City creates program to aid local small businesses
By Debbie Eller, Director of Community Development
While the COVID-19 outbreak has arrived with a high human cost, it’s increasingly evident that the economic impacts could be substantial as well. In response, the City of College Station has created an Economic Assistance Grant Program for our small businesses with low-to-moderate income employees.
The city council unanimously approved the program’s guidelines as part of a special Monday afternoon teleconference meeting.
Funded with almost $300,000 in CDBG Economic Development Funds, the program could help prevent job losses for employees with families in the low-to-moderate household income range, such as a family of four that earns under $54,800 a year. In the long term, the program could also contribute to job creation or enable businesses to reach their pre-disaster employment numbers.
Grants of up to $40,000 will be available, based on the number of employees. Businesses need to provide information regarding their business before and after implementation of the COVID-19 declarations, including financial documents, employee information, and their willingness to comply with local, state, and federal requirements.
To apply, click the link below, register as a vendor, and download the required documents. After you log-in, click on Current Bids and the Eco Assistance Grant link, where you can upload the documents.
New applications are reviewed and funds awarded each week, and each entity may receive only one grant. We expect the requests to outpace the available funds.
Funds will be disbursed in four installments, with the first distributed after the agreement is executed. Subsequent payments will be made following the submission of payroll documentation showing that the funding has helped retained job funding.
For more information, email me at deller@cstx.gov.
About the Blogger
Community Services Coordinator Debbie Eller is in her 21st year with the City of College Station. She has led the Community Services Department since 2010. A native of Fort Worth, Debbie earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Texas A&M in 1984.
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All Up In Your Business: Dallis family / Burger Mojo
By Jay Socol, Public Communications Director
The Dallis family has operated some of the most iconic food and beverage destinations in College Station. Cafe Eccell may be their best-known restaurant, but they recently entered the highly competitive burger market through their new concept Burger Mojo.
In this episode, Economic Development Director Natalie Ruiz and I talk to Costa and Andreas Dallis about their legacy of business ventures and how difficult it is to remain relevant in a fast-growing, student-driven community. They even explain why they believe a burger joint in close proximity to so many other burger joints has a solid chance.
Meanwhile, Natalie also discusses the importance of redeveloping older commercial areas in College Station, and how her office has seen early success and is continuing that focus.
All Up In Your Business is available via Podbean, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, and YouTube. Please subscribe, rate and recommend!
- Download Podcast
- Transcript
- Previous “All Up in Your Business” Podcasts (Podbean)
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Have a suggestion for a future topic or interview, or just want to say hi? Send to jsocol@cstx.gov.
About the Blogger
Jay Socol (@jaysocol) is in his 11th year as College Station’s public communications director. A 1991 graduate of Texas A&M. Jay has also been communications director for the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, public information officer for the City of Bryan, and news director at several Bryan-College Station area radio stations. A native of Breckenridge, he also serves as president of the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers.
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City seeks public input on uses for federal grants
By Raney Whitwell, Community Development Analyst
Each year, the City of College Station receives about $1.5 million in federal grants that benefit low- and moderate-income residents through nonprofit programs, economic development, and improved housing and infrastructure.
We need your help in determining how to use these funds in the best way to address our local needs. You can either take a short survey or attend a public hearing at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10, at the Lincoln Recreation Center.
The public hearing will include presentations about fair housing and the requirements for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership Grant (HOME).
Public input will play an essential role in the 2020-2024 Consolidated Plan we’ll submit in August to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Consolidated Plan is a comprehensive planning and evaluation tool that guides priorities, goals, and strategies for the next five years.
You can also submit your feedback to the Community Services Department at 979-764-3778 or by emailing Community Services Director Debbie Eller at deller@cstx.gov.
About the Blogger
Community Development Analyst Raney Whitwell is in her fifth year with the city. She’s also served in code enforcement and in the City Secretary’s Office. A native of Bremond, Raney earned a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from Sam Houston State.
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All Up In Your Business: Walk-On’s
By Jay Socol, Public Communications Director
Who better to open a Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux in College Station than a former walk-on to the Texas A&M football team? Cory (’08) and Jenny (’01) Davis are poised to open their business in south College Station — their first foray into the restaurant business — and talk about how College Station was the only city they ever considered for such a major endeavor.
Also in this episode, Economic Development Director Natalie Ruiz and Communications Director Jay Socol talk about how the City of College Station sometimes spots opportunities to help new businesses or developers find just the right location for whatever they want to bring to the market.
Finally, Nat shares updated info on some additional restaurants under development in south College Station or, as Jay calls it, “SoCol.”
All Up In Your Business is now available via Podbean, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and Stitcher.
