Bryan City Council Awards Construction Contracts For Westside Water And Sewer Line Extensions

Arts Council Of The Brazos Valley Announces A New Executive Director

There is a new executive director at the Arts Council of the Brazos Valley (ACBV). A seven month search was completed with the hiring of the director of the Houston Maritime Center and Museum. Leslie Bowlin will be leading the organization that supports 60 agencies in seven counties. An ACBV news release says Bowlin “brings a keen interest in multi-cultural inclusion in the arts” with a background that includes business operations, investing, public relations, chairing many high profile and charity events, and serving on several non-profit boards. The new executive director joins the arts council six weeks before the agency’s signature fundraiser, Celebrate The Arts, on September fifth. Click HERE to read and download the news release from the Arts Council of the Brazos Valley (ACBV). Statement from ACBV board president and former interim executive director Grover Vos: As you know, it has been a long and tumultuous seven months for us. Fortunately, we have come a long way during that time. The board and staff have worked tirelessly to ensure that ACBV continues its valuable service to the community. First, I would like to share exciting news with you; as of July 26, 2024, The Arts Council of Brazos Valley has a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ms. Leslie Bowlin. Leslie has served as the Executive Director of The Houston Maritime Center & Museum for the past ten years. Her background as an executive director, combined with a deep passion for promoting community-based arts programs, will help to advance our mission. Please see the attached press release for more information about Leslie’s background. I also want to remind everyone about our upcoming annual fundraiser, Celebrate the Arts, scheduled for September 5, 2024. This year’s CTA award ceremony’s theme, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”, highlights the success of two of our local high school music programs and their dedicated directors and staff. This year’s celebration will be held at the Brazos Center in Bryan and starts at 6 PM. Visit cta24.org for more information, to become a sponsor, purchase tickets, make a scholarship donation, and purchase tickets for this year’s raffle, featuring a gift from David Gardner’s Jewelers. We hope to see you all at CTA, where Leslie will be introduced. Please join me and the Board of Directors in extending a gracious and warm welcome to Leslie from The Arts Council of Brazos Valley.

College Station City Council Approves Applying For A State Parks Grant And Continues Holiday Relationship With Santa’s Wonderland

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. Click HERE to read and download background information about the parks grant application approved at the July 25, 2024 College Station city council meeting. 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. Click HERE to read and download background information about the Santa’s Wonderland contract that was approved at the July 25, 2024 College Station city council meeting.

Texas A&M University Update on WTAW

Dr. Susan Ballabina, Texas A&M President’s Chief of Staff, visits with WTAW’s Scott DeLucia about a rural medicine practice, the CrowdStrike outage, leadership positions that are being filled, Howdy Week, and more during her appearance on The Infomaniacs on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. Listen to “Texas A&M University Update on The Infomaniacs” on Spreaker.