President’s Desk: May 2024

Howdy WHA Members! 

Don’t forget that there is not one, but two elections this month. For voters in Harris County, on May 4th there is both an election for three trustee positions for the Harris Central Appraisal District, as well as a vote for who will fill John Whitmire’s former State Senate District 15 term. Then on May 28th there is the primary runoff elections for the November general election 

If you are looking for a way to be involved in our region other than voting, there are several WHA committee meetings in May. Join us on May 2nd for our Education & Workforce Committee as we discuss the future of classroom design and meeting the needs of the healthcare workforce. The 13th for our Government Affairs Committee as we review the Interim Charges and start discussing our next legislative agenda. The 14th for our Sustainable Infrastructure Committee where we are reviewing possible projects for Sustainability Stars Awards. The 16th for our Quality Planned Development Committee where we are putting the final touches on our upcoming event on June 21st. The 16th for our Water Resources Committee which will be taking a tour of the Northeast Water Purification Plant. The 20th for our Regional Mobility Committee which is discussing candidates for our new Regional Mobility Recognition program. Or the 21st for our Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Committee which is meeting at Arthur Storey Park to talk about health benefits of greenspaces.  

If that’s not enough WHA for you, on May 23rd we will have our Rising Leaders’ Topgolf Tournament. This is a great event to show your support for WHA and expand your network of like-minded individuals at the same time. There are limited spots still available! Speaking of Rising Leaders, the 2024 cohort kicked off last Friday, meeting at the Houston Community College’s Katy campus to discuss the past, present, and future of WHA and to start building relationships wither each other and WHA members that will allow them to be leaders in quality growth.   

On June 21st we will be hosting another half-day symposium on Quality Planned Development entitled “Building Tomorrow Together.” Designed for an audience of public and elected officials across the region, the event will include three panels on how to keep development in your ETJ, sustainability of water resources, and funding for water supply projects. This event will also mark the launch of our updated online development map. Last week I was given a demo by BGE; this is going to be a great resource! 

This month we have also launched the new Mobility Recognition Program. The Regional Mobility Committee has been working over the course of the past year on a way to highlight projects that could serve as inspiration for future projects. This program will allow us to demonstrate what quality projects look like as we work to improve mobility across the greater Houston region. 

Another ongoing project is our 2060 Plan Update. Special thanks to the volunteers from across WHA who are working on updates to the 2060 Plan. This is an arduous task that we aim to have this finalized by our Public Officials and Awards Reception taking place October 9th. 

Thank you all for your support of the West Houston Association and working to improve quality of life for the millions of people who live, work, and play across the region!