CITY OF SAN ANTONIO
GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
MEMORANDUM
TO: Intergovernmental Relations Council Committee
FROM: Jeff Coyle, Director of Government & Public Affairs
SUBJECT: October DC Advocacy Visit Recap
DATE: November 8, 2019
At the Intergovernmental Relations Committee meeting on November 13, 2019, Government & Public Affairs will provide a report on the October 2019 Washington DC visit, to include an update on the action steps and follow-up that has taken place with elected officials and federal agencies.
The advocacy visit took place from October 21-24, 2019. Chairman Manny Pelaez and Councilmember Ana Sandoval participated in the visit. During the visit Councilmembers and staff met with the following federal agencies: the U.S. Department of Transportation; the U.S. Department of Justice; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and; the U.S. Department of Defense - Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA). The topics included support for VIA Transit's BUILD grant submission for the redevelopment of the Robert Thompson Center ($25M); domestic violence prevention funding and the Defense Communities Infrastructure Program (DCIP). In addition, the group met with Congressional Members to discuss the issues above and basing additional F-16 fighter squadrons at Joint Base San Antonio.
Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Grant Request - VIA Transit
IGR group met with U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Deputy Assistant Secretary Anne Reinke to advocate for VIA Transit's BUILD grant submission. VIA is requesting $25 million to redevelop the Robert Thompson Transit Center into a daily station with mixed-use development and making the Center one of the first transit-oriented developments in San Antonio. Our Congressional delegation has submitted support letters on behalf of the project. Since our return, GPA coordinated the preparation of a background document to highlight the proximity of the Robert Thomp...
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