WASHINGTON CO. COMMISSIONERS VOTE 3-2 TO RENAME MACHEMEHL ROAD TO OLD BRYAN ROAD

  

A request to change the name of a county road led to a split vote between Washington County Commissioners on Tuesday.

Commissioners voted 3-2 to rename Machemehl Road, located in Precinct 3 between Cedar Hill Road and Quebe Road, to Old Bryan Road.  The divide came as the court weighed public comments that either advocated for changing the name for historical significance or cited the county’s road standards as reason for denial.

The item came before commissioners by way of a petition supported by 360 citizens.  Chip Bryan said the Bryan family originally owned all of the land bordering the road and still owns approximately 80 percent of that land.  He stated that the road was previously named for the Bryan family but changed at some point, and asked for it to be changed back to reflect the history and heritage of the county.

Also supporting the change was Brenham Mayor Atwood Kenjura, who spoke on how his great grandfather owned property just south of the Bryan family and about his past experiences at the Bryan General Store.  He said the Bryans were not properly notified at the time of the first name change, which happened because of concerns about confusion for first responders between the county road and Bryan Street in Brenham. 

Kenjura, along with Bryan, acknowledged the worry commissioners might have about setting a precedent with changing the name of the road.  However, Kenjura said he feels in this instance that the county would just be restoring the original name. 

According to County Engineer Wesley Stolz, county road names were converted from numbers to family or cultural names in the early 1990s, with this road being named County Road 57C before the name swap.  He told KWHI that an original draft of proposed names presented to the public showed Bryan Road, but there was a commissioners court meeting that changed several roads at one time, one of those being Bryan Road to Machemehl Road. 

Stolz said at Tuesday’s meeting that, from the standpoint of the Engineering and Development Services Department, there is no technical reasoning for the name change, so the department cannot recommend it.  He did say, though, that he understands the cultural aspect.

Kevin Mutscher, representing the Machemehl family, spoke against renaming the road.  He said the county’s road standards require absolute necessity to change a name and does not feel this situation qualifies.  He also pointed to the county’s rules that prevent duplication of road names and said permitting this would violate those procedures.  In addition, he disputed the claim that the Bryans did not receive proper notice on the original name change, saying a public meeting was held on the matter, though Chip Bryan maintained that the Bryans were never notified or signed a petition.   

Commissioners Kirk Hanath and Dustin Majewski voted in opposition to the name change.  Majewski said he understands and respects both sides, but the county has a policy in place, and the policy does not necessitate a name change.  Hanath said he feels deviating from existing policies sets the county up for challenges and makes it difficult for the county to still require others to follow those policies.