Council approves BRW design contracts for two fire stations after debate over local preference and firm ties

Council approved motions to award professional design services for Fire Stations 9 and 11 to BRW Architects (College Station) after a lengthy discussion about vendor selection, local participation and a recent investigation involving a person named in public comment.

Council members and staff framed the decision around relevant experience: staff said the evaluation committee prioritized firms with extensive fire‑station experience and that BRW had completed multiple local stations and delivered economies of scale on design fees. Fire Chief Brandon Wade told council that retaining a firm familiar with the department’s operational needs helps avoid repeating the initial scoping work and can reduce fees for subsequent stations.

Some council members pressed for more local participation and questioned whether the scoring process had sufficiently rewarded local capacity. Councilman Barrera moved an amendment to award the contract to Turner Ramirez (a different firm), citing interest in supporting local firms; that amendment failed for lack of broader support. Councilwoman Vaughn raised concern that a person (Philip Ramirez) was under investigation for document alteration and said that person should not be on city work until the matter was resolved; a member of the public echoed that concern during public comment. Rachel Caballero publicly urged the council not to do business with contractors 'currently under investigation for forging, modifying, and altering documents.'

City staff noted that prior station projects designed locally had produced different outcomes and that the scoring committee weighted fire‑station specialization. The motion to proceed with BRW's contract carried after the council vote.