WTAW - Interviews

Lacey Lively, Bryan’s Communications & Marketing Director, visits with WTAW's Chelsea Reber about fall activities, the Parks and Recreation Department, Aggie Football Game Day shuttles, and more during her appearance on The Infomaniacs.

This podcast contains comments from the August 12, 2025 Bryan city council meeting.

In June of 2024, the Bryan city council voted six to one against rezoning land at Copperfield and Boonville for a $67 million dollar luxury apartment complex.

Tuesday night (August 12), the council approved the rezoning by a six to one margin.

The vote came after more than two hours of comments from 15 public speakers, 13 who opposed the project, along with detailed presentations from three representatives of the development.

The land at the northwest corner of Copperfield and Boonville was formerly zoned for townhomes.

Opponents wanted retail. The applicants said that land will never become retail because of the cost to deal with two creeks and the location is too close to the H-E-B that is being built at Boonville and Briarcrest, which will bring additional retail.

Opponents also brought up the 400 unit complex would add many students at Sam Houston elementary school. The applicants projected the complex, with 226 one bedroom units would add a maximum of 35 students. Additionally, the complex will have "no jungle gyms" or any amenities for families.

Applicants also brought up the apartment complex was part of the original plan of Don Adam, the creator of the Miramont and Oakmont subdivisions and who purchased Copperfield decades ago.

The rezoning was approved by everyone but James Edge, who also voted against rezoning last year. 

Ray Arrington repeated his vote from last year to approve the project. 

Changing their vote from last year were Bobby Gutierrez, Paul Torres, Jared Salvato, Marca Ewers-Shurtleff, and Kevin Boriskie.

Click HERE to read and download background information about the rezoning.

Click HERE to read and download additional information from the city of Bryan.

Click HERE to read materials from the apartment developer, provided by the city of Bryan.

Click HERE to read and download e-mails from neighborhood residents, provided by the city of Bryan.

This podcast contains comments from the August 12, 2025 College Station city council meeting.

The College Station city council is told there is $144 million dollars available to borrow for capital projects.

Councilmembers spent 60 minutes during a special meeting Tuesday (August 12) sharing their opinion about the future of 14 projects.

That was followed by 30 minutes of discussing those preferences with city manager Bryan Woods.

Woods takeaway at the end of the 90 minute exchange was "as far as we need, I think we've (city staff) got it. We'll take a shot at it, and if it's good you guys (the council) can adjust it. If it's not, then we'll go back and do something different."

Four of the 14 projects were given priority status during a council budget workshop in July. They were baseball fields at Veterans Park, Texas Independence Park, a new public works complex, and a local music statue.

The remaining ten projects are not included in the city's reserved fund balance account. They are Wolf Pen Creek, the Northgate area, extending Balcones Drive, infrastructure in College Station's Midtown area, Hensel Park, streets, drainage, other unidentified general obligation bond projects, the proposed recreation center, and the proposed convention center.

Click HERE to read and download more information from the city of College Station.

This podcast is a visit with the executive director of the Bryan/College Station metropolitan planning organization Dan Rudge and WTAW's Bill Oliver.

Two studies were given the green light last week by the policy board of the Bryan/College Station metropolitan planning organization (MPO).

MPO executive director Dan Rudge says in the 2026 fiscal year, a consultant will be hired to do what Rudge describes as prioritizing vulnerable road grade separations along University between Texas and Agronomy Road as part of a complete streets plan that also includes the South College/College Avenue corridor.

In the 2027 fiscal year, there will be a research plan with the Brazos Transit District about the future of public transportation in Brazos County.

The studies are part of the MPO's Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP). This document identifies major transportation planning related activities that will be undertaken within the Bryan/College Station area. The UPWP is updated every two years and covers the next two fiscal years, with the fiscal year beginning October 1st.

Click HERE to read and download the UPWP document composed by the BCS MPO.

Bryan mayor Bobby Gutierrez visits with Scott DeLucia on WTAW's The Infomaniacs August 13, 2025.

Topics includes development of the 2026 fiscal year Bryan city budget.

This podcast contains comments from the August 7, 2025 special meeting of the College Station ISD school board.

A new state law affecting the operation of public school libraries was discussed during a special meeting of the College Station ISD school board by members, administrators, and three parents who spoke during a public comment period.

