WTAW - Interviews

City of College Station Chief Development Officer Michael Ostrowski visits with WTAW’s Scott DeLucia to review the chamber of commerce economic outlook conference, the city’s economic development master plan, midtown development near Costco, data centers, housing and business infrastructure, average pay in College Station, and more during his appearance on The Infomaniacs on Friday, January 30, 2026.

This podcast contains comments from the January 22, 2026 College Station city council meeting.

Expansion plans at Twin Oaks landfill, which is owned by the cities of College Station and Bryan, was brought up at the end of the last College Station city council meeting on January 22nd.

Councilman Mark Smith, who is on the board that operates the landfill for the jointly owned Brazos Valley Solid Waste Management Agency (BVSWMA), said with the large amount of tonnage coming in, more office and shop space will be needed.

This is in addition to BVSWMA's three to six year process with the state to expand landfill capacity, which was brought up by mayor John Nichols.

This podcast contains comments from the January 13, 2026 Bryan city council workshop meeting.

The Bryan city council during this month's workshop meeting (January 13) directed public works director Jayson Barfknecht to contact the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) of the city's interest in adding traffic signals to replace the Texas Avenue median at the intersection of Brookside Drive and Garden Acres Boulevard.

Barfknecht told WTAW News on Monday (January 26) that "TxDOT was notified of the City Council’s decision to approve the signal at this location. TxDOT is working with their contractor to get the signal implemented based on my conversations."

There is no timetable for when the signals will be installed.

Background information given to the council shows the signal was first proposed in 2017.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the January 13, 2026 Bryan city council workshop meeting.

This podcast contains comments from the January 27, 2026 Brazos County commission workshop meeting.

Brazos County commissioners held a workshop Tuesday (January 27) where the county's economic development coordinator recommended changes to the county's tax abatement policy.

Commissioners are scheduled to take final action February 24th on the recommendations involving property tax breaks to new and expanding businesses.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the January 27, 2026 Brazos County commission meeting.

Recommendations from Kimberly Gonzalez were based on comparing Brazos County with guidelines in Montgomery, McLennan, Smith, Jefferson, and Webb counties.

Those recommendations include:

• Tighten up the definition of “eligible improvements”.
• Include a clause in the guidelines that one year from the receipt of application, the application expires. A new application must be completed at that time and a new $1,000 application fee be submitted to Brazos County.
• Note in the guidelines that projects that transfer employment from one part of the County to another will be considered on a case-by-case basis. (i.e.: Project must not be expected to solely or primarily have the effect of merely transferring employment from one area of Brazos County to another).
• Include a stipulation in the guidelines stating that the economic life of the facility or improvements must exceed the life of the abatement agreement.

After the workshop, during the public comment period of Tuesday's commission business meeting, commissioners were asked to also include banning data centers from receiving tax abatements.

Suellen Dunn from the Carnegie History Center visits with WTAW’s Scott DeLucia  to discuss how to use their services and programs, genealogy services offered, exhibits, and more during her appearance on The Infomaniacs on Thursday, January 29, 2026.

This podcast contains comments from the January 22, 2026 College Station city council meeting.

The College Station city council takes the better part of two hours before a majority vote to continue charging impact fees for new roads associated with new construction.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the January 22, 2026 College Station city council meeting.

Planning and development director Anthony Armstong said if the fee was eliminated, the council would give up $39 million dollars that has been committed to projects through the year 2031. That includes $6.5 million that is expected to be paid from the developers of student high rise housing.

Armstrong also reported in the last ten years, roadway impact fees were not paid in more than 3,000 residential permits in College Station for a variety of reasons.

The council voted five to two to not change roadway impact fees. 

Voting against the motion, David White wanted to discuss other options and Bob Yancy wanted to eliminate the impact fees.

The council's vote followed an advisory committee recommending removing the fees by a four to two vote.

Bryan Mayor Bobby Gutierrez visits with WTAW’s Scott DeLucia to share updates on Union Pacific, upcoming developments, economic and urban projects, reserve funds and studies, data centers, impact fees, and more during his appearance on The Infomaniacs on Wednesday, January 28, 2026.

This podcast contains comments from the January 20, 2026 College Station ISD school board meeting.

College Station ISD school board members were given an update at their January regular meeting on the progress of the second phase of the district's career and technical education (CTE) center that will open this August.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the January 20, 2026 College Station ISD school board meeting.

CTE director Kevin Ross reminded the board the expanded complex will keep CSISD students in automotive and welding programs. In past years, they have been bussed to Bryan ISD's CTE center at a cost of around $100,000 dollars a year.

CSISD's ag mechanics program will move from Consolidated High School and construction program from College Station High School.

New to CSISD's CTE program is cosmetology.

Funding for the CTE phase two project came from the November 2023 bond issue. 

Promotion of the bond issue on the CSISD website also included in phase two:

• An extension of Phase 1 with additional pens for cattle, goats and pigs.
• A show arena designed and built as a multi-purpose facility which could be used for an assortment of indoor events.
• Additional CTE classrooms to expand courses such as veterinary medicine, food science, and two additional flexible classrooms.
• Additional parking and lighting.

CSISD's expanded CTE center will accommodate 72 cosmetology students, 60 in construction, 54 in ag mechanics, and 45 apiece in automotive and welding.

This podcast is a visit with the lead investigator of the Brazos Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, Gabriel Sifuentez of the Brazos County sheriff's office.

January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

The nine county Brazos Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, in its fourth year of existence, is again promoting annual awareness and prevention efforts.

The task force lead investigator, Gabriel Sifuentez of the Brazos County sheriff's office, says in the last two and a half years there have been 150 investigations that have identified more than 290 confirmed or potential victims.

Last year, the non-profit agency Unbound Now B/CS partnered with the sheriff's office to provide crisis response and case management to more than 220 Brazos Valley residents.

Sifuentez says they rarely see someone self-reporting themself as a victim. And there is not one single profile of a victim, and they can come of all kinds of backgrounds.

Reports can be made to Unbound Now B/CS, the sheriff's office, and to Crime Stoppers.

ndividuals seeking assistance may contact Unbound Now B/CS’s 24/7 crisis referral line at 979-985-2430 or submit a referral at unboundnow.org. For training or involvement opportunities, call 979-710-7758 or email [email protected].

United Way of the Brazos Valley president Lizett Hawkins and the founder of the Sweet Oak Collaborative non profit agency Esther Miranda visit with WTAW's Bill Oliver about the operation of the downtown Bryan warming center at Bryan's First Methodist Church.

Volunteers are still being recruited to staff the center through Wednesday morning (January 28) at 10 a.m.

Click HERE for more information from the Sweet Oak Collaborative Facebook page.