WTAW - Interviews

This podcast contains comments from the July 15, 2025 College Station ISD school board meeting.

When voters in College Station ISD approved a bond issue in November 2023, that included more than $31 million dollars to move the district's central office.

Superintendent Tim Harkrider told board members during their July meeting that three attempts have failed to buy an existing building.

Harkrider says behind the scenes, they are working on the planning and programming of a new central office and what would become of the existing building.

The superintendent said he plans to reactivate CSISD's long term planning next spring.

The status of the central office came up as CSISD board members awarded a $570,000 dollar contract to repair the roof and windows at the current central office building.

Click HERE to read and download the memo regarding roof and window repairs at the current CSISD central office building.

College Station Councilman Mark Smith visits with WTAW's Chelsea Reber about this week's budget workshop meeting, funding for the Arts Center of the Brazos Valley and the Brazos County Health District, the Brazos Valley Bombers, Wolf Pen Creek Park, and more during his appearance on The Infomaniacs.

In February of 2024, the Bryan city council created a committee to study how to improve customer parking in the downtown area.

The committee's latest report was presented during the council's July regular meeting. 

There was no council opposition to getting feedback on committee recommendations from downtown stakeholders (business owners, employees, and residents) and visitors to the downtown area.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the July 8, 2025 Bryan city council workshop meeting.

Those recommendations included keeping free on-street parking and looking into buying technology to read license plates to catch violators of exceeding time limits, changing enforcement where what is now a criminal offense becomes a civil offense, and hiring an outside company to issue tickets and collect fines.

New signage since the committee began its work, directing motorists to city owned parking lots, was brought up with helping on-street parking pressures.

This podcast contains comments from the July 14, 2025 Texas A&M faculty senate meeting.

July's meeting of the Texas A&M faculty senate was the next to last under its original composition.

After more than 40 years as an independent organization, Senate Bill 37 (SB 37) takes effect September 1st, placing the faculty senate under the control of the board of regents and the university president.

Click HERE to read and download a copy of Senate Bill 37, which addresses the "review of curriculum and certain degree and certificate programs, a faculty council or senate, training for members of the governing board, and the establishment, powers, and duties of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Office of the Ombudsman."

Current senate speaker Andrew Klein told members "Regardless of what happens to the senate or your choice to participate in it, I hope everyone finds ways to continue your service to Texas A&M as faculty and students in ways that you find personally and professionally."

SB 37 calls for a maximum membership of 60. The current body has 122 members. Klein says "any exceptions to going over 60 will have to be based on the workload and productivity of the senate as we have exhibited over the past years." And he added "there is a recognition that as the largest university in Texas, if any institution should be allowed to have a senate larger than 60 it should be us."

SB 37 requires the president appointing one member from each college or school and the rest appointed by faculty members. As for members appointed by the president, Klein said "In all honesty, conversations with the administration on this topic have been very positive. They appreciate the need for faculty input into individuals who would be good senators. And our president has continued to emphasize strong communication and collaboration as the administration continues to engage with the senate into helping develop that process."

And instead of the leadership being determined by senate members, the president will name the presiding officer, associate presiding officer, and senate secretary.

Bryan Councilwoman Marca Ewers-Shurtleff visits with WTAW's Chelsea Reber about law background, the city budget, a beautification effort in her district, and more during her appearance on The Infomaniacs.

This podcast contains comments from the July 16, 2025 Brazos County commission meeting.

The Brazos County expo complex on Leonard Road is getting $11 million dollars of repairs and upgrades.

County commissioners at Tuesday's meeting (July 15) unanimously awarded a $10 million dollar construction contract that includes replacing roofs and floors at the exhibit hall and ballroom, parking lot repairs and new lighting, improvements where RV's park, and replacing various mechanical systems.

Click HERE to read and download background information about the construction agreement.

Click HERE to read and download the construction agreement.

Two other contracts related to the expo project were approved by 4-1 votes.One was awarding an $850,000 dollar architect's contract. 

The other was spending $198,000 dollars with a company under a master services agreement with the county that does building "commissioning" services.

Click HERE to read and download background information about the architect's agreement.

Click HERE to read and download the architect's agreement.

Click HERE to read and download background information about the "commissioning" contract.

Click HERE to read and download a letter from the vendor providing the "commissioning" services.

Purchasing manager Charles Wendt told Fred Brown, who voted no, that both were required by state code and the city of Bryan.

