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Welcome to our live blog from the College Station City Council meeting on Monday, May 18. The meeting starts after 6 p.m. and is streamed live on Optimum Channel 19 and cstx.gov/cstv19. It’s not the official minutes.

You can participate online through Microsoft Teams by entering Meeting ID 287 987 474 175 and Passcode gZw5cS. You can also call 469-480-7460 and enter Conference Number 168 564 318#. 

6:31 p.m.

The meeting has started. The Council took no action after its executive session. Councilman Mark Smith is absent tonight.

6:38 p.m.

National Public Works Week

Mayor John Nichols proclaimed May 17–23 as National Public Works Week to recognize the vital contributions of the City’s public works professionals. Our community’s health, safety, and daily comfort depend on the essential services they provide—from maintaining our streets and public buildings to managing transportation and solid waste collection.

The Mayor called on citizens to learn more about the dedication and skill required to keep our city running and to join him in thanking these highly skilled employees for the indispensable role they play in our quality of life.

Joining Mayor Nichols for the presentation were Director of Public Works Emily Fisher and members of the department’s staff (pictured below).

6:43 p.m.

Hear Visitors

Three people spoke during Hear Visitors, when citizens may address the Council on any item not on the posted agenda.

• Jane English and John Hamilton spoke against CSPD’s use of Flock license plate readers.

6:54 p.m.

Consent Agenda

The Council unanimously approved these consent agenda items:

• A $463,296 contract award to Alexander’s Contract Services for water meter reading services.
• An interlocal agreement with the Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool for group critical illness coverage.
• A license agreement with the Sheriffs Association of Texas for the installation and display of a sculpture, monument, and memorial at Veterans Park and Athletic Complex.
• A $399,063 contract award to C&G Electrical for electric overhead distribution projects.
• A $1.8 million, three-year contract with McCord Engineering for electrical engineering services.
• A Construction Manager-at-Risk contract not to exceed the remaining project budget of $13.87 million with Crain Group for the Thomas Park and surrounding streets projects.
• A $287,338 construction contract with Brazos Paving for three crosswalks on Welsh Avenue near A&M Consolidated High School. The City’s contingency of $28,730 brings the total appropriation to $316,068.
• An agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation for the maintenance of landscaping along State Highway 6.
• A $567,622 contract with Larry Young Paving for the Southwest Parkway Drainage Project, plus the City’s contingency of $96,500 for a total appropriation of $664,122.
• A $144,725 contract with Studio 16:19 for the design of the splash pad project at the Lincoln Recreation Center, using Community Development Block Grant funds.
• The removal of parking on the northwest side of Cherry Street between Nagle Street and Tauber Street.
• An advance funding agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation for the City’s participation in the installation of sidewalks along Holleman Drive and Anderson Street.
• A $562,770 advance funding agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation for the City’s contribution for aesthetic enhancements to the State Highway 6 Central Widening Project.

In a separate vote, the Council voted 5-0 to approve a $150,000 Hotel Occupancy Tax Grant agreement with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service for the 2026-2028 Texas 4-H Roundup. Councilman David White abstained from the vote.

8:03 p.m.

Public Works Facility

The Council discussed options for a Public Works facility project. The consensus was to pursue a 27,250-square-foot, $49.95 million facility on Rock Prairie Road west of the CSISD transportation facility, depending on land acquisition.

The Council considered options from 27,250 to 41,400 square feet, with costs from $41 to $76 million. The locations under consideration are on Krenek Tap Road west of Dartmouth Street and on Rock Prairie. 

The existing 19,000-square-foot facility on King Cole Road was constructed in 1978.

The PowerPoint presentation includes more details.

9:15 p.m.

Recreation Center

The Council discussed the Recreation Center Feasibility Study, reviewed feedback from the steering committee and considered next steps. The Council’s consensus was to let voters decide in a bond election, possibly as early as 2027.

Locations under consideration include the old Macy’s site at Post Pak Mall, the Midtown Business Park, and the corner of Fitch Parkway and Victoria Avenue. The size options range from 69,500 to 97,500 square feet, with costs ranging from $57 to $76 million.

The Council approved a contract with Brinkley, Sargent, and Wiginton Architects in 2023 for a two-phased evaluation of a potential recreation center. Phase one was presented to the Council in August 2024 and February 2025, with findings from a market analysis and needs assessment, including results from a statistically valid survey and extensive public engagement. Phase two was presented last August and included building program development, operations assessment and a cost pro forma.

The Council also engaged the Recreation Center Steering Committee, which conducted facility tours in October, visiting a YMCA-operated facility and a municipally run facility. Committee members were subsequently surveyed through an online tool and reconvened in March to discuss recommendations about site selection and other details.

The PowerPoint presentation includes more details.

9:31 p.m.

Pavilion Extension Removal

After a public hearing, the council voted 6-0 to approve a request by CSISD to remove the future extension of Pavilion Avenue between Sebesta Road and State Highway 6 South from the Comprehensive Plan. The school district is planning an administration building, not a school.

The future extension of Pavilion Avenue between Sebesta Road and State Highway 6 South is about 0.6 miles long and was added to the Thoroughfare Plan as part of a group of changes proposed by the East College Station Transportation Study in 2007. The purpose of this extension was to provide a backage road to the one-way frontage road of State Highway 6 to allow circulation and access for future commercial development.

It was intended to reduce the potential for traffic to circulate back through residential areas on Foxfire Drive, Stonebrook Drive, and Woodcreek Drive to access future commercial properties. When the car dealerships were developed along the frontage road in 2018, cross access between them was required, as is the case for commercial developments fronting the same street.

The dealerships wanted to have their private parking lots gated off at night to protect their inventory, so they constructed cross-access at the back of their lots and added a sidewalk. It connects to other commercial properties and provides much of the desired circulation from Sebesta Road, as intended by the 2007 addition of the thoroughfare.

With the State Highway 6 project, which started construction in December, TxDOT will install a shared-use path along the project’s length, providing a bicycle and pedestrian connection from Sebesta Road to Woodcreek Drive. The new shared-use path will be reflected in the upcoming Active Transportation Master Plan and will provide a bicycle and pedestrian connection to the Pavilion Avenue extension, with bike lanes, sidewalks, and a shared-use path.

9:42 p.m.

Cherry Street Easements

After a public hearing, the Council voted 6-0 to approve a request to abandon nine public utility and sewer easements near Cherry Street to allow construction of an apartment complex. The proposed layout necessitates relocating the easements and utility lines.

9:46 p.m.

Standards of Care

After a public hearing, the council voted 6-0 to adopt the standards of care for the Parks and Recreation Department’s elementary-age (5-13) recreational program, in compliance with state law. The Texas Human Resource Code establishes requirements to exempt a municipality’s recreational day camp programs for elementary age children from state childcare licensing.

The ordinance is presented to the City Council for consideration each year. Services provided by the College Station Parks and Recreation Department are recreational, not child-care facilities, and are exempt.

To receive exempt status, a municipality must annually submit a copy of the Standards of Care, a notice of a public hearing, and a copy of the ordinance adopting the standards. The Standards of Care provide minimum guidelines and include staff ratios and minimum staff qualifications; minimum facility, health, and safety standards; mechanisms for monitoring and enforcing adopted standards; and notice to parents that the day camp program is not licensed by the state.

10:00 p.m.

Mayor Nichols adjourned the meeting after the Council discussed its calendar, items of community interest, committee and board reports, and future agenda items. The Council meets again on Thursday, May 28.

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