Howdy WHA Members!
The elections in May were more than just runoffs as some of the cities within the WHA footprint have elected new Mayors. Dusty Thiele in Katy, Erica Gillum in Hempstead, Lori Klein Quinn in Tomball, and Ron Leverett in Prairie View. We hope they all join us at our Public & Elected Officials Reception on September 8th.
May was also an event filled month for WHA. On May 6th, WHA committee leaders Tim Buscha (IDS Engineering) and Alia Vinson (ABHR) served on a Flood Planning panel at the Houston Stronger public meeting. During the second week of May, the Government Affairs committee started discussing our potential Legislative Agenda for the 2023 session and the Sustainable Infrastructure committee talked about how to share their work with public and elected officials locally.
On May 19th, the Water Resources committee discussed how supply chain issues have led to new innovations in wastewater treatment and are planning to focus on these issues at future meetings. Additionally, WHA collaborated with Westchase, Memorial City, Energy Corridor, and International management districts on a webinar hosted by HGAC entitled “The Future is Flexible – West Houston” that explored post-pandemic trends, hybrid work, and what flexibility can look like in the workspace.
On May 20th, WHA held the second session for this year’s Rising Leaders class on Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces, which included attending the Nature Fix Panel Chat at Bridgeland hosted by Howard Hughes. The panel featured Nature Fix author Florence Williams, and WHA members Tricia Brasseaux (Howard Hughes Corporation) & Matt Baumgarten (SWA Group) discussing the restorative benefits of nature to individuals and communities.
On May 26th, on behalf of the West Houston Association, I moderated a discussion on flooding hosted by the Houston West Chamber of Commerce featuring Commissioner Cagle, President of the Gulf Coast Protection District Michel Bechtel, and Chair of the WHA Flood Control and Drainage Committee, Tim Buscha (IDS Engineering).
We wrapped up the month with our 2nd Annual Rising Leaders Topgolf Tournament. The event, entitled “Who’s Your Caddy?” was hosted by Rising Leaders classes 5 & 6. The sold-out tournament was attended by over 200 people representing an array of industries from across the greater West Houston region. Thank you to WHA staff, Jennifer Boggs and Ryann Mahoney for all the work they put into the event, as well as our WHA Rising Leaders and our title sponsor, D.L. Meacham Construction!
Double check your calendars as we have two upcoming events that you won’t want to miss. On June 14th we are hosting a special forum on Water Infrastructure policy and planning where we will hear from leaders of three different special districts: Harris –Galveston Subsidence District, Coastal Water Authority, and Gulf Coast Protection District. Then on July 14th Sanjay Ramabhadran, newly appointed METRO Board Chair, will address the question, “What is the Future of Mass Transit in West Houston?”
There are also several committee meetings this month: Sustainable Infrastructure on June 8th with special guest Lisa Lin (Director of Sustainability for Harris County), Flood Control & Drainage on June 13, Quality Planned Development on June 16th, Regional Mobility on June 20th with representatives from HGAC to talk about the 2045 Regional Transportation Plan Update, Parks Recreation and Open Spaces on June 28th. If you would like to be added to the email list or calendar invites for any committees, please let us know.
Thank you for your support of the West Houston Association and working to improve quality of life for the 2,000,000+ people who live, work, and play across the Greater West Houston region!