WTAW - Interviews

Bryan Deputy City Manager Joey Dunn visits with WTAW’s The Infomaniacs on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, to discuss department changes, A.I. collaboration and security, comprehensive plans, and more.

This podcast contains comments from the president of the Greater Brazos Partnership, Tom Johnson, at the May 18, 2026 meeting of the Brazos County intergovernmental committee.

The Bryan based regional economic development agency that includes Grimes County has talked with officials at SpaceX for two months about the proposed semiconductor manufacturing and advanced computing fabrication facility at Gibbons Creek lake. 

The president of the Greater Brazos Partnership (GBP), Tom Johnson, told officials from Bryan and College Station at the May 18 meeting of the Brazos County intergovernmental committee (IGC) that Grimes County is not a lock for what could be a $174 billion dollar project.

Johnson also said the Space X numbers are bigger than Samsung's operations in Taylor.
A strategic economic analysis by the GBP projects that the operational phase of the SpaceX facility alone will generate a total economic output exceeding $2 billion over its first ten years. That's based on the initial construction phase of $119 billion dollars...a figure that could rise to $174 billion. 

The GBP's ten year forecast of SpaceX operations also shows:

• The regional economic output driven by the facility is projected to reach over $2 billion cumulatively by 2038.

• Local workers are projected to see a cumulative $1 billion in earnings over the first decade of operations.

• The project scales in phases, growing to more than 2,000 regional jobs sustained by the facility's operations by year ten.

• By 2038, the project is expected to contribute over $350 million in economic output annually to the regional economy.

News release from the Greater Brazos Partnership:

Following the announcement of the potential SpaceX Terafab semiconductor facility in Grimes County, the Greater Brazos Partnership has conducted a strategic economic analysis detailing the transformational benefits the project will bring to the regional economy. The Partnership's study projects that the operational phase of the facility alone will generate a total economic output exceeding $2 billion over its first ten years. 
 
This analysis focuses exclusively on the long-term, day-to-day operations of the facility. It is important to note that these figures do not include the additional, massive economic infusion expected during the initial construction phase of the $119 billion project, which will represent one of the largest capital investments in Texas history. 
 
“We have been in conversations with SpaceX,” said Tom Johnson, President and CEO of the Greater Brazos Partnership. "Our own independent analysis confirms that this isn't just a national security priority; it is a generational economic engine for working families across the Greater Brazos region. Over a ten-year period, we expect the operations alone to pump nearly $1 billion in cumulative earnings directly into the regional workforce — wages that will strengthen households and communities across the region. When you combine these operational totals with the staggering scale of the initial construction investment, the impact is transformative at a scale that could only happen in Texas." 
 
Key findings from the Partnership's 10-year operational forecast include:

• The regional economic output driven by the facility is projected to reach over $2 billion cumulatively by 2038.

• Local workers are projected to see a cumulative $1 billion in earnings over the first decade of operations.

• The project scales in phases, growing to more than 2,000 regional jobs sustained by the facility's operations by year ten.

• By 2038, the project is expected to contribute over $350 million in economic output annually to the regional economy.

“The Terafab represents a fundamental shift in our regional economic trajectory,” Johnson added. “While the $119 billion construction and infrastructure phase will provide a massive immediate boost, it is the $2 billion in sustained operational output that will ensure the Greater Brazos region remains a global leader in the semiconductor supply chain for decades to come.”
 

This podcast contains comments from the May 18, 2026 College Station city council meeting.

A city of College Station recreation center has been before the city council since 2023.

Monday night (May 18) at the end of one hour of discussion, there was a consensus to hold a bond election in 2027 to gauge voter interest.

Councilwoman Melissa McIlhaney initiated the idea after saying she did not want to pay anymore money to consultants and she does not want more staff time devoted to the project.

Councilmembers were told building a center could cost as much as $91 million dollars and it could cost almost $4 million dollars a year to operate it.One unresolved issue is what the center would offer.

The council also did not recommend a location. That's after the council appointed parks and recreation board recommended city owned land in the Midtown district and a council appointed steering committee chose the former Macy's store property that the city also owns. A third option brought up by both groups and the council's consultant is buying land at Fitch and Victoria.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the May 18, 2026 College Station city council meeting.

This podcast contains comments from the May 18, 2026 College Station city council meeting.

Two items affecting College Station ISD were unanimously approved at Monday night's (May 18) College Station city council meeting.

The council is spending up to $316,000 dollars to build three raised crosswalks on Welsh Avenue near Consolidated High School. 

Design engineer Veronica Morgan, representing CSISD, thanked city staff for their part in ensuring construction will be completed before the start of the next school year.

Click HERE to read and download background information on the contract to build raised crosswalks on Welsh near Consolidated High School.

