dazed2010

Not that I've seen...

Officials gear up to bring $435 million facility to town http://www.theeagle.com/stories/032007/local_20070320008.php By APRIL AVISON Eagle Staff Writer A proposed national agro-biodefense facility at Texas A&M University matters to College Station, which is planning traffic solutions. It matters to Bryan, which is partnering to build a nearby Health Science Center campus, and it matters to the Chamber of Commerce, which is heading to Washington D.C. to lobby legislators about regional issues in May. That's what officials from several governmental entities said Monday as they heard from Garry Adams, associate dean for research at Texas A&M's College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, during a monthly intergovernmental committee meeting.

Great pics!

I think you're trying to read too much into how I titled the thread...lol...I'm not trying to get fights started, just explain what is happening...and, indeed, Bryan is trying to lure the HSC away from a site in College Station. Whether that's a bad thing or not, I'll leave that for the people who read the story to decide. -Justin

A&M center talks tabled by regents http://www.theeagle.com/stories/092206/am_20060922004.php By HOLLY HUFFMAN Eagle Staff Writer Texas A&M University System regents postponed public talks about the future site of the Health Science Center after hearing a presentation from Bryan city leaders urging the board to move the facility north. The regents had planned to discuss naming a 150-acre site near the George Bush Presidential Library as the new home for the system's growing Health Science Center. The site was recommended by Health Science Center President Nancy Dickey. But the item was pulled from the agenda late Thursday, just hours after regents heard a proposal from Bryan Business Council Executive Director Dennis Goehring, who asked the group to consider building the facility in Bryan. Regent Erle Nye described the city's proposal - which includes an undisclosed Bryan site that the city does not yet own - as "very interesting." But he said it was not what prompted the panel to delay the discussion. Nye said the item was withdrawn from the agenda because board members had yet to come to a consensus on one site. He said that the meeting was running late, and the agenda had been worded incorrectly, which means regents could have discussed the item but would have been prohibited from taking action on it. "The city [of Bryan] is very impressive in their approach," Nye said, noting that regents would select a site based on "what is ultimately best for the students, for the university and for the community." The Health Science Center is planning to double its enrollment, which is why the facility is in need of a new home. Nye, chairman of the regents' buildings and physical plant committee, said the system had been searching for a new location for about nine months and had looked at about six sites during that time. "Some made news, some didn't," Nye said of the locations. In May, the regents heard a presentation on three potential sites - the land Dickey is recommending off George Bush Drive, 53 acres off Earl Rudder Freeway South and the 130-acre Bryan Municipal Golf Course. The city of Bryan offered its golf course as a potential site during its first attempt to lure the A&M facility to Bryan. At the time, Dickey expressed concerns about the site, saying it was in an "economically depressed neighborhood." Nye said Thursday "at least two or more" sites were under consideration by the Board of Regents. He declined to name them but acknowledged that one location was in Bryan. Dickey could not be reached late Thursday for comment, but Nye said she appeared interested in the Bryan site. Goehring said he thought the meeting had gone well for the city and was not surprised to learn regents postponed discussion of the George Bush Drive location. "For the first time, they had the opportunity to see what we could really offer to the system in terms of acreage and facilities," Goehring said, declining to give further detail on the proposal. "We wanted to present a plan that really complemented what the Health Science Center wanted to do. We have all the same objectives; the only difference is a few feet. "It is a very good day for the city of Bryan," he said. Nye said he hoped the regents would make a final decision by the end of the year and stressed the importance of a quality decision over a quick decision. He likened the process to purchasing a house. Buyers looking at several lots compare various aspects, such as the quality of surrounding schools, the property tax rate and neighborhood hazards before making a decision, he said. The Board of Regents is going through a similar, albeit much more complicated, process as it tries to determine which location is the best fit for the facility. The outcome will affect the Health Science Center for years to come, he said. "We simply haven't gotten to the point where we're ready to make a decision yet," Nye said. "It's important we get it right."