city manager in Corpus Christi. Nueces County commissioners agreed to support the grant applications and city officials are working with other government entities and organizations in the three counties to support the grant application, he said.

Aceves retires from Bexar

County, MPO policy board

Bexar County Infrastructure Services Director Joe Aceves plans to step down after more than four decades of public service.

Aceves will also retire from the San Antonio-Bexar County Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Board, which he has served on since February 2006.

His successor in both positions is County Engineer Renee Green.

San Angelo city officials recently won a $500,000 federal grant to assist in attracting a second airline to serve Mathis Field. The grant will be used to promote a public-private partnership to assist with a start-up for a potential second airline, city officials said. It is the only city in Texas to receive the federal grant based on the need to attract a second airline, city officials added.

Former Longview superintendent lands in Illinois for job

Former Longview school district superintendent Arthur Ray Culver (pictured) has been hired to oversee East St. Louis District 189 in Illinois.

Culver, who was Longview superintendent between 1999 and 2002, has led the Community Unit School District in Illinois for the last nine years.

Local firm selected for feasibility study for Corpus Christi facility

The Alice City Council recently selected a Corpus Christi consulting firm to conduct a needs assessment and feasibility study for a multipurpose facility and natatorium.
 

The Corpus Christi firm beat out two other candidates for the position.

Port Aransas airport wins $690,000 for improvements

The Mustang Beach Airport in Port Aransas recently won $690,000 from the Aviation Facilities Grant program of the Texas Transportation Commission. The grant funds will be used to buy a new weather observing system and to upgrade pavement and lighting at the airport, officials said.

Strategic Partnerships seeking additional outside consultants

SPI is seeking additional part-time outside consultants who have experience in city and county government in the Houston area.

Currently, there is a need for procurement consultants who are retired or former elected officials, executives or C-level administrators or decision-makers in local and county government in the Houston area. If you are interested in this part-time opportunity, contact Cayah Haney at chaney@spartnerships.com.

Fredericksburg City Council members recently began studying a proposed $32.6 million Capital Improvement Plan and fleet management program for the city to follow during the next 10 years.

City staff presented a draft of the long-range spending plan that includes a $1.2 million aeration base for the wastewater treatment plant, a new $490,000 compactor for the city landfill and $800,000 for the new animal shelter. The mayor expressed support for the long-range plan, noting that a plan to wisely spend taxpayer money is necessary.

The Texas Association of School Boards recently selected Superintendent John Folks (pictured) of Northside Independent School District as the Superintendent of the Year.

Folks, who served as superintendent for the largest school district in Bexar County since 2002, earned a Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma.

Folks was chosen for the honor from a field of four other finalists that included Thomas Price of Splendora ISD, Gayle Stinson of Lake Dallas ISD, Sharon Shields of La Vega ISD and Michael Stack of Veribest ISD. A committee of school board members from all regions of the state interviewed finalists for the honor before selecting the winner.

Board members of Dripping Springs Water Supply Corporation recently terminated the contract of General Manager Doug Cones. The board also approved a contract including a provision for renewal every 30 days with a management company to operate the water supply corporation until a new general manager is selected.

The management company, which has personnel licensed to operate water supply corporations, will serve as general manager until the water supply company selects a new general manager.

Alamo to train city employees

to resurface city's streets

In a plan Alamo city officials hope will save almost $140,000, Alamo City Manager Luciano Ozuna Jr. said he plans to train more city employees to resurface and repair city streets.

So far his year, city employees have resurfaced about 4 miles of streets, he said. City officials in neighboring cities in the Rio Grande Valley have contacted him to learn more about the program as a way to spend less to repair streets, Ozuna said.

Mount Enterprise Independent School District trustees recently selected Byron Jordan (pictured) as the lone finalist for superintendent.

Jordan, who is now a junior high principal at Big Sandy ISD, will replace Superintendent Dean Evans, who is retiring from the post he held since 2006. Jordan also taught at Gladewater ISD for 12 years. He will begin his new duties on Jan. 1, 2012 once his contract is finalized.

The Texas Forest Service recently awarded more than $25,000 in grant funding for Cisco to buy a new Jaws of Life and new bunker and wild-land gear to replace worn-out and damaged firefighting equipment. The fire department plans to donate its old Jaws of Life to a smaller fire department that does not have that equipment, said Fire Chief Walter Fairbanks.

Standerfer resigns as head of Wichita Fall Development

After only six months on the job, Norm Standerfer recently resigned as director of the Wichita Falls Community Development Department to return to the private sector. Standerfer replaced former director Dave Clark when he retired from that post.

Until city officials hire a new director, Assistant City Manager Kevin Hugman will manage daily operations of the community development department.

Fort Worth assistant city manager Karen Montgomery leaves

Fort Worth Assistant City Manager Karen Montgomery (pictured), who has been with the city since 2006, recently resigned her post.

Her position will not be filled. Instead, the departments she oversaw will be reassigned to other assistant city managers, said Interim City Manager Tom Higgins.

Information Technology will be assigned to Assistant City Manager Susan Alanis, Housing and Economic Development to Assistant City Manager Fernando Costa, Equipment Services to Assistant City Manager Charles Daniel and Budget and Finance to Higgins.

