September 2008 AACOG Region Newsletter

The 2009 edition of Business Images of the Alamo Area (www.imagesalamoarea.com), the official economic development publication of Alamo Area Council of Governments, will publish in March 2009.

Business Images of the Alamo Area is a vibrant, newsstand-quality magazine that showcases the best of the Alamo Area area through its people, places and progressive business climate. With all new, original photography and editorial features, the 2009 edition will focus on specific areas of business and economic development; education; industrial, commercial and land offerings; sports and recreation; health care and quality of life. It will be used all year for the purpose of promoting the region to new businesses and prospective new residents and employees. Read this article.

This monthly feature in the AACOG Region Newsletter spotlights our AACOG Board members. This month we introduce AACOG Board Member, City of San Antonio Councilman Louis Rowe.

Please tell us about your career highlights and education: I attended the University of Texas and am a proud Longhorn. My career too is something that I am very proud of. I have been with the same company since 1974 and thoroughly enjoy my work. Since 1991 I have had the honor of leading Goetting and Associates and have put my heart and soul into seeing us prosper. We have seen phenomenal growth the past two decades and I am certainly proud to have been a part of that. Of course none of it would have been possible without the wonderful people who work at Goetting. Read this article.

Grant applications for the Alamo Area Council of Governments’ Regional 2009-2010 TxCDBG Community Development (CDBG) grant funds are due to the Office of Rural Community Affairs (ORCA) by 5 p.m., September 30, 2008.

AACOG recently released the Regional Review Committee’s (RRC) 2009-2010 Guidebook. The Guidebook provides applicants from the AACOG region with the guidelines necessary to be scored under the Alamo Area RRC scoring criteria. The application is available on the Office of Rural Community Affairs website at www.orca.state.tx.us. Application questions should be directed to: Mark Wyatt, Director of Community Development, Office of Rural Community Affairs, Texas Community Development Block Grant Program, PO Box 12877, Capitol Station, Austin, Texas 78711.

While seeking residential placement assistance for his autistic 36-year-old son, Don Brummet was referred to the Alamo Service Connection (ASC) by an acquaintance. Soon after, the retired Air Force recruiter called the number provided to him and spoke to Martha Ramirez, Access and Assistance Coordinator for the Bexar Area Agency on Aging.

“I had already made a number of calls to a lot of people, but no one was able to help me,” Brummet says. “I spoke to Martha Ramirez, and she was the first person to really help and point me in the right direction to get assistance for my son.” Read this article.

To promote a better quality of life and to remove hundreds of pounds of pollution from our air, AACOG and the San Antonio-Bexar County Metropolitan Planning Organization challenge area citizens to log 200,000 “smart” miles of walking, bicycling, busing, or carpooling/vanpooling this September. “Smart” miles improve your health, reduce traffic, and save gas and money. Prizes will be awarded to the individuals who log the most miles in each of the four competition categories (Cycling, Walking, Busing, and Carpooling/Vanpooling) in an awards ceremony during the Live Green Fest in Olmos Basin Park on October 11, 2008. For more information about the Challenge, click here or visit www.walkandrollchallenge.com.

ATTENTION SENIORS WHO HAVE NOT YET APPLIED FOR YOUR ECONOMIC STIMULUS PAYMENT! You are eligible if you have received at least $3,000 in 2007 from wage earnings, veteran's benefits, or social security payments. You may be eligible to receive a $300 stimulus payment. Don't wait! The deadline to submit your tax return is October 15, 2008.

Alamo Area Agency on Aging staff will be available at several locations throughout the region in September to provide you with free assistance in submitting your tax return. To find a session near you, view AACOG's community calendar or contact Alamo AAA at 1-866-231-4922. Digital TV coupons and assistance with receiving extra help for prescription drugs will also be available. Be sure to bring your 1099 form for social security.

