The Bryan city council voted 6-1 Tuesday night to accept the gift of Briarcrest golf course, which will become the new municipal course December 28th.
Before the vote, city manager Kean Register announced the council started deliberations in August after hearing the Briarcrest owner was going to close the course and build 300 homes.
The council heard from 22 opponents to closing the Travis B. Bryan course, which is in its 96th year of operation, and 10 supporters of developing the Bryan course as a superpark.
The council’s vote also leases 6,000 square feet of building space at the Phillips Event Center as a senior center, which received the support of the chairwoman of Bryan’s senior advisory committee, Gerry Hince. No cost was announced or the funding source.
Additions to the original proposal that were also approved gives the city the right of first refusal to purchase the clubhouse if it is placed for sale.
And the city will purchase the Briarcrest driving range and large practice green. No funding source was announced.
Mike Southerland voted no because he could not support closing the Travis B. Bryan course.
No timeline or funding source was announced for the future superpark. A city news release states it will feature “amenities suitable for youth and adult sports and recreational activities with an inclusive playground.” What the city describes as a “conceptual plan includes other amenities such as facilities for pickleball, pavilions, trails, and an amphitheater.”
After the vote, Wallace Phillips III thanked the council for accepting the gift of the Briarcrest golf course, which he said “comes from our (the Phillips’s family) heart.”
In response to some public comments:
Councilman Ben Hardeman said negotiations remained a secret to not disrupt property values around Briarcrest or the Travis B. Bryan courses.
Deputy city manager Hugh Walker said the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is no longer monitoring the Travis B. Bryan course for arsenic contamination generated by a former chemical plant. Walker said TCEQ has cleared the land and the lake at the course, while there are still “hotspots” in the lake sediment.
Walker said while the city will own 40 parking spaces at Briarcrest, golfers will have access to all the parking spaces.
Walker expects more rounds will be played at Briarcrest once the Travis B. Bryan course is closed. That’s based on the increase at Travis B. Bryan while the Texas A&M course had an extended closure due to reconstruction.
Walker said the city’s fleet of electric golf carts will be sold and the city will purchase gas carts owned by Phillips Event Center.
Walker told councilman Buppy Simank that golfers will have access to the Phillips Event Center clubhouse, restrooms, and pro shop at no charge, along with access to the center’s restaurant.