91_Aggie said:

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There's also 4 "Games for All" night with Catan, Uno, Chess Which is says is fully funded and supported by Clockwork games.

It seems like before someone comes in here with such outrage "I can't believe the city spends money on <x>" they could do some basic Googling to find out if they are going to look silly when they find out they just read a headline on the internet and then went straight to "100" in their outrage.

FYI: In case the "googling before posting" is the issue, the Southwood community center offers a basic computer and internet class for seniors

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Who's outraged?

And FYI CoCS sent that as a Facebook event invite to us so it wasn't a news headline.

maroon barchetta said:

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EliteElectric said:

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Ok

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Laugh/cry emoji supports that you don't have a good rebuttal.

It's understandable why you supported CoB handing out a $100k grant. Really easy to understand.

I don't understand why an already constructed community center can't host community events. You seem upset about it.

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I don't know where you guys are getting "upset" and/or "outraged" from. I find it odd that's all. "To me" it seems like almost all of the things being funded at that CC are not worth funding. Again "to me". Those seem like small % activities. A very small portion of the population will benefit from those, and the fact that city personnel have chosen to fund those particular activities seems odd, again "to me".

I am not outraged or upset, just saw the invite from CoCS and thought D&D, really? It's just that simple. The crying laughing emoji is because in typical Texags fashion a molehill has attempted and failed miserably to become a mountain.

trouble said:

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Again, what are they spending that wouldn't already have been spent? The building, room, tables, and chairs are there. Clockwork is providing the games.

Lights and water for 3 hours cannot cost enough for this to even cause a blip on anyone's radar.

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Not even a WTH blip?

Hey EE, I feel ya man. Try supporting the mayor and his $1/year lease sometime. This pile on is nothing.

techno-ag said:

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Hey EE, I feel ya man. Try supporting the mayor and his $1/year lease sometime. This pile on is nothing.

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Yeah this doesn't bother me though. It's just personal comedy.

Glad y'all appreciate the good ol' boy network and back scratching that happens in Bryan.

Please don't ever post one word about being upset with how the city spends money. You seem to only have an issue with how one city spends and not the other.

EriktheRed said:

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Even though I may not play or be interested in D&D, I think that is a much better use of funds than the new $300K sign that is on the City Council agenda Thursday night.

Presentation, discussion, and possible action on a construction contract with Aria Signs and

Design for City Gateway Sign 3 (West) for $270,000, plus the City's contingency of $21,600 for
a total appropriation of $291,600

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There evidently is a "sign race" between Bryan and College Station. I notice that Bryan is putting in a nice sign on the west side of 6 as you come into town from the north.

I don't have an issue with a sign, but $300,000 seems to be on the high end?

You could almost paint a cityscape on a water tower for that price.

Sounds about right in this economy, unfortunately.

What is the city "funding"? I just don't understand what there is to be upset about.

EliteElectric said:

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maroon barchetta said:

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EliteElectric said:

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It's probably just me, I am an old curmudgeon who doesn't want to fund most things.

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You were very supportive of Shipwreck getting $100k from the CoB for upgrades.

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I sure am, and those 2 things are not remotely similar.



***ETA***
Grant app is open again-

Quote:

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Are you a business owner with a property along Texas Avenue, South College Avenue, or Villa Maria Road wanting to make permanent site improvements?
Our Corridor Beautification Partnership is here to help you invest in the future of your business while contributing to the beautification of key corridors in Bryan.
What it offers:
Up to 50% reimbursement on qualified and approved improvements that are visible from the public right-of-way, such as landscaping, faades, signage, parking, accessibility, and more.
How it works:
Complete your pre-approved improvements, provide proof of completion and payment, and get reimbursed for 50% (up to $100,000) of the cost.
Since 2017, the following businesses have participated in the program: Manuel and Theresa's School of Hair Design, Buddy's Appliances, Vilas Motor Works, BCS Books and Comics, Furniture Farm, Bryan Pediatric Dentistry, Tejas Center, Live Oak Archery, Studio 717 and Shipwreck Grill.
Ready to join this list? Visit bryantx.gov/grants.

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Tax money should never he used to upgrade private property unless there are risks such as water runoff affecting other private property or public property.

My house can be seen from the publc ROW. Can I get a payment of 50% of the cost of a new roof?

Depends.

Are the right people going to benefit?

This would be like Academy using the community center to host "Learn to Fly Fish" night in which they brought all the equipment, instructors, snacks, etc.

Some people would be like "CoCS WTH? This isn't even a major fly fishing destination. You have to drive to other places in order to really use this information!"

Surprisingly, this is something I totally support the game shop and CoCS doing. As long as they aren't buying dozens of vintage D&D books… which some of us may or may not own. In the 90s, we used to play at the big library.

EliteElectric said:

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maroon barchetta said:

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EliteElectric said:

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It's probably just me, I am an old curmudgeon who doesn't want to fund most things.

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You were very supportive of Shipwreck getting $100k from the CoB for upgrades.

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I sure am, and those 2 things are not remotely similar.



***ETA***
Grant app is open again-

Quote:

---

Are you a business owner with a property along Texas Avenue, South College Avenue, or Villa Maria Road wanting to make permanent site improvements?
Our Corridor Beautification Partnership is here to help you invest in the future of your business while contributing to the beautification of key corridors in Bryan.
What it offers:
Up to 50% reimbursement on qualified and approved improvements that are visible from the public right-of-way, such as landscaping, faades, signage, parking, accessibility, and more.
How it works:
Complete your pre-approved improvements, provide proof of completion and payment, and get reimbursed for 50% (up to $100,000) of the cost.
Since 2017, the following businesses have participated in the program: Manuel and Theresa's School of Hair Design, Buddy's Appliances, Vilas Motor Works, BCS Books and Comics, Furniture Farm, Bryan Pediatric Dentistry, Tejas Center, Live Oak Archery, Studio 717 and Shipwreck Grill.
Ready to join this list? Visit bryantx.gov/grants.

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The taxpapers across the city should not be paying for private businesses to spruce-up their storefronts just because of location. If so, the stores should have an agreement to payback the grant with interest over a 5 or 10 year period to pay the taxpayers back their taxes.

I agree that giving businesses a 50% off coupon for improvements isn't a great idea, but assuming the businesses use local contractors, I can see where it's putting money back into the economy.

That being said, where did BCS Books and Comics improve anything? It was one of the businesses listed, but that place hasn't changed in 20 years, down to the musty smell of the book room in the back…

EliteElectric said:

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trouble said:

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But what is the city funding other than the space to host it? Which they are already paying for?

Would you rather not have the community center at all? What kind of things should it host if not things that community members are willing to fund?

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I covered that earlier in the thread "(health, safety etc)"

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I would argue that this is health related. Similar to other community activities like little league sports, these type of functions can drastically improve mental health and give kids a community to lean on where other avenues might not be their thing. Not every kid fits into the little league baseball/flag football/scouts mold, so I'm glad that we're giving them something that allows them to meet new people and interact with the community.

Misread.