CITY OF HOUSTON AWARDED FEDERAL RECONNECTING COMMUNITIES PLANNING GRANT FOR GULFTON AND BEYOND STUDY

The United States Department of Transportation announced the City of Houston will receive $552,160 in federal funding through the Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) grant program for the Reconnecting Communities: Gulfton and Beyond Study.

The grant will fund a community-driven planning process to engage residents and design future connections between Gulfton and crucial destinations currently separated by freeways and busy thoroughfares. This study directly supports the City of Houston’s Gulfton Complete Communities Action Plan and will build from recently completed improvements to Hillcroft Avenue.

“Gulfton is Houston’s most densely populated, diverse, and transit-dependent neighborhood, but its residents face many physical barriers in getting around their neighborhood,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said in reference to the Southwest Freeway, Westpark Tollway and other busy throughfares. “I thank the United States Department of Transportation for committing funds to address these barriers and propose workable solutions.”

Reconnecting Communities is the first-ever federal program dedicated to reconnecting communities like Gulfton that were previously cut off from economic opportunities by transportation infrastructure. The study will allow the City of Houston Planning and

Development Department to conduct a 12-month planning process to study and design connections across these barriers by working with residents and agency partners.

The Reconnecting Communities: Gulfton and Beyond Study will build from the recently completed Gulfton streets with new crossings, bikeways, and transit stops. The study will propose future extensions of this project to connect to crucial destinations including: with new crossings, bikeways, and transit stops. The study will propose future extensions of this project to connect to crucial destinations including:

Wisdom High School

Hillcroft Transit Center

Mahatma Gandhi District

Brays Bayou Greenway Trail

“Gulfton is a vibrant part of Texas’ Seventh Congressional District, and I am thrilled that the U.S. Department of Transportation will award the City of Houston more than half a million dollars for the Reconnecting Communities: Gulfton and Beyond Study,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher.

“This investment in Houston’s most dense and transit-dependent neighborhood will enhance multimodal accessibility, increase economic opportunities, and improve overall wellbeing for surrounding communities, enabling Houstonians to travel safely to and from work, school, and other destinations,” sulting firm Tripp Umbach to measure its economic impact and community benefit.

“This report allows us to provide our peers, community leaders and general public with specific details and verified data that illustrate the productive role Harris Health plays in the overall economic landscape of this county and the state,” says Harris Health President and CEO Esmaeil Porsa, MD. “Such a positive economic impact is extraordinary, especially when considering the challenges facing our hospitals and clinics over the past three years during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fletcher said. “I was glad to partner with City and Gulfton community leaders to advocate for this grant, and I look forward to continuing our work with together to bring improvements of all kinds back home.”

During the grant application process, the City of Houston worked in collaboration with the following elected officials, community partners and stakeholders:

U.S Representative Lizzie Fletcher (TX-7)

Texas State Senator Borris Miles (District 13) Texas State Representative Gene Wu (District 147)

City of Houston Council Member Edward Pollard (District J) employers in our community, and the report clearly shows the substantial financial benefit to the community that Harris Health’s hospitals and clinics provide.”

The report’s key takeaways, include:

Every $1 Harris Health receives in ad valorem tax revenue generates $5.89 within the county’s economy

Harris Health supports 34,396 direct and indirect jobs throughout Texas, with 29,237 of those jobs in Harris County.

City of Houston Council Member

Tiffany Thomas (District F)

Harris County Precinct 4

Texas Department of Transportation

Harris County Toll Road Authority

Southwest Management District

Gulfton Management District

Gulfton Super Neighborhood Council

Connect Community

Air Alliance Houston

BikeHouston

LINK Houston

Neighborhoods to Trails Southwest

Learn more about the Reconnecting Communities: Gulfton and Beyond Study.

HARRIS HEALTH SUPPORTS MORE THAN 34,000 DIRECT AND INDIRECT JOBS; PUMPS $5.7 BILLION INTO HARRIS COUNTY AND TEXAS ECONOMY By StyleMagazine.com - Newswire generated and the ripple effect in other businesses throughout the economy are tremendous, providing a more than 5-to-1 return on local tax investment. The study clearly demonstrates that Harris Health is a major player in economic health of Harris County and Texas.”

Areport released by Harris Health System shows its public healthcare mission to be a prominent contributor to the Houston-area economy with an economic impact of $4.8 billion to Harris County alone, and another $900 million in impact spread across the state of Texas.

To quantify the economic impact generated by Harris Health within Harris County and the state of Texas, Harris Health retained independent con-

“We’ve always measured the health interventions we’ve provided members of our community, but this is the first time we’ve looked at what our system means to the economic health of our community.”

“Hospitals act as economic engines and generate huge financial impacts for the communities they serve,” says Patrick Jankowski, chief economist, Greater Houston Partnership. “In this instance, they are one of the largest

One in every 70 jobs held by persons in Harris County is directly or indirectly related to Harris Health.

Harris Health in FY2022 saved more than $1.8 billion in healthcare costs, resulting in $2.30 in healthcare cost savings to Harris County taxpayers for every $1 in county taxes collected.

“These numbers show our hospitals and clinics do much more than just provide quality medical care,” adds Porsa. “The employment and income

Titled “The Economic Impact of the Harris Health System on Harris County and the State of Texas,” the study can be found on the organization’s website: harrishealth.org. The 30-page report measured Harris Health’s direct and indirect impact in the following categories:

Business Volume Impacts (capital expenditures, operational expenditures and payroll)

Direct, indirect and induced employment impacts

State and local tax impacts

Read more at StyleMagazine.com

The 2023 Rodeo Uncorked! Champion Wine Auction & Dinner was held at NRG Center today. Enthusiastic supporters gathered for the annual event, where winning wines from the 2023 Rodeo Uncorked! International Wine Competition were auctioned.

The 2023 Rodeo Uncorked! International Wine Competition Grand