By Colin Killian, Public Communications Director
Welcome to our live blog from the College Station City Council meeting on Monday, Dec. 11. It's not the official minutes.
The meeting starts after 6 p.m. and is streamed live on Optimum Channel 19 and cstx.gov/cstv19. You can participate online through Microsoft Teams by entering Meeting ID: 223 427 023 174 and Passcode: MvPmTr. You can also call 833-240-7855 and enter Conference: 952 310 468#.
6:06 p.m.
The meeting has started. The council took no action after its executive session, but will return to executive session after the regular meeting.
6:12 p.m.
Ocean Autonomous Vehicle Operations Day
Mayor John Nichols presented a proclamation recognizing Ten Years of Ocean Autonomous Vehicle Operations Day. The Geochemical and Environmental Research Group’s ocean vehicle observations from 52 deployments and more than 1,500 days at sea are routinely used by federal agencies such as the National Weather Service, National Hurricane Center, and Integrated Ocean Observing System, and state agencies such as the General Land Office, Texas Center for Environmental Quality, and Texas One Gulf.
GERG is a Center of Excellence at Texas A&M University.
6:25 p.m.
Hear Visitors
Three people spoke during Hear Visitors, when citizens may address the council on any item that does not appear on the posted agenda.
- Dr. Mark Sicilio spoke about roadway safety along Sheltland Avenjue and Lee Avenue and recommended changes.
- Barry Tate asked the council for a variance to grease-trap requirements for a restaurant he's developing.
- Pastor Caleb Schoeneck of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church spoke about parking issues on Krenek Tap Road.
6:34 p.m.
Consent Agenda
The council voted unanimously to approve the entire consent agenda:
- The 2024 Council Calendar.
- A $113,921.50 contract with Binkley & Barfield for design and construction phase services for the Greens Prairie Road County Portion Widening Project.
- A $268,825 contract with Tempest for Visit College Station’s website development, redesign, customer relationship management, and content management systems.
- The removal of parking on the southeast side of Cherry Street between Second Street and College Main and modifying parking on the northwest side of Cherry to restrict parking within 215 feet of College Main and within 30 feet of the intersection with Second Street.
- A $101,500 change order with Dunham Engineering for construction and inspection phase services for the Greens Prairie Elevated Storage Tank Rehabilitation Project.
- The $218,870 purchase of rifle-resistant body armor from GT Distributors with grant funds from the Office of the Governor.
- A license agreement with SRB College Station pertaining to a 495-square-foot building canopy encroachment into a 33-foot-wide public utility easement in the Post Oak Mall Subdivision.
- The issuance of $8.72 million in bonds for road improvements by Brazos County Municipal Utility District No. 1.
- A three-year $225,000 sponsorship agreement with Texas A&M Ventures for marketing and advertising services.
- The reappointment of Tradd Mills as the city’s emergency management coordinator.
- A second amendment to the lease of 3.1 acres, including a 28,950 square foot building at 2611 Texas Avenue South, to International Leadership of Texas for adding a portable classroom building.
- The semi-annual report on system-wide water, wastewater, and roadway impact fees.
- The removal of parking on the west side of Eisenhower Street from University Drive to Ash Street.
- The removal of parking on the north side of Halter Loop from Horseback Drive to Canter Court. The prohibition of left turns for vehicles traveling eastbound on Gilchrist Avenue onto Williams Street.
- Acceptance of a $97,135 grant from the Office of the Governor for Active Attack Integrated Response Training.
- A Code of Ordinances amendment regarding "Special Provisions for Manufactured Homes in Areas of Special Flood Hazard."
7:04 p.m.
SE Park, Future Ball Fields
The consensus of the council is for staff to continue developing possible options for Southeast Park and future ballfields.
7:29 p.m.
Victoria Avenue Roundabouts
The council discussed the traffic roundabouts on Victoria Avenue.
7:59 p.m.
Tourism Advisory Board
The council discussed the makeup of the Tourism Advisory Board and whether to add a council member.
8:02 p.m.
General Parkway Easement
The council voted unanimously to abandon a 30-foot-wide public drainage easement south of 3055 Holleman Drive South across General Parkway.
8:08 p.m.
Transformer Purchase
The council voted unanimously to approve the purchase of single and three-phase transformers from Texas Electric Cooperatives ($338,867), KBS Electrical Distributors ($61,550), and Alamo Transformer Supply ($109,372).
8:16 p.m.
Greens Prairie Water Tower
The council voted unanimously to approve a $1.79 million contract with O&J Coating for rehabilitating the Greens Prairie Elevated Storage Tank, including a $179,000 contingency for a total appropriation of $1.97 million. The project consists of rehabilitating and repainting the two-million-gallon tank.
8:17 p.m.
BVSWMA Board Appointment
The council appointed Bill Lartigue to the Brazos Valley Solid Waste Management Agency’s Board of Directors.
8:19 p.m.
Appraisal District Appointment
The council appointed Ron Kaiser to the Brazos Central Appraisal District.
8:26 p.m.
Mayor Nichols adjourned the regular meeting after the council discussed its calendar, items of community interest, committee and board reports, and future agenda items. However, The council went back into executive session.
10:07 p.m.
Northeast Sewer Trunkline Project
Following a 1 ½-hour executive session, the College Station City Council announced a decision regarding the route of Phase 4 of the Northeast Sewer Trunkline Project.
Mayor John Nichols read the following statement before adjourning the meeting:
- Council directs the city manager to initiate planning for the Northeast sewer trunkline following the route along Cooner Street in Chimney Hill. This includes the necessary lift station and easement acquisition.
- This is intended to be undertaken in cooperation with the City of Bryan to address proposed changes as enumerated in their August 10, 2023, letter regarding sewer service on the “East Side” and “West Side” as documented in the Interlocal Agreement dated December 2011 and subsequent amendments. The ILA must be amended to encompass the proposed changes.
- We appreciate the proposals made by the City of Bryan in ongoing discussions and would like to bring these matters to a successful conclusion.
After the mayor read the statement, the meeting was adjourned. The council meets again on Monday, Jan. 11.
About the Blogger
Colin Killian has been with the City of College Station since 2010 after serving 23 years as the associate media relations director for the Texas A&M Athletics Department. He has also worked as a reporter and editor for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times and Lewisville News. A native of Hobbs, N.M., Killian graduated from Texas Tech with a bachelor's degree in journalism/political science.
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