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It Depends on Us... Another year lies before us like an unwritten page,
an unspent coin, an unwalked road. What the pages will read, what treasures
will be gained in exchange for time, or what we find along the way,
will largely depend on us.
~Esther Baldwin York
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 ECT Elects Officers for 2008
The
Envision Central Texas Board of Directors recently announced that Jim Walker,
AICP, second from right, will serve as ECT chairman in 2008. Jim succeeds Fritz Steiner, dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, center, who served as chairman of ECT in 2006 and 2007. Jim is the executive
director of the Central Texas Sustainability Indicators Project and served as ECT chair-elect
in 2007 and on ECT's Executive Committee and Board of Directors
since its inception in 2001. Other ECT officers
elected for 2008 include Chair-Elect Travis Froehlich, vice president of
strategic planning for Seton Family of Hospitals, second from left; Secretary Betty Voights, executive
director, Capital Area Council of Governments, far right; and, Treasurer Cid Galindo,
principal, The Galindo Group, far left. Read more... |
Toolbox, Greenprint and Vision Progress Assessment are Highlights of 08 Work Plan
 The new year means new initiatives for ECT and new resources for the region! First out of the gate in January will be the Quality Growth Toolbox, an online compendium of more than 100 different planning tools and resources that provides effective, context sensitive strategies and approaches to achieve quality growth goals that align with the principles articulated in the ECT Vision. Another key project in '08 is the Central Texas Greenprint for Growth, a proactive tool for conservation planning that involves sophisticated computer modeling using Geographic Information Systems data layers combined with local conservation goals to help communities make strategic, objective decisions about land conservation priorities. ECT will also complete the Vision Progress Assessment which will provide a detailed look at the progress that the region has made toward the concepts, principles and values described in the Vision and identify the key priorities for moving forward. In addition to these major projects, ECT will continue to fulfill its critical role as a catalyst for regional cooperation on planning issues through educational events and forums, resources and planning tools, and the work of our implementation committees. Read more about our 2008 Program of Work...
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CNU Previews Speaker Lineup for  National Conference in Austin
Pulitzer Prize winning author Robert Caro, former mayor of San Antonio and HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros and uber planner Andres Duany are just a few of the more than 200 expert speakers scheduled for presentations, debates and seminars at the Congress for the New Urbanism's national conference planned for April 2-6 in Austin. For more information about CNU's New Urbanism and the Booming Metropolis conference click here for their new brochure or click here to register.
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Celebrate Success with the 2008 ECT Community Stewardship Awards
The outstanding people, projects and initiatives that are "making the Vision real" will be spotlighted once again at the Third Annual Envision Central Texas Community Stewardship Awards Luncheon set for Friday, May 2, 2008 in the Governors' Ballroom at the Hilton Austin at 500 East 4th Street in downtown Austin. Check out the Call for Entries to learn more about the awards and how to submit an application for your favorite initiative. Applications will be available online from January 2 to February 22. It is also a great time to consider a Table Sponsorship at the May luncheon, as this event will likely be another sell out! We are also seeking submissions from local artists to create an original art piece for the 2008 Awards. For more information email Diane Miller at dmiller@envisioncentraltexas.org
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Nine New Directors Join ECT Boar dNine new members were elected
to a three-year term on the Envision Central Texas Board of Directors on November 7. They are Steve Box, executive director, Environmental Stewardship; Mark
Diaz, superintendent, Manor ISD; Peter French, director of
operations, Plum Creek Development; Senator Glenn Hegar,Texas
District 18, pictured at right; Kirk
London, superintendent, Hays Consolidated ISD; Susan Darr Merrick,
director-external affairs, AT&T; and, Walter Moreau, executive
director, Foundation Communities. Also, elected to fill two unexpired board
terms are John Rosato, Southwest Strategies and Dick Kallerman,
Sierra Club. See the entire 2008 ECT Board of Directors...
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Building Connections for O ur Future
ECT continues to foster cooperation and collaboration among regional organizations and governments in order to maximize progress toward the Regional Vision. With that goal in mind, board members and special guests of Envision Central Texa s, the Real Estate Council of Austin and the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin participated in a guided tour and networking reception on December 12 at the new Dell Children's Medical Center located in the Mueller Redevelopment Project. Pictured from left to right at top are President and CEO Charles Barnett, Seton Family of Hospitals; ECT Chair-Elect Jim Walker, Central Texas Sustainability Indicators Project; Vice Chair-Elect Travis Froehlich, Seton Family of Hospitals; and President and CEO Robert Bonar, Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas. From left to right above are Pete Dwyer, Dwyer Realty Companies and Terry Mitchell, Momark Development.
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ECT Convenes Planner Roundtable
 On December 7, ECT's Community Outreach Committee led by Co-Chairs Tom Yantis, City of Georgetown, and Travis Froehlich, Seton Family of Hospitals, convened a Planner Roundtable attended by 25 representatives from various jurisdictions and planning agencies across the five-county Central Texas Region. The purpose of the meeting was to bring together planning professionals from around the region to share information, discuss challenges, learn about how others are addressing important growth-related issues and form relationships with peers. ECT's aim is to convene these Planner Roundtables twice a year and build the agenda based on issues that are important to the participants. This meeting focused on designing an ongoing meeting structure, determining issues of common interest, current ECT initiatives and a presentation about a Google Earth Growth Visualization tool that CAPCOG has developed. For information about the next meeting, contact Diane Miller at dmiller@envisioncentraltexas.org.
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Downtown San Marcos preserves past while looking toward future
This is the third in a series of articles about the 2007 ECT Community Stewardship Award recipients.
Finding a balance between progress and preservation can be daunting, but the rehabilitation of several key historic buildings in downtown San Marcos proved it's possible. Award recipients for the Redevelopment category of the 2007 ECT Community Stewardship Awards, Dennis and Dawna Figol of Global Rock Investments, Ltd., began the purchase and rehabilitation of the Old First State Bank Building, the A.B. Rogers Furniture Store and the Keeton-Griffin Building in 2003. Today, these significant buildings on the Downtown Square have new lives and offer a mix of uses for local citizens while preserving their historic character. Read more...
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Newest ECT Contributors
Other Recent Contributors:
Valarie Bristol
Pete Dwyer
Jackie Goodman
Texas Bicycle Coalition
Mark Williams
H.T. Wright
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