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Message from the Chapter President

Dear TxAPA members,

Welcome and Happy New Year! I am honored to serve as president of the Texas Chapter and want to congratulate all of our new officers at both the chapter and section level. As many of you know, we had a great conference in Galveston last fall and I have no doubt that this year’s conference in Frisco will be even better. I thank all the many volunteers that make our annual Texas Chapter conferences the best in the U.S. (that’s a quote from a national officer by the way!) 

I had the opportunity to be in Washington D.C. for Planner’s Day on the Hill the day the government shut down. Many of our meetings with legislators went surprisingly as planned focusing on topics such as HUD and Transportation funding, CDBG, TIGER grants, Choice Neighborhood.…It was definitely exciting to see how programs we all use are fought for on a national scale. 

We have so many quality programs coming up and educational events. I hope you all will take advantage of the many things APA offers. I’m a big believer in continuous improvement, so if there is anything I can do for you or ways we can serve you better, please don’t hesitate to contact me. 

Sincerely,

Wendy Shabay

APA, Texas Chapter President
Freese and Nichols, Inc.
wds@freese.com

Save the Date for 2014 APA Texas Chapter Planning Conference and Short Course

Join us in Frisco for the APA Texas Chapter Conference on October 15-18, 2014, at the Frisco Conference Center & Embassy Suites Hotel.  Plans are already underway for the 2014 State Planning Conference and Short Course, including exciting sessions, mobile workshops, plenary and luncheon speakers, and social events.  The Short Course offers training for Planning commissioners and elected officials.   Planning Award recipients will be recognized at the Friday Awards Luncheon.  AICP members have the opportunity to receive up to 12.5 hours of Certification Maintenance credits during the conference. 

Conference registration will begin this summer. Watch the APA Texas Chapter website for further information about the conference.  www.txplanning.org  See you in October!

Texas APA Planners Participate with Future City Competition

Over the past few months, several Texas APA planners from the Midwest and North Central Sections have been participating with the National Engineers Week Future City Competition. The Future City Completion is a national, project-based learning experience where students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade imagine, design, and build cities of the future. Students work as a team with an educator and engineer mentor to plan cities using SimCity™ software; research and write solutions to an engineering problem; build tabletop scale models with recycled materials; and present their ideas before judges at a regional competition. Two regional competitions are held in Texas each year; one in Houston and another in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. The Dallas-Fort Worth region held its regional competition on Saturday, January 25th at the University of Texas at Arlington...Read More.

Propose a Conference Session

The Call for Session Proposals for the APA Texas Chapter 2014 Conference is now open. The Conference Committee is inviting proposals for speakers and presentations to be included in the conference program.  The conference will include a range of topics and speakers with a variety of experiences and backgrounds, including leading experts and practitioners, as well as young and emerging professionals with new ideas. 

The Call for Session Proposals form is available on the APA Texas Chapter website here. The form includes a link that will submit the completed form via e-mail.   The deadline for session proposals is March 31, 2014.  For further information, see the Session Proposal form. 

APA-Texas Chapter to Establish Emerging Planning Leaders Group

The Texas Chapter of APA is seeking volunteers to assist with the establishment of an emerging planning leaders group for the State. The mission of the emerging planning leaders group is to provide a unique multi-disciplinary forum for professionals to build relationships, learn from one another, and develop the skills and knowledge needed to become the next generation of successful planning leaders in the State of Texas. If you are interested in serving on the steering committee, please contact Doug McDonald at dougm@plano.govThe organization is open to all APA-Texas Chapter members.

Be a Conference Sponsor and Exhibitor

Are you or your organization interested in becoming a sponsor or exhibitor for the conference? The APA Texas State Planning Conference is the annual statewide event for planners and community leaders seeking to improve planning for their communities.  Last year over 800 persons attended in Galveston.  Sponsors and exhibitors have the opportunity to show their services, successful plans, and professional qualifications and experience.  Further information about sponsor and exhibitor opportunities is available on the APA Texas Chapter website or click the following links to download the forms: Sponsor / Exhibitor

AICP Exam Workshop

This AICP Workshop will provide an overview of what to expect from the AICP Exam.

Saturday, March 29, 2014, 10 - 4:30 p.m. in Arlington, Texas
Registration fee:  $60.00 (Includes workshop materials and lunch)

For more information visit the APA Texas website.

Midwest Section Recognizes Nine Projects and Advocates


On January 31, 2014, the Midwest Section hosted their 24th Annual Awards Banquet in Fort Worth, Texas. Nearly 100 planners and friends were in attendance to recognize planning projects and planning advocates from around the section. The Midwest Section would like to congratulate the following winners…Read More.

Obituaries

Robert S. Cornish, FAICP
Robert "Bob" Cornish was born in Minneapolis on April 28, 1925. Early years were spent in Minnesota, Montana and South Dakota then moving with his family to California for high school...Read more.

James Toal
Urban planner James Toal had his hands in most of the city’s largest development projects during the past several decades. But the one most associated with his name — and the one closest to his heart — would be redevelopment of the Trinity River through Tarrant County...Read more.