2014/12/23
City news,
features
and
updates
December 23,
2014 This Week in Huntsville Holiday reminders - page 2
In this issue...
Web site redesign - page 3
City Council recently voted to move forward on a development agreement with Containment Solutions, Inc., a
decision which is envisioned to bring both industry and additional employment opportunities to Huntsville.
The project will entail the construction of a new 100,000 square foot manufacturing facility to produce fiberglass
underground storage tanks. The location of the facility is slated for American Legion Road, off of FM 2821.
The anticipated start date for construction is during the second quarter of 2015.
“I am very pleased the Council has approved moving forward on this project,” said Mayor Mac Woodward. “This
industrial project will provide good jobs with strong benefits, and it will add value to our tax rolls and hopefully
residents to our community.”
During the December 16 City Council meeting, Director of Community and Economic Development Aron Kulhavy
presented detailed information on the project, including total cost and the anticipated number of employees.
“The project would initially require an estimated $12 million investment in land, buildings and equipment,” Kulhavy
said. “In its fifth year, the company plans to add two additional molds for storage tank creation which will facilitate
a 50 percent increase in production as a whole.
“With respect to staffing levels, Containment Solutions plans to employ approximately 65 hourly employees and 10
salaried employees initially, and the average annual hourly salary with benefits is estimated at $60,000.”
Kulhavy also outlined a proposed incentive package which would address both infrastructure development and job
creation for Walker County residents.
“The City proposes using a cash rebate incentive for this project,” he said. “The first portion of the incentive,
estimated at $300,000, would be a reimbursement for infrastructure development, i.e. water, sewer and streets to
the project location.
“The second portion would be for job creation for Walker County residents, wherein for a period of three years a
cash payment would be made to the company in the amount of $2,500 per employed Walker County resident. The
total cap for all incentives would be $650,000.”
For more information, visit Containment Solutions Web site at http://www.containmentsolutions.com.
We appreciate you, This Week
in Huntsville readers!!
Council approves development agreement
Containment Solutions slated to begin construction in 2015
With readership hitting record levels, new opportunities to spotlight City programs and
partnerships and a range of special issues released during 2014, it has been an incredible year
for the City’s digital publication!
With a new year just around the corner, we want to hear from YOU, our faithful readers, about
what we could do to make the publication even better!
Are there stories or types of information you wish we would cover? Have any of our special
issues – from the Texas Department of Transportation feature released in March to the disaster
kit preparation issue released in August to the holiday issue of late November – sparked
interest in any other areas?
Let us know! Contact the City Secretary’s office at (936) 291-5403 or (936) 291-5413 or via
email at citysecretary@huntsvilletx.gov
City staff take part in leadership academy - page 4
MAJOR PROJECTS UNDER CONSTRUCTION
List includes Project - Valuation - Location
Hampton Inn Hotel - $4,000,000.00 - 120 Ravenwood Village Dr
Apartments - $569,480.00 - 1239 20th Street
Physical Therapy Clinic - $340,000.00 - 540 IH 45 S, Suite C
Retail Space Finish Out – Ross - $990,135.00 - 249 B IH 45 S
Retail Space Shell (TBD) - $486,000.00 - 245 IH 45 S
Multi-Family Dwellings - 2 Duplexes - $602,530.00 - 3109 Elks Dr
Lease Space Finish- Offices - $150,000.00 - 168 Col Etheredge Blvd Ste B
Multi-Family Dwellings- Four Units - $140,000.00 - 1400 Sycamore Ave
35' x 278' Airplane Hangar - $210,000.00 - 831 Airport Dr
Medical Imaging Center - $268,000.00 - 540 IH 45 S, Ste B
Lumber Shed - $120,000.00 - 936 SH 190, Bldg A
Commercial Warehouse - $40,000.00 - 1396 SH 75 N
Medical Clinic Finish Out (DaVita Dialysis) - $49,000.00 - 521 IH 45 S Ste 20
Interior Finish- Office - $30,000.00 - 861 SH 19
Interior Finish- Museum - $10,000.00 - 1501 University Ave
Medical Clinic- Site & Shell Only - $200,000.00 - 3231 Woodward Dr
Retail Space Finish Out - Sally Beauty - $78,000.00 - 245 IH 45 S, Ste E