The CSISD board will consider action to comply with Senate Bill 13 at regularly scheduled monthly meeting on August 19.

Click HERE to read and download Senate Bill 13 from the regular session of the 2025 state legislature.

Superintendent Tim Harkrider described SB 13 "was written to create discord in communities, and take rights away from librarians and others of what's going on to create a controversy about library books that's a figment of their (state lawmakers) imagination."

Requirements in SB 13, which was approved by all state lawmakers representing the Brazos Valley, required public schools to give parents access to everything that is available in their children's school libraries and to be notified when their children check out any library materials.

School boards have to wait 30 days before a district can make a purchase or accept a donation of library materials.

All decisions associated with library materials now have to be made by the board. Parents can appeal board decisions. And until the board rules on an appeal, that item is not available.

School boards have the option to create a school library advisory committee (SLAC) or be forced to create the committee by a qualifying petition of parents. Harkrider told board members that they are not bound by SLAC decisions. 

If a SLAC is not formed, state law requires the board to ensure that the district's procedures for adding or removing library materials comply with existing state laws.

This podcast contains comments from the August 4, 2025 Bryan ISD school board meeting.

No one on the Bryan ISD school board continues to express any opposition about a possible $397 million dollar bond issue election this November.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the August 4, 2025 Bryan ISD board meeting.

During the BISD board's August 4th meeting, one concern was state mandated ballot language saying that the bond issue would result in a property tax rate increase.BISD's new chief financial officer Norma Friddle repeated the state required language was required because the bond issue, which would not increase the tax rate, would not decrease the tax rate.

BISD voters will be asked to approve three propositions, which is broken down to comply with state law. There is $4 million for technology, $67 million for athletics, and $325 million in other projects.

August 18th is the last day the BISD board can call for an election.

Click HERE to be directed to the Bryan ISD 2025 bond steering committee webpage.

This podcast contains comments during the August 7, 2025 College Station ISD school board meeting from CSISD's facilities director Paul Buckner.

College Station ISD school board members approve adding $345,400 dollars to the contract to replace the roof at Consolidated High School.

CSISD facilities director Paul Buckner says this is to remove the portion of the existing roof in the area of electrical and heating and air conditioning equipment, which was not part of the original contract.

Buckner also told the board that the worst part of the project, the noise and debris caused by tearing off the existing roof, will be over by the time classes for the new school year starts on Wednesday (August 13).

That brings the total cost of the project to almost $7.3 million dollars.

Funding for the contract addition comes from the voter approved bond issue in November 2023.

Click HERE to read and download the memo associated with this contract addition.

This podcast is a visit with Brazos County district attorney Jarvis Parsons and WTAW's Bill Oliver.

After a hiatus of a couple of years, the Brazos County district attorney's office has brought back their citizens prosecutor academy.

The academy meets on nine Tuesday nights starting September 9th. 

A partial list of what participants will learn includes:

• The Role of the Grand Jury
• The Ethical Role of the Prosecutor
• Criminal Trial Process
• Domestic Violence
• Crimes Against Children
• Local Gangs
• Capital Murder

Registration and more information is available by sending an e-mail to [email protected] or calling Melissa Carter at 979-361-4320.

This podcast contains comments from the August 7, 2025 College Station ISD school board meeting.

College Station ISD school board members unanimously agree with administration recommendations on how to comply with new state laws.

Superintendent Tim Harkrider said during Thursday's (August 7) special meeting of the CSISD board that there's never been so much coming out of a regular legislative session that gave public schools eight weeks to implement.

Harkrider and CSISD's director of student services Crissy Hester both said the district has had to make decisions on some subjects without the guidance of the Texas Education Agency because they have not finalized how to implement some of the new state laws.

Board members unanimously adopted a board policy that complies with the state's new ban on students not having access to personal electronic devices during the school day, and making changes to CSISD's student code of conduct that incorporates new state laws.

Harkrider and Hester referred to new state laws changing in school and out of school suspension, reporting child abuse, and requiring written parental permission for their children to participate in school clubs.

Click HERE to be directed to the College Station ISD website for more information about the policy banning students from using personal electronic devices during the school day that was approved at the August 7, 2025 CSISD board meeting.

Click HERE to read and download the 2025-2026 CSISD student code of conduct. The CSISD board at the August 7, 2025 special meeting approved adding to this document, banning student personal laptops for access during the school day.