Bryan Mayor Andrew Nelson presented an update on the state of the city of Bryan to his fellow Bryan Rotary Club members Wednesday.
“Six years ago, probably about this same time, I had no concept that I would even be changing my volunteer service from an unelected volunteer to an elected volunteer,” he began the presentation, saying his focus was on his company Lisam America.
He said he saw a divided council and a divided community and wanted to be part of unifying both. The five areas he wanted to focus on during his tenure as mayor, he said, were safety, workforce and technical training initiatives, infrastructure, economic development and quality of life.
Nelson is entering the final months of his second term, and is limited to two terms. Reflecting on what he has seen accomplished in his six years as mayor, he said he is “delighted” for the community.
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“I’ve worked as hard as I can work, and I feel like I’ve fought the good fight, but the fight is not against anybody else; the fight is to improve our community together,” he said.
He acknowledged there were instances when the city made mistakes or could have done better, but he is proud of the community, of the council and of the city staff and employees.
“Overall, I’m thankful, happy and optimistic for the future,” he said. “We’ve gotten a lot done for the city of Bryan, and I feel like we’ve weathered the storms that have happened. I mean, who would have asked for COVID and what that brought, but, you know, we’re coming out of COVID stronger, not weaker. We have a better sense of public health. Our hotels are coming out of it. We’ve renovated. Even things in City Hall like electronic signatures that people said, ‘You can’t do that,’ well, we’ve been able to do that. Sadly, most dramatic innovation throughout history comes out of catastrophe.”
He said he would not wish Winter Storm Uri or the COVID-19 pandemic on anyone, but the important factor is how the staff and community respond to the situations.
“I’m proud of how our city staff and our council and our community has handled the challenges, and also put their trust in us to grow and be successful, along with our sister city and Texas A&M University,” he said. “We will all work together in a spirit of cooperation, muddling along for the benefit of our community.”
During his presentation, Nelson said the city has seen a decrease in crime, a lower or flat tax rate, increased property values and increased sales taxes over the last decade.
He acknowledged the increase in housing prices has made it more difficult for working-class citizens to find affordable homes, but said he was pleased to see the numbers are lower than the national average.
A reason for the increased property values, sales tax revenue, hotel occupancy tax revenue and capital improvement, he said, is new development, new growth and an increased number of people moving to Bryan.
Nelson highlighted four projects the city is working on: improving access along William Joel Bryan for pedestrians and bicyclists, widening the walkway along South College, improving medians along Texas Avenue and the ongoing quiet zone project.
Travis Bryan Midtown Park, he said, has about $70 million budgeted for its development and another $20 million planned for the park in the future. The investment is “net neutral,” he said, because of the revenue the development brings into the city, noting Big Shots Golf has reportedly seen 300,000 visitors in its first six months.
He is excited about the future Legends Event Center that will have volleyball and basketball courts, multiuse space and a meeting space that can accommodate up to 300 people or be broken up into smaller rooms.
He also acknowledged the investment Blinn College, Texas A&M and the A&M University System have put into Bryan at the RELLIS campus and the Bush Combat Development Complex.
Nelson applauded the work of the city’s water department, first responders and Bryan Texas Utilities that are responding to needs related to the drought and fire danger. He reminded the club’s members of the city’s decision this week to enact Stage 1 of the city’s Drought Contingency Plan and encourage voluntary water conservation.
“Everyone just assumes water’s always going to be there and that electricity’s always going to be there. I’ve learned as mayor to really be thankful that all these guys are so dedicated,” Nelson said. “But, yeah, we’ll be OK, but we’re definitely going to keep those drought controls for at least the short term.”
One of the projects he is proud to have accomplished is the conveyance of Grandview Cemetery to the Grandview Cemetery Association, which is helping maintain the cemetery that serves a predominantly Black population. The cemetery had been neglected for decades due to a dispute over who owned the land, he said.
Nelson said Councilmember Prentiss Madison told him even though it is not city-owned land, it is “the right thing to do” to help take care of the cemetery.
Another proud partnership, Nelson said, was with the Bryan school district for its Career and Technology Education Complex.
“Again, it’s the right thing to do,” he said. “If you’re trying to build our tax base, we have to have educated advanced manufacturing capability. We have to have people that understand automotive, that understand industrial engineering.”
The Bryan City Council will have six positions on the November ballot, and Nelson said he is optimistic about the future of the city no matter who the voters select as mayor and councilmembers.
“I trust our community to make those choices,” he said. “You have to respect the voters.”