Retaining Wall - $400,000.00 - 2000 Sycamore Ave
New Commercial Warehouse - $115,000.00 - 7130 F SH 75 S
Lease Space Finish- Offices - $6,000.00 - 266 FM 247 B
Lease Space Finish- Retail - $6,000.00 - 266 FM 247 C
Fire Repair of Apartment Building - $75,000.00 - 700 Hickory Dr
New Retail Sales (Stripes) - $1,200,000.00 - 2530 Sam Houston Ave
New Multi-Family Dwellings (4 Buildings) - $7,000,000.00 - 2000 Sycamore Ave
New Retail Sales (Smiley's #2) - $600,000.00 - 104 SH 190
Lease Space Finish- Restaurant - $257,000.00 - 2023 Sam Houston Ave, Ste B
New Retail Sales (Kroger) - $10,500,000.00 - 223 IH 45 S
New Retail Sales (Smiley's #3) - $650,000.00 - 3612 Montgomery Rd
CVS Drop Box - $80,000.00 - 2433 Sam Houston Ave
New Commercial Building - $500,000.00 - 3639 Daisy Ln
Solid Waste/Recycling holiday closures - Residential and commercial users affected
Christmas holiday
The City of Huntsville Solid Waste Transfer Station will observe the Christmas holiday on Wednesday, December 24, 2014 and
Thursday, December 25, 2014. Due to closure for the Christmas holiday, there will be no regularly scheduled heavy trash pick-
up on Wednesday, December 24, 2014. There will be commercial garbage pickup for that date.
There will be no collection residentially or commercially on Thursday, December 25, 2014. Only on the following Monday or
Tuesday collection days will excess bagged garbage outside of the residential garbage carts be collected. Customers with
collection on Thursday, December 25, 2014 will have recycling collected on the following Thursday, January 1, 2014.
Businesses (commercial customers) with a Thursday, December 25, 2014 collection day and with commercial dumpsters, roll-
offs or compactors will be collected on Wednesday, December 24, 2014 or Friday, December 26, 2014.
The Solid Waste Disposal and Recycling Facility will be closed to the public on Wednesday, December 24, 2014 and Thursday,
December 25, 2014. The Recycling Drop-Off Center, located at 590 IH-45 North, will be closed to the public on Wednesday,
December 24, 2014 and Thursday, December 25, 2014.
New Year’s Day
The City of Huntsville Solid Waste Transfer Station will be open for business on New Year’s Day, Thursday, January 1, 2015.
There will be regularly scheduled collection both residentially and commercially. The Recycling Facility will be closed.
If you have any questions about the garbage collection, the Solid Waste Transfer Facility, or the Recycling Drop-Off Center,
please call the Solid Waste Division at 936-294-5743.
The Streets Department will pick up
Christmas trees (not artificial) at the street’s
edge from Monday, January 5, 2015 through
Friday, January 9, 2015 only. All trees must
be on the curb by Monday, January 5, 2015.
“Our Streets Department will drive down
every street in Huntsville once between
January 5 and January 9 to collect non-
artificial Christmas trees, so it is important
that if anyone wants their tree removed, they
have it outside by the morning of January 5,”
said Esther Herklotz, Solid Waste Services
superintendent. “When preparing a tree for
pick-up, make sure all ornaments, tinsel and
foil are removed because the trees will be
going into a green composting pile.”
City residents may also take their Christmas
trees (not artificial) to the Solid Waste
Disposal Facility, free of charge with their
current City of Huntsville residential utility
bill, during regular business hours.
Christmas trees (not artificial) must be
unloaded at the brush pile only.
Christmas tree disposal -
January 5
The City of Huntsville is in the process of
creating two new Web sites – one for the
organization as a whole and a second for
the Tourism and Cultural Services
Department.
According to Chris Vasquez, Information
Technology Director, the new Web sites
will be developed through CivicPlus
following a cross-departmental study of
the existing pages.
“We have put together a team of 15 City
employees from all of the City’s major
departments to work together on
designing and optimizing our new Web
sites,” Vasquez said. “To begin the
process, we’re asking all team members to
review various Web sites created by
CivicPlus and make a note of their likes
and dislikes on each page.
“This will help us determine how we would
like our new site to look and function.”
Vasquez said during the site review, the
members of the staff team will each pay
particular attention to their areas of
expertise, looking for the best tools and
methods of organization used on the
sample sites.
