Best Practices

Webinars

This series seeks to showcase various tools and best practices available to communities and highlight good examples within the aggregates and concrete industry.

May 2025

Citizen Advisory Councils

TRAM and a diverse panel of local leaders, industry representatives, and community advocates came together to share best practices for forming and sustaining Citizen Advisory Councils (CACs) in areas experiencing growth in Aggregate Production Operations (APOs). These councils help improve transparency, strengthen community relationships, and guide responsible development.

Panelists included:

Jill Shackelford, Experienced Asphalt & Mining Owner/Operator, Consultant to Communities and Industry
Mayor Lisa Swint, City of Garden Ridge
Tara Bushnoe, General Manager, Upper Guadalupe River Authority
Leslie Mackay & Kevin Stone, Martin Marietta Materials
Arthur Galindo & Dee Beasley, RA Materials
Michael Spano & Dr. Christina Schwerdtfeger, Coalition for Responsible Environmental Aggregate Mining (CREAM)

View and download webinar slides here.

March 2024

Outdoor Lighting and the Aggregates Industry

TRAM, Audubon Texas, and Lauren Concrete (Dripping Springs) partnered to present some best practices for effective and efficient outdoor lighting in the aggregates and concrete industries. These lighting practices improve quality of life for neighbors, reduce blinding glare for workers on site and for people driving by, and diminish environmental impacts of operations, including to migratory birds in Texas.

October 2023

Local Zoning Codes for Addressing Concrete Batch Plants

TRAM and the City of Dallas Environmental Commission partnered on October 26 for a panel discussion about Dallas’ new zoning code for addressing concrete batch plants (CBP). Topics covered include:

TCEQ permitting process for CBPs
Addressing when CBPs are sited near sensitive population groups, like schools, hospitals, and neighborhoods
Tips for how communities can apply such land use tools as Specific Use or Conditional Use Permits when zoning regulation is lacking.