Airport Receives Additional Grant for Phase 2 Expansion

Congressman Henry Cuellar, (TX-28), presented the City of McAllen with $972,145 in federal funding for the McAllen Miller International Airport, Wednesday.

The funds, made available by the Federal Aviation Administration, will be used for the Phase 2 design of the terminal expansion project, including a drainage master plan study, runway safety study, wildlife hazard assessment and runway rehabilitation.

During his visit, Congressman Cuellar got a close-up look at an ongoing rehabilitation effort made possible through an 11 million dollar grant, presented to the City of McAllen last year.  The work, which adds shoulders to the runway and blast pads, increases safety and the life of the runway, which could be expanded to accomodate larger planes and more cargo traffic.

Miller International Airport Aviation Director Phil Brown said the City of McAllen is currently looking into extending the runway 3 to 10,000 feet.

"That study is ongoing.  It will be done sometime this fall," said Brown.  "In order to take the next step we have to have a favorable benefit cost analysis so we’ll look at the numbers, when the study is completed, talk to the FAA and if the numbers are favorable, the next step will be looking for funding from all the parties involved to be able to afford it.”

In addition to the runway improvements, the terminal will also be expanded.

“We are adding three gates so we will expand the concourse out to add three additional gates," Brown said.  "We’re also going to expand the security checkpoint which is undersized right now for the demand.  We will be adding an inbound bag belt, we’ll be expanding the outbound bag belt where they do the security check of the baggage, as well as expand our administrative offices.”

The new design, expected to be completed by the Fall of this year, will also include addition of new concessions and retail shops.

The airport recently acquired new bomb detection equipment for outgoing baggage and expects to add full body scan imagery technology by the beginning of July.  

"Active to Extremely Active" Hurricane Season Expected

Courtesy: NOAA

An “active to extremely active” hurricane season is expected for the Atlantic Basin this year according to the seasonal outlook issued by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center – a division of the National Weather Service. As with every hurricane season, this outlook underscores the importance of having a hurricane preparedness plan in place.

Across the entire Atlantic Basin for the six-month season, which begins June 1, NOAA is projecting a 70 percent probability of the following ranges:

14 to 23 Named Storms (top winds of 39 mph or higher), including: 
8 to 14 Hurricanes (top winds of 74 mph or higher), of which: 
3 to 7 could be Major Hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of at least 111 mph)

"If this outlook holds true, this season could be one of the more active on record,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “The greater likelihood of storms brings an increased risk of a landfall. In short, we urge everyone to be prepared.”

The outlook ranges exceed the seasonal average of 11 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes. Expected factors supporting this outlook are:

Upper atmospheric winds conducive for storms. Wind shear, which can tear apart storms, will be weaker since El Niño in the eastern Pacific has dissipated. Strong wind shear helped suppress storm development during the 2009 hurricane season.

Warm Atlantic Ocean water. Sea surface temperatures are expected to remain above average where storms often develop and move across the Atlantic. Record warm temperatures – up to four degrees Fahrenheit above average – are now present in this region.

High activity era continues. Since 1995, the tropical multi-decadal signal has brought favorable ocean and atmospheric conditions in sync, leading to more active hurricane seasons. Eight of the last 15 seasons rank in the top ten for the most named storms with 2005 in first place with 28 named storms. 

Mayor Cortez Encourages Support For Operation Care Drop

View Image GalleryMayor Richard Cortez, representatives from IBC Bank, H-E-B, 710 KURV radio and several community leaders gathered Monday for the official kick-off of Operation Care Drop, a community wide initiative supporting our service men and women overseas through a care package donation drive.

Through Operation Care Drop, which runs from Memorial Day weekend through July 4, area residents can purchase pre-packaged care bags from an H-E-B store with an IBC branch, or they can make a personal donation at participating IBC branches.

To help pack and ship the goods overseas to servicemen and women, IBC and H-E-B are working with Operation Interdependence, the premier Civilian-to-Military Delivery System in the U.S.

For more information about Operation Care Drop, contact Felix Garcia at (956) 632-3589.

RGV Showcase Football Camp Registration Now Available

The McAllen Parks and Recreation Department will once again host the RGV’s most comprehensive and advanced football camp.  Instructors will be college coaches and athletes from across the country.  This camp is a great opportunity to learn from coaches and allows athletes to prepare themselves for next season and beyond. Players should wear workout gear and bring both court and turf shoes.  All campers will receive a t-shirt, daily breakfast and lunch.

LOCATION: McAllen Memorial Stadium, 2001 N. Bicentennial Blvd
DATES: June 14-16       CLASS #: 350965.06
TIMES: 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
FEE:  $55.00 (individual registration fee before June 7)
$75.00 (by June 13) 
$80.00 (day of event registration fee)
Note: 10% discount to schools registering 10 or more. (make checks payable to City of McAllen);
REGISTRATION: Deadline is June 11; late registration accepted  until 8:00 a.m. on June  14
AGE: Open to individuals entering 7th-12th Grade.
High School graduates are not eligible to participate.

Contact the McAllen Parks & Recreation Department at (956) 681-3333 for more information.

McAllen Keeps Growing Jobs; Jobless Rate Lowest In Region

McAllen has grown more than 2,000 jobs since this time last year indicating that the city’s economy remains robust, is still expanding and is reflective of the lowest unemployment rate in the region, according to a Texas Workforce Commission report.

The report, which released the latest job market numbers for cities and counties in Texas from April 2010, shows McAllen’s unemployment rate has dropped three of the first four months this year. McAllen’s 7.7 percent unemployment rate is the lowest this year (from 8.1 in January).

And the city keeps growing jobs. The 59,255 people employed in McAllen in April 2010 are the most in city’s history and are 2,018 more than April 2009 – and 805 more than in March of this year. The numbers are consistent with over all state growth as Texas added 32,500 non-agricultural jobs in April.

McAllen’s 7.7 city unemployment rate is lower than all major Rio Grande Valley municipalities and lower than other major cities such as Houston (8.3), Laredo (8.4), Fort Worth (8.5), El Paso (8.6), Dallas (8.7), and Beaumont (9.6).

Hidalgo County, which has the highest unemployment rate among metro areas in Texas at 11.1 percent, also grew jobs and dropped its unemployment rate for the fourth month in a row (12.2 in January). Hidalgo County has about 9,400 more people working than it did in April of 2009.

Texas’ unemployment rate rose slightly in April to 8.3 percent. The national unemployment rate is 9.9 percent.