Presidents Corner: December 2020

Howdy WHA Members! 

We hope that you have all had a great Thanksgiving Here at the West Houston Association, we are thankful to have members like you who are passionate and dedicated to our shared vision of a Greater West Houston where everyone can find great experiences and opportunities to live, work and play.  

November has been an important month behind the scenes. While WHA did not have any major forums, committee members have been hard at work on multiple projects. Last month I talked a bit about the work happening in the Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Committee as well as the project in process within the Regional Mobility Committee. We also have a newly started project happening within the Education and Workforce Committee where some of our Engineering company members are working with Houston Community College and other educational partners to identify specific ways to work together to help graduate more engineering majors and meet industry needs. 

Additionally, the USACE’s Buffalo Bayou and Tributaries Resiliency Study (BBTRS) has been a hot topic within our Flood Control Committee and more broadly across the Houston Stronger coalition. After the USACE granted an extensionWHA along with other members of the Houston Stronger coalition have sent in a 39page report of comments and other options to consider. You can read more about this in a recent Houston Chronicle article and more information about the Buffalo Bayou Community Plan will be released via Houston Stronger in mid-December. 

Last week we held our Virtual Awards Event. This event replaced our annual Holiday Party this year since we could not get together in person. Congratulations to Hines’ Grayson Woods and Howard Hughes’ The Woodland Hills for being recognized as Quality Planned Developments and to our Sustainability Stars winners Caldwell Companies and Cinco MUD 1. We also used this opportunity to announce our 2021 Board Members, Committee Leadership, Advisory Board and Emeritus Directors. In 2021 we plan to have an in-person Awards Event in November as a new evening event that you won’t want to miss.   

Thank you to those of you who have already renewed your membership with WHA and those of you who have taken advantage of the newly improved Quality Growth Partners program. We think you will find it simpler and more value enhancing than previous years. If you have any questions about your membership feel free to reach out to me directly or Jennifer Boggs, jennifer@westhouston.org. I encourage you to continue to invest in WHA as we work together to advocate, collaborate and educate to achieve the best quality of life, experience and opportunity in Greater West Houston.