College Station City Council Receives An Economic Development Recruitment Update

Some Water Customers Will Be Getting A Letter Regarding The Materials Used In Manufacturing Their Waterlines

November’s Bryan city council workshop meeting included a presentation about the city complying with new federal requirements intended to eliminate waterlines containing lead. Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the November 12, 2024 Bryan city council workshop meeting. Public works director Jayson Barfknecht reported there were 36,446 addresses where there are water service lines where the city is responsible for determining if lead and/or galvanized materials were used in the manufacturing process. The water lines includes those on the city side of the meter and on the property owner’s side as far as outside the home. Barfknecht said the city is not responsible for determining the composition of indoor plumbing. Out of the 36,446 addresses, Barfknecht said the city has no city lines containing lead. There are 15,910 addresses where there is no lead pipes on the property owner’s side of the meter. There are 17,759 addresses where the composition of the water line is unknown. Those occupants will be receiving a letter from the city. There are 2,775 addresses of vacant buildings. And there are two locations where there are galvanized waterlines where city staff will be contacting property owners. Click HERE to read and download the letter that will be sent by the city of Bryan to addresses where the composition of water lines are unknown. Barfknecht says waterlines that can not be confirmed that were made from lead and galvanized materials, they will have to be replaced within ten years. Click HERE to be directed a website with more information from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), a link shared to WTAW News by the city of Bryan. Click below to hear comments from Jayson Barfknecht during the November 12, 2024 Bryan city council workshop meeting. Listen to “Some water customers will be getting a letter regarding the materials used In manufacturing their waterlines” on Spreaker.

Brazos County Congressman Michael McCaul Charged With Being Drunk In Public Inside A Washington D.C. Area Airport

Brazos County congressman Michael McCaul was charged with being drunk in public inside a Washington D.C. area airport the night before the November general election. The Texas Tribune reports the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority released McCaul after he was detained for a brief time at Dulles International Airport. Click HERE to read and download the Texas Tribune story. As of the morning of November 14th, McCaul’s website or his X/Twitter and Facebook pages have no reference to the incident that took place the evening of November 4th. The Texas Tribune reports a spokesperson for the congressman said the incident was “the result of a poor decision” to mix Ambien and alcohol. McCaul’s spokesperson also told the Texas Tribune that McCaul is a nervous flier and he had taken Ambien to help him sleep on his flight, information the Tribune reported confirmed a story from the online publication Semafor. The spokesperson also told the Texas Tribune that mixing the medication with alcohol made him dazed and disoriented, leading him to miss his flight and lock himself out of his phone. Airport police officers then detained him, assuming he was intoxicated. McCaul was released shortly after being detained when a family member picked him up. McCaul’s statement given to the Texas Tribune said “Two weekends ago, I made a mistake — one for which I take full responsibility”. “I missed a flight to Texas and found myself disoriented in the airport. This was the result of a poor decision I made to mix an Ambien — which I took in order to sleep on the upcoming flight — with some alcohol.” “I have nothing but respect and gratitude for the officers who intercepted me that evening,” he said. “This incident does not reflect who I am and who I strive to be. As a human, I am not perfect. But I am determined to learn from this mistake and, God willing, make myself a better person.” The Texas Tribune story says McCaul is term-limited in his coveted position atop the House Foreign Affairs Committee, for which he regularly travels to meet with world leaders. He has said he will seek special permission from GOP leaders to continue serving as the committee’s top Republican beyond his six-year term limit next year, when the new Congress begins.

Another Name Change For Brazos County’s Economic Development Organization

For the third time in six years, there is a name change of the Brazos County based economic development organization. The discovery of what is now called the Greater Brazos Partnership (GBP) followed references that were made at Monday’s Bryan/College Station chamber of commerce annual banquet and Tuesday’s Bryan city council meeting. The name change is still in transition on the organization’s website, where the homepage has the new name but webpages still reflect the former name. The new name comes the year after the hiring of new president/CEO Susan Davenport, who was the senior vice president and chief economic development officer at the Greater Houston Partnership. Greater Brazos Partnership replaces Brazos Valley Economic Development Corporation, which in May 2018 replaced Research Valley Partnership. The organization, which was established in 1989 as a Texas economic development public-private, 501(c)(6) not-for-profit corporation, is funded jointly by Brazos County, the cities of College Station of Bryan, Texas A&M university, and approximately 90 private sector investors.