BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas — Today's BCS Economic Committee meeting covered a range of topics from local transportation, construction to the local workforce and its impact on our economy.
The BCS Metropolitan Planning Organization unveiled a $284-million dollar investment to renovate SH 6.
"The big question we get whenever do this is trying to balance safety and efficiency, said Executive Director of BCSMPO Daniel Rudge. "We have to prioritize what's important on SH 6. You will be getting 3 lanes in each direction six lanes total in certain sections of it; you will be getting distributer collector lanes."
The public also received insight on a new term called gig economics and how the increase in uncommitted employees is causing stress on our workforce
"Whether if you were offering flexible part time they were still making somewhat of a commitment," said the owner of Spherion Staffing at the conference. "Well the gig economy has shifted that where students or people or employees can literally decide to enter our labor force almost by the hour or exit our labor force by the hour."
Bryan Mayor Bobby Gutierrez also recapped his key takeaways from this conference.
"We have a lot of construction going on here both in Bryan and College Station and the county so everything is growing, but the main thing we're seeing is of course we can’t find employees," said Gutierrez. "The job market is very scarce. I meet with different companies everyday and that's probably the number one thing is you know retention trying to keep and recruit employment."
Many other speakers also gave presentations on their economic outlooks for the new year for the BCS area.