Howdy WHA Members!
Welcome to another hot summer! Last year broke records, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens this year. I know many of you are on vacation this week and we are well prepared for the high number of “out of office” auto responses we will get sending this out on July 4th, but neither rain nor heat nor federal holiday will stay us from the swift completion of this regular first-Thursday newsletter! For those of you who do read this on the 4th or 5th, here’s some things you can do this weekend to celebrate.
If you missed our Quality Planned Development symposium on June 21st entitled “Building Tomorrow Together,” don’t fret, we are posting a three-part series to summarize takeaways from each of the panel presentations. The first one is in this newsletter: Prosperous Partnerships: Successful Public-Private Collaboration in Land Development. The panel offered valuable insights into successful public-private collaborations in land development. Moderated by Diana Miller (SPH), the discussion featured Anne Sung (HC Pct 4), Mayor Joe Zimmerman (Sugar Land), and Lisa Clark . Together, they explored innovative strategies and real-world examples that are shaping the future of development.
The second part will be on our website by the end of this week, and the third part available a week after that. Both the 2nd and 3rd will be featured in the August newsletter. This month we are also featuring a piece put together by the Sustainable Infrastructure committee on the concept of sustainable parks, featuring examples from the Houston area. Sustainable parks integrate ecological design principles, resource efficiency, and technological innovations. Projects like Buffalo Bayou Park and Emancipation Park demonstrate how sustainability elements can enhance public health, social cohesion, economic viability, and overall quality of life.
While July is a quieter month for us, where are still several WHA committee meetings taking place. Join us July 10th for our Flood Control and Drainage Committee, July 11th for our Education and Workforce Committee, July 15th for our Government Affairs Committee, July 16th for our Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Committee, July 18th for our Quality Planned Development Committee in the morning as well as our Water Resources Committee in the afternoon, and July 22nd for our Regional Mobility Committee.
On August 15th we will be hosting our Annual Flood Control Forum. This year it will have a different twist. Partnerships in Flood Risk Mitigation will feature short presentations by Harry Masterson (EMBER) and Mayor Andy Chan (Southside Place), with each case study discussed by a panel moderated by WHA’s Flood Control and Drainage Vice Chair Alan Black and including Scott Elmer and Steve Costello. The panel will highlight the successes and challenges of collaboration for funding and moving the projects forward. As time is available, the panel will also provide feedback to anyone in the audience with questions about forming partnerships.
Thank you for being part of the West Houston Association! Your involvement is crucial in driving quality planned development, sustainable infrastructure, and ongoing advancement in our community.