Irving ISD moves forward with pursuit of corporate sponsorships

In an effort to increase revenue after cutting $14 million from this year's budget because of reduced state funding, Irving Independent School District trustees recently agreed to permit the superintendent to negotiate with corporations to place advertisements at some school facilities.

Superintendent Dana Bedden will negotiate contracts, but trustees will provide final approval for each contract negotiated. One possibility for placing advertisements is the display at Lady Bird Johnson Middle School, Bedden said.

The Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) recently selected Bobby Blount (pictured), a school board member at Northside Independent School District, as the winner of the 2011 Celebration of Leadership Award.

An engineer, Blount has served as a trustee for Northside ISD since 1999. He also created and operates the annual Texas Solar Race Car Competition and oversees the National Science Bowl High School and Middle School Regional contests for the U.S. Department of Energy.

• Connie Ware of Marshall, Stephen F. Austin State University Board of Regents;
• Rodney Unruh of Spring Branch, Texas One Call Board;
• Jim Wynn of Midland, Texas One Call Board;
• Jay Zeidman of Houston, Texas One Call Board;
• John T. Steen III of Houston, Texas Racing Commission;
• Valerie Ertz of Dallas, State Commission on Judicial Conduct;
• Patti Johnson of Canyon Lake, State Commission on Judicial Conduct;
• Patricia Elaine Brannon of San Antonio, State Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology;
• Vickie B. Dionne of Nederland, State Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology;
• Sonya Salinas of Mission, State Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology;
• James N. Brookes of Amarillo, Texas Workforce Investment Council;
• Carmen Olivas Graham of El Paso, Texas Workforce Investment Council;
• Robert Hawkins of Bellmead, Texas Workforce Investment Council;
• Sharla Earl Hotchkiss of Midland, Texas Workforce Investment Council;
• Mario R. Anzaldua of Mission, Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee;
• Oralia V. Bazaldua of San Antonio, Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee;
• Donna Burkett of Austin, Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee;
• John Dennison Jr. of Orange, Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee;
• Harris M. Hauser of Houston, Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee;
• Daniel Ray Hernandez of Harlingen, Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee;
• Bob Hillert Jr. of Dallas, Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee;
• Dorinda Martin of Austin, Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee;
• Valerie Robinson of Lubbock, Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee;
• Carl Tapia of Houston, Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee;
• Enrique Castro of El Paso, Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners;
• Janet Gallagher of Pflugerville, Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners;
• Rick Guerra of Austin, Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners;
• Stanley Mathews of Orange, Sabine River Authority Board of Directors;
• Clifford Todd of Carthage, Sabine River Authority Board of Directors;
• George W. Brown III of Beaumont, Jefferson and Orange County Board of Pilot Commissioners;
• Russell Covington of Orange, Jefferson and Orange County Board of Pilot Commissioners;
• William F. Scott of Nederland, Jefferson and Orange County Board of Pilot Commissioners;
• William F. Scott of Nederland, Texas State University System Board of Regents;
• Susan Burton of Addison, Finance Commission of Texas;
• Larry Patton of El Paso, Finance Commission of Texas.

Bicycle routes could soon be

in city of Seguin's future

Seguin officials recently got a first look at a citywide plan for bicycle routes, which has been projected to cost between $15,000 and $20,000.

Officials do not yet know how the path will be financed. There is no space in the fiscal 2012 budget and the city has not applied for grants.

However, there may be space in the 2013 budget and the city can go out for grants from both the government and foundations. 

Lampasas approves $750,000

in bond funds for new fire station

Lampasas City Council members recently approved spending $750,000 in bond funds to pay for a new fire station that provides space for administrative offices, living quarters and storage all in one facility.

The new fire station will replace the existing fire station that has a cracked foundation, a leaking roof and is infested with bats, said Reece Oestreich, fire marshal. Architects should complete the design of the new fire station within the new few weeks, he said. City officials are looking at several sites for the new fire station.

After rejecting bids much higher than the $7.5 million budgeted for a proposed downtown waterfront project, Orange City Council members and Orange Economic Development Corporation officials agreed to seek bids again for the redesigned project.

The redesigned project, which includes a boardwalk, pavilion, shore stabilization and a green area, should cost around $6.2 million, said Jeffrey Carbo, a landscape engineer. The base bid submitted in August was $11.3 million and council rejected all the bids in August.

Athens AISD selects Stiles

as assistant superintendent

Athens Independent School District trustees recently selected Blake Stiles (pictured) as the new assistant superintendent. Superintendent Robert Steeber, who began his new duties on Sept. 15, recommended Stiles for the position.

Stiles, currently the high school principal at Howe ISD, will begin his new duties in Athens on Oct. 24. He replaces Michael Green, who resigned to join Nacogdoches ISD. Stiles began his career in education in 1988.

Cagle named Harris Co. Pct. 4 commissioner replacing Eversole

Veteran Judge "Cactus" Jack Cagle (pictured) was recently appointed Harris County's new Precinct 4 commissioner.

Cagle succeeds Jerry Eversole, who resigned after more than 20 years in office.

Most recently, Cagle served as judge of Harris County Civil Court-at-Law No. 1, a position he was elected to in 2000 and re-elected to in 2002, 2004 and 2010.