LSA 47 talks infrastructure in San Antonio
LSA 47 hosted an Infrastructure Day, which focused on how the city protects and evolves the foundational structures that contribute to daily life such as transportation, power, and water. The class started their day at Stinson Municipal Airport with San Antonio real estate developer and former San Antonio Chamber of Commerce Board Chairman Marty Wender, who shared with the group the history of critical infrastructure decisions that helped to establish the military and medical industries, as well as the collaborative decisions that contributed greatly to the way we live, work, and play in the Alamo Region today. Wender reminded the class that the most crucial element of infrastructure continues to be the people of this incredible community.
As the class left Stinson Airport and transitioned to San Antonio Water System’s H2Oaks, they were greeted by Army Soldiers who served as crew for Chinooks and Blackhawks out of Fort Cavazos’ 1st Cavalry Division. Class members were excited to experience this once in a life-time opportunity to be shuttled from each location via the aircraft and to see firsthand the skill and talent of these men and women. At H2Oaks, Gavino Ramos and Robert Puente dazzled the class with incredible data regarding how progressive San Antonio is regarding water conservation and capacity of clean water as our community grows. The tour of H2Oaks confirmed the commitment and efforts being made by SAWS to be a leader in the industry and provide clean, affordable water to all.
The class then moved to the Gateway Club on JBSA-Lackland for lunch and a transportation panel moderated by Mike Lynd, which included Jeff Arndt with VIA, Gina Gallegos with TXDOT, and Jesus Saenz with the San Antonio International Airport. They discussed future projects, as well as the reality of the opposition to the projects that will continue to improve our transportation in San Antonio and connecting us to other cities.
Next up, Port San Antonio’s SAMSAT’s Area 21 provided the stage for Mike Howard (Howard Energy), Rudy Garza (CPS Energy) and Retired USAF Col. Chris Cook to discuss cybersecurity and its pertinence to keeping other elements of our infrastructure resilient and strong.
Back at Stinson Airport, Representative Barbara Gervin-Hawkins completed the day by reminding us of the importance of infrastructure funding.