The city of College Station’s proposed fiscal year 2025 budget will include $750,000 dollars that would provide a match if the city gets a grant from the Texas parks and wildlife department. The council during its July 25th meeting without public discussion approved pursuing $750,000 dollars from the state. The combined funding, if the state approves, would be spent at Texas Independence Park for what is defined only as “permanent public park and recreation purposes”. In August 2023, the council voted to stop construction of baseball fields on the property off Rock Prairie Road due to soil conditions. Since then, the council has been deliberating about the park’s future use. While construction of baseball fields stopped, a building that will contain restrooms is expected to be completed in late August.
For the fifth consecutive year, the city of College Station will have a holiday presence at Santa’s Wonderland. The city council during its July 25th meeting without public discussion renewed an agreement to give the attraction $75,000 dollars in hotel occupancy tax money. One change from prior years, will be the absence of shuttle buses to and from the mall. That’s because Santa’s Wonderland will run shuttles from additional land they have purchased across Highway 6 from the theme park. The agreement continues to include College Station signage on the sides of the buses, along with city signage inside the park…all towards the goal of increasing tourism.