Bryan ISD trustees approved the latest designs for a new Bryan Collegiate High School and the Merrill Green Field House on Sept. 28, allowing both projects to move into the next phase.

About the BCHS project: The new Bryan Collegiate High School is planned on E. Villa Maria Road. It includes:

• 270 new parking spaces 

• Pedestrian and vehicle circulation

• Practice field

• Space for future expansion

PBK officials said the school would be organized around a central courtyard. The building would include a student union, science labs and dedicated Blinn College classrooms among other offerings.

The new campus is expected to be complete in fall 2029.

About the field house project: Trustees approved designs for the Merrill Green Field House, planned to serve multiple athletic and community functions. It includes:

• Locker rooms

• Weight room

• Sports medicine area

• Coaches’ rooms

• Multipurpose areas

The facility is expected to be operational in fall 2028.

What else: The projects will be funded through the 2025 bond and were approved this spring for a collective roughly $85 million.

College Station City Council approved the $10.84 million sale of 28 acres in midtown to Bass Pro Shops and the Corinth Group on Sept. 24.

The gist: According to the city's blog, Bass Pro is expected to bring and incentivize:

• $35 million in annual sales, with an estimated $20 million in local sales tax

• The city will rebate a portion of sales tax generated by the store over 10 years.

• Bas Pro will receive a $3.5 million reimbursement from the city when construction is complete.

The city said the deal with the Corinth Group goes back to January 2025. It includes:

• 100,000 square feet of commercial space

• $5.04 million purchase price with a maximum credit of $696,960

Chief Development Officer Michael Ostrowski said the potential economic impact of the Bass Pro and Corinth Group developments would substantially help with the growth of midtown.

What's next: The council unanimously voted in favor of the agreements with Bass Pro Shops and the Corinth Group. Construction is expected to last about two years.

Bryan-College Station will see closures of Harvey Mitchell Parkway for the Hwy. 6 road project throughout the week.

What you need to know:

• Sept. 30-Oct. 1: Turnaround closure of the northbound and southbound frontage roads at Harvey Mitchell Parkway, 7:30 p.m.-6:30 a.m.

  • Both roads’ turnarounds will be closed for bridge demolition work.

  • The Northbound and southbound mainlanes from Southwest Parkway to Rock Prairie Road and the southbound frontage road from Rock Prairie to Barron roads will be closed for paving operations and drainage work, respectively.

• Oct. 2: Turnaround closure of the northbound and southbound frontage roads at Harvey Mitchell Parkway, 7:30 p.m.-6:30 a.m.

  • Both roads’ turnarounds will be closed for bridge demolition work.

What’s next: TxDOT will be maintaining two open main lanes in each direction during construction.

Arkansas-based coffee shop franchise 7Brew Coffee is expanding its Bryan footprint with a second location. Its first Aggieland location opened in early 2024.

What 7Brew offers: 7Brew sells a variety of beverages in a drive-thru setting, including coffee, soda, tea, lemonade, smoothies and shakes. The shop also offers several customization options for drinks with different flavors, toppings and drizzles, along with limited-time seasonal drinks.

In a nutshell: According to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation listing, the $1.5 million project is being built from the ground up and is expected to be a 510-square-foot full-service drive-thru. The second location will cover more of North Bryan, as the Villa Maria location serves more of the southern area of the city.

Stay tuned: Construction is to begin at the start of next summer. As previously reported by Community Impact, several coffee shops have opened in Bryan-College Station, including Lucky Goat and House of Rain’s second location.

• Construction to begin June 15, 2027

• 1719 E State Hwy. 21, Bryan

The Texas Education Agency is asking state lawmakers to spend $97.3 billion on K-12 education initiatives and staffing in the next two years, up from about $91 billion in the current state budget.

The details: During a Sept. 29 hearing on the agency's legislative appropriations request, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath noted that the TEA is "largely a pass-through vehicle to fund schools around the state of Texas." This means that while funding would be allocated to the agency under Article III of the state budget, the majority of that money would be sent to school districts, outside of funds used to pay TEA staff and cover operations for associated entities, such as the State Board of Education.

The TEA is asking for about $49.6 billion for fiscal year 2027-28 and $47.7 billion for fiscal year 2028-29, totaling $97.3 billion for the 2028-29 biennium. Morath said those amounts would "preserve 100% of all funding for public schools" through the Foundation School Program, which is the state's main funding source for K-12 schools, and other initiatives.