WTAW - Interviews

This podcast is a recording of the Memorial Day program at the Bryan American Legion post 159 on May 27, 2024. The emcee is post commander Dale Hutchcraft. The featured speaker is retired Navy captain LeeRoy Lance Jr. Music before, during, and after the program was provided by a quintet from the Brazos Valley municipal band.

City of College Station parks and recreation marketing coordinator Trey Reeves, recreation supervisor Laurie Brown, and the city's communications director Colin Killian visit with Scott DeLucia on WTAW's The Infomaniacs on May 24, 2024.

Congressman Michael McCaul visits with Scott DeLucia on WTAW's The Infomaniacs May 24, 2024.

Topics includes development on the Texas A&M system's RELLIS campus, foreign affairs, and an upcoming trip to France to observe World War II's D-Day.

This podcast contains comments from the May 23, 2024 Blinn College trustees meeting.

Blinn College's board of trustees took a deep dive at their monthly meeting on Tuesday (May 21) into the construction that continues at the new Bryan campus administration and student services building.

Trustees were told construction of the $31 million dollar building at Villa Maria and Nash is under budget and still on track to open in February of 2025.

The 46,000-square-foot facility will include administrative space, prospective student relations, business services, human resources, and a large meeting room with capacity for up to 300 people. 

Upon completion, Blinn will move out of its current student services location at the Tejas Center in Bryan to bring all services at that location to the Bryan Campus.

The project creates a new campus entry that connects the Administration Building to the rest of campus. Site amenities include a monument sign, circle entry drive and plaza with parking for approximately 10 visitors, pedestrian walkways, and a 180-space parking lot located behind the building.

Following the presentation by assistant vice chancellor of facilities Mark Feldhake, he fielded questions where the majority was about the green space behind the new building. Feldhake said there were no immediate plans to develop that portion of the property.

Chancellor Mary Hensley, who says she comes to Bryan from Brenham two or three times a week, has received positive feedback from members of Blinn's Bryan advisory committee and local community members.

After the presentation, trustees approved more than $1.2 million dollars of purchases for the new building. $770,450 is furniture and $492,500 is for audio-visual equipment.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials shown during the May 21, 2024 Blinn College trustees meeting.

Click HERE to read and download the furniture, fixtures, and equipment purchases that were approved at the May 21, 2024 Blinn College trustees meeting.

Hayden Johnson and Maddie Green of the city of Bryan's parks and recreation department visit with Scott DeLucia on WTAW's The Infomaniacs May 23, 2024 about summertime activities.

This podcast is a visit with Bryan police officer Seth Waller and WTAW's Bill Oliver.

Bryan police is investigating five reports of property crimes at the same senior independent living complex.

Officer Seth Waller says entry was gained through unlocked doors.

All five cases...three on Sunday, one on Monday, and one on Tuesday (May 19-21) were listed as burglaries. Two of the cases involve financial abuse of the elderly, and one involves credit/debit card abuse.

The suspect was reported as being a black female wearing medical scrubs. 

Anyone with information is asked to call BPD detective Arms at 979-209-5540.

Waller reminds residents, regardless of where they live, to lock doors and secure property.

This podcast is a visit with Bryan Texas Utilities (BTU) public information officer Meagan Brown and WTAW's Bill Oliver.

Memorial Day weekend brings several operational changes at Lake Bryan, which is owned by Bryan Texas Utilities (BTU).

That's the result of decisions made by the BTU board during their May regular meeting.

BTU public information officer Meagan Brown says the entry fee has changed from $5 dollars per vehicle to $5 dollars per person 11 years and older. Brown says that is in line with other parks statewide. And the additional revenue will go towards projects that includes this summer's repaving of the parking lot that is closest to the beach.

Another change is that the park entry fee will be paid when visitors leave the park instead of when they arrive. Brown says that is to reduce the line of vehicles that backs up onto Sandy Point Road.

All other fees at Lake Bryan remain the same. 

And there will continue to be no charge for visitors going to the restaurant, as long as they have their restaurant receipt.

Click HERE to read and download Lake Bryan presentation materials during the May 13, 2024 BTU directors meeting.

Bryan mayor Bobby Gutierrez visited with Scott DeLucia on WTAW's The Infomaniacs May 22, 2024.

Topics include signing the real estate agreement for Armalite to build a firearms manufacturing plant and training center in north Bryan, the aftermath of recent flooding rains, the return of Bryan city council public comment periods on items of city business that are not on meeting agendas, the city of Bryan's involvement with the upcoming international soccer match and George Strait concert at Kyle Field, and the city of Bryan's involvement in the Texas A&M system's announcement of building peaker power plants on system property throughout Texas.

LTG Randolph W. House, US Army (Ret.), Chairman, Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial and Roy May Jr., Former Sentinel Guard for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier speak at the dedication ceremony.

This podcast contains comments from the May 14, 2024 Bryan city council meeting.

May's regular meeting of the Bryan city council including four items involving economic development.

One was creating a reinvestment zone on the west side RELLIS campus that would allow property tax breaks. A statement from A&M system chancellor John Sharp that was read by mayor Bobby Gutierrez says the 288 acre reinvestment zone could be the biggest economic development project since the creation of Texas A&M university.

Click HERE to read and download background information about the RELLIS reinvestment zone.

Click HERE to read and download the map showing the location of the RELLIS reinvestment zone.

Click HERE to read and download the ordinance that was approved at the May 14, 2024 Bryan city council meeting.

The council also approved designating the new CertainTeed roofing plant and distribution center as a Texas Enterprise Zone project. That makes CertainTeed eligible to receive tax refunds on qualified expenditures.

Click HERE to read and download background information about the CertainTeed enterprise zone.

Click HERE to read and download the ordinance that was approved at the May 14, 2024 Bryan city council meeting.

A third item also benefitting the CertainTeed facility is finalizing a contract to extend a waterline along Mumford Road. 

Public works director Jayson Barfknecht said the extension will eventually create a loop serving customers in the Texas Triangle Park that includes Axis Pipe and Tube and Kristen Distributing. 

The council approved managing the $1.7 million dollar project that will be paid by the city-county economic development foundation (EDF).

Click HERE to read and download background information about the waterline extension.

Click HERE to read and download the interlocal agreement that was approved at the May 14, 2024 Bryan city council meeting.

And the council also agreed to manage the construction of a $140,000 dollar sewer line extension in Texas Triangle Park, which is owned by the EDF, to property that has been sold to a yet to be identified company.

Click HERE to read and download background information about the sewer line extension.

Click HERE to read and download the interlocal agreement that was approved at the May 14, 2024 Bryan city council meeting.