Each year, AACOG recognizes businesses, schools, and other organizations that have joined the clean air effort and are already making outstanding attempts to help reduce air pollution, whether through energy-saving or sustainable business practices, employee commute assistance, educational programs, or process modification. Those who attain this award enjoy positive attention from the news media and inclusion in AACOG’s Region Newsletter. An awards ceremony and press event will be held to honor awardees in December.

To apply, fill out the Environmental Stewardship Award application, and return it electronically to aprosterman@aacog.com or mail it to: AACOG, Attn: Annette Prosterman, 8700 Tesoro Drive, Suite 700, San Antonio, TX 78217-6228. The deadline for receipt of applications is September 23, 2008. If you have any questions, call (210) 362-5213. We appreciate your efforts to help keep our region’s air clean and healthy.

AACOG will be conducting a Free Foreclosure Prevention Workshop on Tuesday, September 23 from 5 to 9 p.m. in the Boerne Convention and Community Center located at 820 Adler Street in Boerne. This is AACOG's second such workshop; the first was held in Kerrville earlier this summer. Several banks and mortgage lenders will be participating to help Boerne and San Antonio area homeowners from having to foreclose on their homes. Banks, lenders and organizations participating include Wells Fargo, Chase, Countrywide, HUD, Consumer Credit Counseling Services of San Antonio, the City of San Antonio and AACOG. For more information, call Chris Villa in the AACOG Housing Department at (210) 362-5245.

The U.S. Department of Energy predicts electricity prices, nationally, will increase by 5% in 2008 and by 10% in 2009. For public facilities, rising energy costs can wreak havoc with already-strained budgets. Public entities can mitigate the rising cost of electricity by implementing measures that result in wiser energy use.

AACOG with support from the State Energy Conservation Office will conduct a one-day Energy Efficiency Workshop for Public Facilities on September 19th to present measures that can significantly reduce an organization’s energy consumption. This free workshop will demonstrate how to use energy efficiency to reduce costs and comply with state law. Energy managers, facilities directors, maintenance and administrative personnel are encouraged to attend and learn about the latest trends in green building, sustainability, lighting and windows, energy management, and more.

The workshop will be held from 9 am to 4 pm in AACOG’s Al J. Notzon III Board Room at 8700 Tesoro Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78217. Lunch is provided to attendees at no charge. For more information contact Brenda Williams at (210) 362-5246 or bwilliams@aacog.com.

Planning is already underway as AACOG prepares to host the Texas Association of Regional Councils (TARC) Conference on Regionalism from September 15-17, 2010. Local organizations have an opportunity to support and participate in the 2010 conference through a variety of sponsorship levels. Sponsors will have access to over 400 decision-makers from across the state and their families and guests. From exhibit space to conference signage, the sponsorship levels accommodate businesses of all sizes and provide generous benefits to donors.

For more information on sponsorship packages, contact Brenda Williams at (210) 362-5246 or bwilliams@aacog.com.

The Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG) is seeking public comment on its Five-Year/Annual PHA (Public Housing Authority) Plan for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program. The Plan can be accessed by clicking here. A Public Hearing to receive written or oral comments is scheduled for Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. at AACOG's Al J. Notzon III Board Room, 8700 Tesoro Drive, Suite 100, San Antonio, TX 78217. For a copy of the Plan or information call 1-800-749-2010, extension 284 or (210) 362-5284. Written comments can be mailed to the AACOG Section 8 Program, 8700 Tesoro Drive, Suite 700, San Antonio, TX 78217 or faxed to (210) 225-5937.

Trish Slaton, an Administrative Assistant with AACOG's Alamo Area Agency on Aging, became the first employee to join the new VIA EZ Rider Program. She says she has been riding the bus more often than before since receiving her sticker, which she wears on her AACOG badge. The sticker allows her to ride the bus at no cost to her. A group of her department's staff are planning a trip down to the Riverwalk for dinner soon, all courtesy of their new free bus passes. To date, 62 AACOG employees have registered for the program, and the numbers keep growing. Its a great way for AACOG employees to save money on gas, and do their part in keeping the region's air clean. To find out more about the EZ Rider Program, click here.

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