HCA HOSTS HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT 2 COMMISSIONER ADRIAN GARCIA

HCA HOSTS HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT 2 COMMISSIONER ADRIAN GARCIA

The Houston Contractors Association was proud to welcome Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia of Harris County Precinct 2 as the keynote speaker for the July luncheon.  Prior to being Commissioner, Garcia served as a Harris County Police Officer, was appointed to Houston City Council, was confirmed as Mayor Pro-Tem, and was elected as Harris County Sheriff – the largest sheriff’s office in Texas and third in the United States.  In Garcia’s new role as Precinct 2 Commissioner, he is not only representing 1.1 million people, but working for the very precinct that he was born and raised in.  Throughout his speech, his devotion to his constituents and community was pleasantly apparent. 

Commissioner Garcia opened by recognizing the Houston Contractors Association and its members for their involvement in current construction projects in Harris County which positively affects his precinct both directly and indirectly, as well as HCA’s continued effort of promoting employment opportunities for the people of Harris County.  He stated that the values of working hard and, more importantly, giving back to his community were instilled in him early in his life, and he stated that he sees the same traits present in HCA.

Garcia stated that offering employment opportunities to his constituents is his chief objective.  He shared that his precinct has the lowest medium income of all of Harris County, lowest homeownership rate in Harris County, highest number of children and families without health insurance in Harris County, lowest education attainment rate in Harris County, and highest rate of diagnosed cancer in the state of Texas.  With this, Garcia intimated that the betterment of his constituents is contingent on both flood control projects and infrastructure projects conducted within his precinct. 

First, the Commissioner stated that his precinct is on the down-stream side of the county and receives 70% of the county’s water runoff and, consequently, was devastatingly affected by the 500-year flooding from Hurricane Harvey.  Representing a precinct of low-income neighborhoods that are located in flood-prone zones and in close proximity to Houston’s refineries and chemical plant facilities, Garcia’s constituents are more at-risk for disastrous outcomes due to lack of flood control.  Harris County elected officials have an obligation to address flooding, said Garcia. 

Secondly, Garcia asserted that there must be investments made in the Port of Houston, but more so than the currently proposed projects.  As one of the world’s largest ports and the busiest in the nation, Houston’s port is critical to the economic security in the region.  As such, to maintain its competitiveness, the Port of Houston Authority plans to make considerable infrastructure improvements.  The highly anticipated project is to deepen and widen Houston’s ship channel.  Located in the Commissioner’s precinct, he acknowledged the potential benefits these enhancements will have for his district in terms of boosting the economy and increasing employment rates, however, Garcia warned that it would all be for naught if a key factor that affect the port continues to be neglected – upgrading the roadways surrounding the Port of Houston. 

As Houston’s port undertakes these new expansions in preparation for the anticipated increase in the volume of imports as a result of the Panama Canal expansion project, failing to address the need for road expansions and lack of bridges will have wasted the Port of Houston Authority’s investments.  Currently, 18-wheelers are battling traffic along-side civilian commuters on Interstate 610 and I-10, the John Ralston Bridge is unable to accommodate mega-tankers, and the two-lane Washburn Tunnel will further constrain the already congested transportation routes.  Garcia proposed what he deemed logical solutions.  He advocated for both I-610 and I-10 to offer designated freight lanes and bridges to coexist with the commuter traffic.  Garcia stated that if these solutions are not implemented, Houston will be unable to handle the increase in imports and freight transportation. 

In closing, Garcia stated that the neighboring port cities in Texas and other states are only inferior by so much.  The strength of Houston’s economy and the job security for many of his constituents are dependent on the superiority of the Port of Houston. 

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