Kevin O’Connor Kommentary January 2

Bryan Mayor Bobby Gutierrez on WTAW

Bryan’s Mayor Bobby Gutierrez and Mayor Pro Tem James Edge visit with WTAW’s Scott DeLucia about Thursday’s special meeting regarding the agreement with the Brazos Valley Bombers, other uses for the facility, the 380 agreement, and more during their appearance on The Infomaniacs on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. Listen to “Bryan Mayor Update on The Infomaniacs” on Spreaker.

Bryan City Council To Consider An Early Termination Of Its Travis Field Stadium Agreement With The Owner Of Brazos Valley Bombers Baseball & Twin Cities Toucans Soccer

The Bryan city council is holding a special meeting Thursday (July 18) at 3 p.m., in part to consider an early termination of its Travis Field stadium agreement with Infinity Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of Brazos Valley Bombers baseball and Twin Cities Toucans soccer. Below are interviews and statements from city of Bryan officials and Infinity owner Uri Geva. Update July 16, 2024 at 10:00 p.m. The city of Bryan responds to the owner of the Brazos Valley Bombers and Twin Cities Toucans wanting to continue to play in the city stadium. The statement on the city’s website says the parent company of the Bombers, Infinity Sports Entertainment, requested to renew the agreement on April 28, 2024. On May 18, the city sent a renewal offer that changes what has been for 18 years an exclusive facility use agreement where Infinity did not pay rent or utilities. According to the city’s statement, Infinity rejected the proposal to rent the stadium at a rate to be negotiated and cover the cost of utilities for three months during the Bombers and Toucans seasons. And the city desired to explore the stadium’s use by others while allowing the Bombers to remain. The city’s statement also said “During negotiation discussions dating back to 2006, the agreement was expected to significantly boost tourism revenue. However, Infinity’s tax impact included $6,718 in HOT and $8,147 in sales tax revenues in 2023.” The city also brought the decision in 2017 to spend about $1.7 million dollars in stadium improvements, while Infinity agreed to participate in the cost by paying $27,836 a year for 10 years. These and other factors in the city’s statement resulted in the city council deciding to consider the proposed termination of Infinity’s exclusive use agreement during a special meeting Thursday (July 18) at 3 p.m. Original story: This may be the last season of Brazos Valley Bombers baseball and Twin Cities Toucans soccer in Bryan. The owner of the Bombers and Toucans says the city of Bryan wants to terminate an agreement to use the city ballpark after this season, one year before the current contract expires. Uri Geva tells WTAW News he is interested in continuing a relationship that began in 2006. The Bryan city council has scheduled a special meeting for Thursday (July 18) at 3 p.m. to consider terminating the agreement. Geva asks for Bombers and Toucans fans to share their experiences during the public comment portion of the council meeting. Geva told WTAW News “It just feels like a very sad moment from a decision making for council, but it can still be reversed. It’s not too late to save the Bombers in the 2025 season that can be played in Bryan.” Geva said he was notified last Thursday (July 11) about the city’s intent to terminate the agreement. Noting renovations at the Bombers ballpark preceded the city of Bryan’s addition of new youth baseball fields next door and the development of Midtown Park, Geva told WTAW News “as a catalyst of this whole redevelopment, it’s sad that we’re the ones that are getting kicked out to the curb because there’s a shiny new object that the city wants to have somebody else take control over without thinking about the repercussions of what it could mean to not having the Bombers or the Toucans playing their home games in Bryan for the 2025 season”. In an e-mail Geva provided to WTAW News that he sent to the city manager and a deputy city manager, Geva wrote “In a world where commitments are seldom honored, we hold onto the hope that the city staff can stand behind their contractual commitments and the word they gave us eight years ago. We believe that forgoing any future plans for just one more year to ensure promises are kept would not only honor the agreement but also reinforce the trust and goodwill that have been the foundation of our longstanding relationship with the City of Bryan.” Geva’s e-mail also says “If the City of Bryan is determined to prevent the Bombers from finishing our current lease, which ends in December 2025, please inform us by July 19, 2024, so that we can inform the Texas Collegiate League we will more than likely not be able to play in the 2025 season due to this. Alternatively, if the City of Bryan can confirm the Bombers abilities to rent the facility for their home games at a reasonable rate (similar to other TCL teams), while retaining the ability to sell concessions during the season and having the abilities to sell annual sponsorship for all signage in the facility (not including naming rights) the Bombers could continue to call Bryan home. We are able and available to meet about these details any time to ensure the Bombers can communicate to the league they have a place to play by the end of this week.” Geva’s e-mail also stated if he is not allowed to complete the current lease, “a discussion about the compensation the city would owe the team for the significant improvements made to the park along with the damages to canceling the Bombers ’25 season would need to arise and we will defer to legal council to handle all of those discussions.” As of July 16, the Bombers have six more regular season home games and one home playoff game. Click HERE to read and download correspondence between the city of Bryan and the parent company of the Brazos Valley Bombers and Twin Cities Toucans, provided by the city of Bryan. Click HERE to read and download the Bryan city council agenda item for the July 18, 2024 meeting associated with the parent company of the Brazos Valley Bombers and Twin Cities Toucans. Click HERE to read and download the e-mail provided to WTAW News from Uri Geva that he sent to Bryan city manager Kean Register and deputy city manager Hugh Walker on July 15, 2024. Click HERE to read […]

Brazos County Announces Demolition Starts Wednesday Of The Former Bryan ISD Administration Building

Brazos County officials say Wednesday (July 17) begins the demolition of the former Bryan ISD administration building in downtown Bryan. A news release says this will be a “very slow and methodical process” that is expected to take four to five weeks to complete. County commissioners in November 2021 purchased what was originally a bank building with the initial idea of remodeling. In December 2023, commissioners decided to take down the building. And in May 2024, commissioners expressed no opposition to a $61 million dollar redevelopment that includes a new office building, a skywalk connecting that to the courthouse, and a parking garage.