“We want our team to look not only at
visual elements, like color schemes and
overall design, but also at functional
elements like menus, site tools and links,”
he said. “This will ensure that we end up
with Web sites that not only draw in our
users, but make it easy for them to find
the information they need.”
The same team will also be responsible for
narrowing down the material to be
included on the new sites, Vasquez said.
“After reviewing other sites created by
CivicPlus, we’re also asking the team to
review their respective departments’
pages to determine what material –
whether it is currently available or should
be added – should be integrated into the
new pages to maximize utility,” he said.
Once the staff team has completed its
review of the sample sites and the City’s
current Web material, the next step will be
relaying the findings to CivicPlus and
beginning the development process.
Vasquez said the entire redesign effort
should take approximately six months to
complete, meaning the new sites could be
up and running by Summer 2015.
For more information, contact Vasquez at
(936) 291-5429.
City, Tourism Web site redesign underway
Cross-departmental staff team working together to build new pages
The Web site redesign process will also involve the collection of
photographs from in and around Huntsville, and staff is currently
working to gather strong, visually appealing photos for use on the new
pages.
Do you have a photo you would like to see featured on our new Web
site, or perhaps on one of the City’s social media pages? Send it our
way by January 5!
For more information, contact the City Secretary’s office at (936) 291-
5403 or (936) 291-5413.
City seeking
photos!
New Year’s Eve safety for partygoers and party throwers
If you are attending New Year's Eve
parties and celebrations:
•If you drink, don't drive.
•Plan ahead and always designate a
sober driver before the party or
celebration begins.
•If you are impaired, call a taxi, use
mass transit, or get a sober friend or
family member to come pick you up.
Or, stay where you are until you are
sober.
•Take the keys from someone if you
think he/she is too impaired to drive.
If you are hosting a New Year's Eve
party:
•Plan ahead by naming a "designated
driver." Make this your responsibility as
the host.
•Contact a local cab company to
provide rides for your guests.
•Serve non-alcoholic beverages as an
option to your guests.
•Stop serving alcohol to your guests
several hours before the party ends.
•Provide your guests with a place to
stay overnight in your home.
Source: USA.gov
City employees Chris Vasquez and Marla Diers are currently taking
part in a nine-month leadership academy sponsored by Sam
Houston State University, working with representatives from several
major Walker County entities.
The High Potential Employee Leadership Academy – which is in its
second year – involves a series of monthly development sessions
that address key leadership topics and specific focus groups.
The program, which began in August 2014, will continue through
May 2015.
“This leadership academy has been a wonderful experience – I
really feel like I’ve grown,” said Vasquez, who serves as the
Information Technology Director for the City. “The best part for me
has been building a relationship with the mentor you’re assigned as
part of the program.
“My mentor – Bill Dawley, a senior Vice President with Amegy Bank
– has given me a lot of great insight on how to handle a large
workload, be less stressed and just be a better person overall.”
Diers, whose program mentor is Huntsville attorney Hope Knight,
also said the opportunity to learn from a seasoned professional is
highly valuable.
“Hope and I meet on a regular basis to discuss leadership topics
and styles,” said Diers, who serves as the Human Resources
Manager for the City. “I feel I’ve gained valuable knowledge and
perspective from getting to know her.”
The program, which includes nine unique leadership
experiences, brings individuals from a range of major entities
together for courses on development, organizational culture,
decision making and more.
“Being a part of this experience has allowed me to meet people
I would never have known otherwise,” Vasquez said. “I’ve had
the opportunity to meet and work with leaders from the Texas
Department of Criminal Justice, Huntsville Independent School
District, Sam Houston and many more.”
Diers said she has also enjoyed the diversity of the classes, with
respect to both the range of experiences afforded to
participants and the guest speakers who work with the
program.
“Leadership Academy participants interact as a team to work
through ‘mock’ real life experiences while hearing from
individuals who have weathered similar challenges,” she said.
“From City Manager Matt Benoit to TDCJ Executive Director
Brad Livingston, these speakers have shown us the true nature
of leading, supporting and impacting an organization.”
For more information on the leadership academy, visit http://
www.shsu.edu/dept/leadership/.
City
employees
Marla Diers
and Chris
Vasquez
began the
High Potential
Employee
Leadership
Academy in
August 2014.
Human Resources Director Julie O’Connell speaks to participants of the
High Potential Employee Leadership Academy during a mock City
Council meeting on December 11.
City employees take part in SHSU Leadership Academy