Brown also voted against the "commissioning" contract because he wanted to go out for bids to see if the county could save money. Wendt said the county has several master service agreements in an effort to be more efficient.

Commissioners then unanimously approved budget amendments to cover the costs of all three contracts.

Click HERE to read and download the budget amendments that were approved.

Not shared at the meeting, was the timeline for the construction projects.

This podcast contains comments from the July 15, 2025 College Station ISD school board meeting.

Public school districts around Texas have or are in the process of developing policies to comply with a new state law banning students from using cell phones and related devices during the school day.

College Station ISD administrators told school board members at their July meeting that they will vote on a policy just before the start of the new school year.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the July 15, 2025 College Station ISD school board meeting.

Superintendent Tim Harkrider says the proposed policy will allow students to store those devices in their backpacks and purses.

Students can not carry the devices on their person, and they must be turned off during the school day.

Students who violate the ban will face disciplinary action, again as required by state law.

The superintendent says one of his biggest concerns is when a student doesn't hand over their phone.

Harkrider also expects a reduction in the number of student altercations and an increase in student academic performance.

This podcast contains comments from the July 10, 2025 College Station city council meeting.

A part of the process the College Station city council uses in developing their yearly budget is hearing funding requests from outside agencies.

Representatives of ten organizations made their pitches and responded to questions during the council's July 10th meeting.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the city of College Station.

The conversations also provided some background into agency operations.

Brazos County chief appraiser Dana Horton said increased funding is the result of an increase of valuation protests from what used to be 7,500 to 10,000 a year to more than 22,000.

Arts Center of the Brazos Valley CEO Leslie Bowlin said they have not had an increase in funding "in quite some time", while the city's population and the number of visitors have increased. The Wednesday after making the budget request, the council voted to not increase funding for the 2026 fiscal year.

Aggieland Humane Society is preparing for its 15th year of providing animal control services for College Station. Executive director Katrina Ross says a proposed $45,000 dollar budget increase for operations is due to, among other things, adding a veterinarian and more support staff and a 22 percent increase in maintaining buildings. 

The director of Keep Brazos Beautiful, Brooke Arellano, said the lion's share of volunteer assistance last year was the collection of 2.25 tons of trash, which is included in reports to state and national organizations that qualifies them to apply for "very large grants".

A vice president at the Brazos Transit District was asked if they were open to changes in providing services in College Station. Jo Marlow pointed to their new committee composed of representatives from College Station, Bryan, Brazos County, Texas A&M, and the Texas Department of Transportation.

The director of the Brazos County health district, Santos Navarette, says he is waiting for decisions on possible federal funding cuts as the result of the new federal budget. That follows elimination of a $354,000 federal grant in April. The Wednesday after the budget request, the city council voted to approve a $100,000 dollar increase, subject to the same increase being approved by the Bryan city council and the Brazos County commission because of health district bylaws.

The board chairman of the local economic development agency, Spencer Clements of the Greater Brazos Partnership, brought up the name of College Station's largest private employer, FUJIFILM Technologies, has dropped DIOSYNTH.

Also participating were representatives of the Bryan/College Station chamber of commerce, Amber Alert Network Brazos Valley, and the Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial.

Bryan Mayor Pro Tem James Edge visits with WTAW's Chelsea Reber about the Brazos Valley Bombers, the agreement with the new summer baseball team, Travis Field, parking in Downtown Bryan, Phillips Event Center, and more during his appearance on The Infomaniacs.

This podcast contains comments from the July 10, 2025 College Station city council meeting.

From January through April, a 70 member committee studied possible changes in the greater Northgate district, which is north of University between Texas and Wellborn.

The study followed last January's vote by the College Station city council to reject an offer to sell the city's Northgate district surface parking lot.

The committee drafted more than 50 possible action items from the 82 page report for future consideration.

A review of the report was discussed during last Thursday's College Station city council meeting (July 10) for about one hour. 

The council also heard from a representative of landowners and businessowners. 

Courtney Phillips of the Dixie Chicken said the experience and the communication were incredible.Phillips also called on the council to do a second study focusing only on the entertainment district. 

The council was also asked to change zoning regulations to protect the character of the entertainment district.The report that was discussed also includes Century Square, Northpoint Crossing, and Hensel Park.

Click HERE to read and download the greater Northgate district report.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the July 10, 2025 College Station city council meeting.