And the council agreed to drop plans to extend Pavillion Avenue, which is a side street off the northbound freeway frontage road between Carmax and Cooper's barbecue. Morgan said the request was made because the dead end street is the site of the district's new administration building.

Click HERE to read and download background information about deleting the extension of Pavillion Avenue from the city's comprehensive plan.

This podcast contains comments from the May 5, 2026 Bryan city council workshop meeting.

More asphalt paving is coming in Bryan. That's after the city council approved two additions following a discussion at this month's (May 5) workshop meeting.

Public works director Jayson Barfknecht says 29th Street in front of St. Joseph's hospital need to be repaved.

And a gravel road at Coulter Field airport needed to be paved because the gravel was getting on the runway.

City manager Andrew Nelson and councilman Jared Salvato were part of the conversation before the unanimous vote.

The additions, at a cost of nearly $196,000 dollars are part of a more than $2.8 million dollar contract that was approved almost two years ago where repaving and reconstruction have been completed on 56 streets in Bryan totaling about 22 lane miles.

Click HERE to read and download background information about the additional paving projects.

This podcast contains comments from the May 5, 2026 joint meeting of the Bryan city council and Bryan Business Council.

This is the fourth year that the Bryan Business Council (BBC) and the city council has been discussing a trolley service between downtown Bryan and the Northgate district.

Whitney Wright, who chairs the BBC's tourism subcommittee, included the project during this month's (May 5) annual joint meeting with the council.

Bryan mayor Bobby Gutierrez asked Wright to contact the chamber of commerce to take the lead on that project.

Those attending a Brazos Transit District (BTD) committee meeting in January were told there is no funding source to operate the trolleys, which was estimated at more than $300,000 thousand dollars for each trolley. BTD did receive a $1.4 million dollar grant to buy the trolleys.

This podcast is a visit with Brazos County elections administrator Trudy Hancock and WTAW's Bill Oliver.

This podcast is a recording of the ceremonial groundbreaking program at the site of the city of Bryan's Midtown Legacy Park on May 18, 2026.

The ceremonial groundbreaking has taken place inside Bryan's Midtown Park for what will be known at Midtown Legacy Park.

What was described as an "epic and destination" playground will have 119 play components.

Click HERE to read and download renderings of the Midtown Legacy Park equipment, provided by the city of Bryan.

Funding for the $4.5 million project comes from a $2 million dollar Darwood Foundation grant, represented by Doug and Kayla French of Bryan.

Speakers at Monday's (May 18) groundbreaking program included Doug French, mayor Bobby Gutierrez, city manager Andrew Nelson...who was mayor at the time the project was created...and Eric Edwards of the company that will be installing the equipment.

Edwards says installation will begin around June 1 with the goal of giving the city "an early Christmas present" by beating the city's January 1 deadline.

Additional information provided by the city of Bryan:Midtown Legacy Park

Playground Data:

• 32,349 square feet of playground, pavilions and sidewalks
• 12,031 square feet of shade, including sail structures and pavilions
• 119 play components
• 58 elevated play components
• 39 elevated components accessible by ramp
• 61 ground level components
• Designated areas for babies and toddlers to play
• Five bays of swings, with integrated shade
• A 360-degree view of Travis Bryan Midtown Park from the top component
• 23,425 square feet of improved surfacing
• 1,905 square feet of artificial turf for berms
• 21,520 square feet of poured-in-place rubber shock-absorbing surface
• Three shaded pavilions with picnic tables, including two 20' x 40' pavilions and one 20' x 20' pavilion

Additional furnishings include:
• 7 tables
• 14 benches
• 7 trash cans
• 4 bike racks
• 3 grills
• A restroom is planned as a separate part of the projectFinancial Data:

• Total contract amount: $4,589,398.46

• Donation from The Darwood Foundation (comprised of Doug and Kara French and Stylecraft Builders, Inc.): $2,000,000

City of Bryan Travis Field General Manager Brady Bell and Marketing Intern Travis Triola visits with WTAW’s The Infomaniacs on Monday, May 18, 2026, to talk about the Yard Dogs, Travis Field, Travis Major Field, upcoming events, and more.

This podcast is a visit with the president of the Bryan/College Station chamber of commerce Glen Brewer and WTAW's Bill Oliver.

For decades, a group of Bryan/College Station chamber of commerce members and local government leaders spend the better part of a week lobbying federal lawmakers in Washington D.C. 

More than 30 people made this week's trip to present the chamber's legislative action plan, which addresses local issues that includes transportation, health care, education, and economic development.

Chamber president Glen Brewer said the delegation received updates from lawmakers and the White House liaison to Congress.

And those who made the trip split up and contacted both of Texas U.S. senators, all members of the state's congressional delegation, and the chairs of committees controlling issues that are local priorities.

The photo attached to this podcast is courtesy of the office of U.S. Senator John Cornyn.