June 2009 AACOG Region Newsletter

AACOG will host the Semiannual Meeting of the Area Council and Board of Directors on Wednesday, June 24, 2009, in the Al J. Notzon III Board Room, 8700 Tesoro Drive, Suite 100, San Antonio, TX. AACOG will announce the winners of the 2009 AACOG Regional Awards at a special ceremony and reception following the meeting at approximately 2 p.m. We will also be recognizing outgoing AACOG Board Members and Advisory Committee Chairs at the reception. For more information, contact Community Relations Coordinator Tiffany Harris at (210) 362-5204 or tharris@aacog.com.

This monthly feature in the AACOG Region Newsletter spotlights our AACOG Board Members. This month features Frio County Judge Carlos A. Garcia, who has served on the AACOG Board since 1998. He is also an active member of the Alamo Area Development Corporation, the Alamo Area Housing Finance Corporation; and AACOG's Alamo Senior Advisory, Area Judges, and Community Affairs Committees.

Please tell us about your education and career highlights: I am a proud graduate of Pearsall High School, and spent two years at an area business college. I have served as County Judge since 1994. On October 28, 2003, I was recognized by the County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas as a county official who cares about the community and seeks to do more than the job requires.

What do you like best about your work as the County Judge for Frio County? I enjoy communicating with constituents as a whole and working to help resolve their needs.

What is the best advice you’ve received working as an elected official? Do not promise anything you cannot deliver.

What excites you about being an AACOG Board member? I have enjoyed experiencing the ability to participate with a board that has such broad authority to help every jurisdiction.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? Fishing!

What would people be surprised to know about you? I am a recipient of a kidney donation of life.

How has AACOG assisted you in the development of a public transit system in your county? Frio County and the City of Pearsall are enjoying the benefits of a public transit system made possible by a Job-Access Reverse Commute grant administered by AACOG's Alamo Area Development Corporation and Alamo Regional Transit.

Congressmen Henry Cuellar and Ciro Rodriguez recently announced that the recent federal economic recovery bill continues to pump money into the Bexar County economy, this time with more than $26 million to help residents in the San Antonio area and adjoining counties make their homes more energy efficient.

The funding is headed to the City of San Antonio, which will receive $12.3 million, and AACOG, which will receive $14.3 million, for their Weatherization Assistance Programs. The program assists families in making homes energy efficient, including replacement of appliances, windows and doors, insulation, etc. These funds are available for families whose income is up to 200 percent of the poverty level, and priority will be given to households with small children under the age of 6, those with an elderly resident, or those with a disabled person. Qualifying households may receive up to $6,500.

Read this entire article.

As part of the national movement to promote the "Aging in Place" Initiative, which is aimed at helping older Americans remain in their communities, the San Antonio region has been selected to host one in a series of national workshops sponsored by MetLife Foundation, Partners for Livable Communities, and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging. The workshop will be co-hosted by AACOG's Alamo & Bexar Area Agencies on Aging, the City of San Antonio, and the WellMed Charitable Foundation.

The workshop will be held on Thursday, June 11, 2009, from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, 1300 Guadalupe Street, San Antonio, TX 78207.

The local discussion will complement the dynamic national conversation taking place on aging and will highlight the creative work already occurring in the region to make it a first-rate place for all age groups. This workshop is a unique opportunity for local leaders to begin looking at the region and to hear how other communities have begun to create livable communities.

In preparation for this, local leaders are calling for strategies to help strengthen "Aging in Place" services. Workshop speakers and panelists will focus on assets already in place and how they can be improved, particularly health and wellness, social integration, planning and mobility. For more information on this workshop contact Debbie Billa at (210) 362-5240 or visit www.aginginplaceinitiative.org/SanAntonio.

