New Braunfels City Council approved an agreement with engineering firm Freese and Nichols, Inc. for the final plans, specifications and estimated cost for the construction of the East portion of Alligator Creek Trail Dec. 8.

Alligator Creek is a 6.5-mile trail and is being built in two different segments. The west segment opened in September 2024 around Oak Creek Estates and is a 1.1-mile, hard surface trail, New Braunfels Park Development Manager Jeff Bransford told Community Impact.

The east segment of the trail will be approximately 4 miles. The trail will meander through the Creekside shopping area, down to FM 1101 and connect with some of the nearby residential areas to create a loop that goes back toward Sophie Lane, Bransford said.

Looking ahead: Upon the completion of the trail segment’s final design, the city will know more about the cost details. Construction timelines for Phase 1 will be determined following completion of the final design.

The number of homes sold decreased in both New Braunfels ZIP codes year over year in November, according to the most recent data compiled by the Four Rivers Association of Realtors.

What you need to know: The average price of homes listed for sale in the two New Braunfels ZIP codes over the past six months was in the $360,000-$572,000 range. In November, more homes sold in the 78130 ZIP code.

In November, year-over-year median home prices increased by 9.1% in the 78130 ZIP code.

The number of homes under contract increased year over year in the 78130 ZIP code.

Comal ISD announced the hire of its new chief communications officer, Christina Eckert, according to a Dec. 15 news release.

The details: Eckert brings 20 years of experience in strategic communications, marketing and media across public education and broadcast journalism. In her new position, she will oversee districtwide communications efforts and support CISD’s mission, the release states.

“I am excited for the opportunity to celebrate students, strengthen community trust and support Comal ISD’s commitment to 'Growing Greatness,'” Eckert said in the release.

Most recently, Eckert served as director of marketing for Northside ISD, where she led communications initiatives focused on enrollment growth, community engagement and brand storytelling. Eckert is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and a San Antonio native. Earlier in her career, she worked as a television anchor and reporter in San Antonio, Oklahoma City and Boston, covering community issues, education and public affairs, the release states.

The Texas power grid is expected to hold up this winter, officials with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas said Dec. 9. This is due in part to “tremendous supply growth on the ERCOT grid,” ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas said, amid an influx of data centers coming to the state.

The overview: Since last winter, over 11,000 megawatts of generating capacity have been added to the ERCOT grid, Vegas said. That growth, which largely comes from battery storage and solar facilities, could be used to power about 2.8 million homes during periods of peak electric demand.

Zooming in: Under most weather conditions, there is a less than 2% chance of a grid emergency through February, ERCOT found.

However, Texas could be in trouble in the unlikely event that a repeat of Winter Storm Uri hits large parts of the state this winter, although ERCOT noted that the probability of such a severe storm happening again was "well under one percent." The February 2021 freeze devastated an unprepared power grid, resulting in nearly 250 deaths.