- Download Podcast
- Transcript
- Previous “All Up in Your Business” Podcasts (Podbean)
- Previous Podcasts (Soundcloud)
About the Blogger
Jay Socol (@jaysocol) is in his 11th year as College Station’s public communications director. A 1991 graduate of Texas A&M. Jay has also been communications director for the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, public information officer for the City of Bryan, and news director at several Bryan-College Station area radio stations. A native of Breckenridge, he also serves as president of the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers.
If you found value in this blog post, please share it with your social network and friends!
Podcast: College Station eco-devo 101
By Jay Socol, Public Communications Director
We hear it all the time: “Hey, College Station, how come you don’t bring a [fill in the blank] to town?”
The other side of that is, “Hey, bozos, why do you keep bringing more [fill in the blank] to our city?”
First, some of you have anger issues. Seriously, though, a lot of people don’t understand:
- What the city can be credited for bringing to town.
- What the city should not be credited/blamed for bringing to town.
- What our economic development staff is actively recruiting to CS.
In this episode of AUIYB, Economic Development Director Natalie Ruiz and I discuss all these points, as well as some things about Post Oak Mall you may not know. (cliffhanger!)
Subscribe to All Up In Your Business at your favorite podcast source — Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, or Podbean.
- Download
- Transcript
- Previous “All Up in Your Business” Podcasts (Podbean)
- Previous Podcasts (Soundcloud)
About the Blogger
Jay Socol (@jaysocol) is starting his 11th year as College Station’s public communications director. A 1991 graduate of Texas A&M. Jay has also been communications director for the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, public information officer for the City of Bryan, and news director at several Bryan-College Station area radio stations. A native of Breckenridge, he also serves as president of the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers.
If you found value in this blog post, please share it with your social network and friends!
Game day parking doesn’t have to be a hassle
By Julie Caler, Code Enforcement Supervisor
For football fans, following their favorite team to Kyle Field can be tricky. With tens of thousands of fans descending on a relatively small area, finding a place to park their vehicles can be daunting.
Visitors understandably want to park as close to the stadium as possible, and that creates challenges for our guests and residents, especially in the Southside neighborhood. Making sure everyone abides by our city parking ordinances is a significant test for city staff, too.
Our parking ordinances are designed to make our streets and neighborhoods safe. Emergency vehicles need to be able to respond if required, and cars must be kept off yards to prevent fires, broken meters, broken gas lines, and other problems. The College Station Police Department, Code Enforcement, and the Northgate District staff work together to ensure a safe environment for you on game day.
Street Parking
Many of the streets in the Southside area were developed years ago and are exceptionally narrow. Police officers will be looking for vehicles parked illegally, including those facing traffic, blocking fire hydrants, parking too close to stop signs, blocking intersections, and parking in no-parking zones, to name a few. You also can’t directly block a driveway, but that doesn’t mean you can’t park across the street.
Some of these are violations of state law, and a few are towable offenses. If you are parked illegally in certain areas, your vehicle will likely be towed. If you discover your vehicle has been towed, call the Police Department’s non-emergency number at 979-764-3600.
Yard Parking
Code Enforcement Staff will be actively looking for vehicles parking in yards. We discourage residents from illegally selling parking spots on their property. If we find a vehicle parked in the yard, we issue a warning to the resident in person and with a letter. If it’s a rental property, we also inform the property owner and management company.
If the violation happens again on another game day, we may issue a citation or court summons for the property owner and resident. If you have any questions about this or any other city ordinance, call Code Enforcement at 979-764-6363.
Northgate Parking
The Northgate District provides safe and affordable parking options, including the Northgate Parking Garage, which is just a short walk to Kyle Field. The special game day rate is $25. Parking in the garage means you don’t have to worry about parking in the wrong place or being towed.
We also have limited parking available on certain Northgate streets and in the surface parking lot. The game day rate for both options is $3.50 an hour and is applicable from 6 a.m. Saturday until 3 a.m. Sunday.
For more information about the Northgate Parking Garage, including the availability of parking spaces, call 979-764-6313.
For general questions about parking or Code Enforcement, please feel free to contact me at 979-764-6363 or jcaler@cstx.gov.
Game Day Information
Here are some maps and other information that we hope will move you around town as quickly as possible on Aggie game days:
- Northgate Parking
- Live Traffic, Pre-Paid Parking (Destination Aggieland app >>)
- Where to Park
- RV Parking at Tarrow Park
- Texas A&M Transportation Services Game Day Guide
- Kyle Field Game Day
- Kyle Field Clear Bag Policy
- Shuttle Routes
- Best Postgame Traffic Routes
- Tailgating in Aggieland
- Aggie Fan Zone
Gig ‘em, Aggies!
About the Blogger
Code Enforcement Supervisor Julie Caler has been with the City of College Station for almost two decades.
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