AACOG and the San Antonio-Bexar County Metropolitan Planning Organization joined forces to encourage businesses and other organizations to remove over two tons of air pollution this June during the 2009 Walk & Roll Corporate Challenge. The Challenge promotes smart transportation choices, i.e., alternatives to single-occupant vehicle commutes. Organizations can improve transportation and air quality by encouraging employees to avoid driving alone whenever possible and log their commuting “smart miles” in June. Smart miles include walking, cycling, busing, and car/vanpooling to and from work; telecommuting for meetings or other work-related activities; and eating in for lunch. Large and small organizations with the best record at the end of June will receive the Walk & Roll Commuters Challenge Cup.

Employees participating in the Corporate Challenge log their smart miles from June 1 to June 30. Agencies, businesses, schools, and other employers in the 12-county AACOG region (Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Frio, Gillespie, Guadalupe, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Medina, and Wilson) are invited to participate. Employers may register for the challenge by contacting AACOG Projects Manager Brenda Williams at (210) 362-5246 or bwilliams@aacog.com and appointing a Project Officer. Upon registration, employees may visit www.rcride.com to sign up for the challenge. Participants should visit the site frequently to log their smart miles during the month.

The 2009 Challenge focuses on improving air quality as part of the Big Push – a joint initiative recently launched by the Austin and San Antonio regions to benefit our air quality, environment, and economy. One of the best ways your organization can participate in the Big Push is by accepting the Walk & Roll Corporate Challenge. If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Brenda Williams please call (210) 362-5246 or email bwilliams@aacog.com.

AACOG will sponsor a one-day newly elected officials workshop on Tuesday, June 30, 2009, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Registration from 8-8:30 a.m.) in AACOG’s Al J. Notzon III Board Room, 8700 Tesoro Drive, Suite 100, San Antonio. The workshop will cover such topics as the duties and responsibilities of elected officials; introduction to city government; roles of the mayor and council; budgeting and financial management; legal issues such as open meetings; open records, purchasing and conflict of interest; and a panel on media relations. There is a $5 charge for this workshop. To register, call Cora Kimble at (210) 362-5243.

On June 19, 2009, from 8 to 11:30 a.m., AACOG and CPS Energy will host a quarterly Economic Development Professionals Meeting at the CPS Energy Training Center, 4514 Frank Bryant Lane, San Antonio, TX. Topics will include Economic Development Partners for the San Antonio/Bexar County Metropolitan Area, the pursuit of renewable energy electricity sources, utilities' impact on local economic development efforts, and energy assessments. To receive the agenda and/or if if you are interested in attending, contact Joe Ramos at (210) 362-5212 or jramos@aacog.com.

More than 180 representatives of nonprofit organizations, local, city, county and regional agencies, corporations, businesses, and companies attended the First Annual Spring Event held by the Alamo Service Connection (ASC), May 18 in the Rosenberg Sky Room, University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio.

AACOG Executive Director Mrs. Gloria Arriaga opened the program and served as Mistress of Ceremonies. The group heard remarks by Sterling Neuman, ASC Steering Committee Chair; a brief PowerPoint presentation on the current ASC achievements by Martha Ramirez, Access and Assistance Coordinator; and Valerie Houston, Region 8 Director of Long Term Services and Support for the Texas Dept. of Aging and Disability Services (DADS), representing the nine ASC partners. Read this article

AACOG would like to invite all local government representatives and purchasing staff to a free workshop to introduce attendees to the State of Texas Cooperative Purchasing Program. The workshop will be held on Thursday, July 23, 2009, from 9 to 11 a.m. in AACOG's Al J. Notzon III Board Room, 8700 Tesoro Drive, Suite 100, San Antonio, TX 78217.

Attendees will learn about the benefits and resources available to program members, as well as how this program can help them save time and money. The workshop will also allow attendees to get acquainted with the state's new TXSmartBuy online purchasing system. The presentation will be given by Charlene Rendon, State of Texas CO-OP Program Coordinator - a certified Texas purchaser. For more information, contact Charlene at (512) 463-3336 or charlene.rendon@cpa.state.tx.us.

In Memory of Former Frio County Judge/AACOG Board Member Sid Williams III

The AACOG Region Newsletter is compiled and distributed monthly
by Tiffany Harris, AACOG Public Relations.