(PHOTO BY BREANA RELIFORD / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
BUSINESS OPENING … Pictured is Malek Abboud discussing compromises with the Bryan City Council members.
By: Breana Reliford
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
The Bryan City Council met on Monday, October 7th, 2024 at 5:30pm with the following members present: Mary Leatherman from Ward 1, Richard Hupe from Ward 2, John Betts from Ward 3, Stephen Alspaugh from Ward 4, Jim Kozumplik At Large, Mayor Carrie Schlade, Clerk/Treasurer John Lehner, Fire Chief Douglas Pool, City Engineer Brian Wieland, Street Commissioner Tyson Engstrom, Zoning Administrator Andrew Waterston, city employees from various departments, as well as a few members from the community.
Leatherman called the meeting to order with the pledge of allegiance to follow. The minutes of the September 16th, 2024 meeting were then approved by the council.
The council then opened the floor to public concerns. Steve Cox, a Bryan resident, started off by thanking the council for the addition to a street sign to Huntington Drive. He then presented a few concerns regarding street repairs. City Engineer Brian Wieland and Street Commissioner Tyson Engstrom addressed the issue by giving their input on the process in order to initiate repairs.
Next on the agenda was Ordinance No. 37, 2024, authorizing the mayor to enter into a service agreement and order with Kronos Saasha, Inc., a UKG company. Treasurer Lehner explained that the office is in need of updating their finance software to a new payroll system.
Lehner goes on to say that the best plan would be to implement a city-wide software update for all departments to use, rather than each city department using their own program.
The cost of the program would be dispersed among each department according to their headcount. The motion to approve was made by Hupe and seconded by Alspaugh.
The Bryan Wine and Spirits Liquor Store opening is approaching completion as the council approved the waiving of a local hearing by a majority vote.
Some concerns with the store’s location leave some citizens hesitant about the opening, regarding traffic, deliveries, and parking spaces. Brothers Fayez (owner) and Malek (representative of the company) Abboud were present at the meeting to address some of the confusion or concerns by the council or other citizens.
One of the concerns of this location is the traffic becoming more congested in this area, due to other businesses such as Biggby Coffee and Little Caesars being located in such a close proximity.
Another included the limited space for delivery trucks to access the store without taking up room for potential customers.
Malek Abboud addressed these concerns by stating that they will be first on the route for the delivery trucks, arriving around 6am, which will be before the store is open.
He states having after hours delivery will solve both the traffic and delivery problems. As for parking spaces, they are currently looking into adding additional spots.
When asked about a target date for opening, Abboud replied that they would like to be open before the holidays.
Nihart Enterprises proposed to build more storage units with Ben Schmucker Construction as the contractor for the property. The cost of constructing these additional units is $155,000. The motion was approved by Hupe and seconded by Alspaugh.
Mayor Schlade mentioned that the City of Bryan Fall Trash Drop-off would be taking place October 17 & 18 from 1-7pm and October 19 from 8am-12pm.
Residents of the city can drop off their trash at the street department on Townline Road, but must provide proof of residency in order to do so.
Fire Chief Pool also mentioned that due to the dry conditions and dust being blown from combines in the fields, outdoor burning needs to be watched closely in order to prevent another burn ban.
The meeting then went into executive session at 6:02pm.