Bastrop City Council approved $128,500 in contracts on Dec. 9 for feasibility studies that will gauge the viability of several proposed projects.

The details: Three contracts were given the green light, including:

• A $26,000 contract with the National Golf Foundation, paid for with series 2025 certificates of obligation, for a feasibility study on a par 3 golf course
• A $52,000 contract with Hotel and Leisure Advisors, paid for with hotel occupancy tax revenue, for a feasibility study on a hotel and convention center
• A $50,000 contract with Realty Trust Group, paid for through the Bastrop Economic Development Corporation, for a feasibility study on a medical mall with a full-service hospital and clinics

Dr. Justin Garcia opened Lost Pines Chiropractic, a cash-based clinic, inside Community Gardens over the summer.

In a nutshell: As an independent health care provider, Garcia said he offers personalized nervous system-centered services for each client to support how they move, work and live.  

Notable quote: "As your chiropractor, my goal is to dig deep and address the root of your issues, so you can get back to doing what you love most—because to me, that’s what true healthcare is all about," Garcia said in a statement.
 

• Community Gardens, 1067 Hwy. 71, Bastrop

The 2025-26 school year will be the last spent at an existing campus for some students in KIPP Texas Public Schools. 

What you need to know: Seven Central Texas-area KIPP Texas Public Schools are set to close at the end of the current school year, the charter school district announced Dec. 11.

The details: Seven KIPP schools will close at the end of the current school year, spread across the system's Commerce, Austin South and Austin Ridge campuses.

The charter school system operates over 45 schools across the state.

City and airport leaders on Dec. 10 marked the completion of a new outbound baggage handling system at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, a key milestone in the multibillion-dollar expansion now underway, airport officials said.

The upgraded system can process roughly 4,000 bags a day and roughly 37 million passengers a year, helping the airport keep pace with Central Texas’ rapid growth.

Some context: ABIA continues to break traffic records. October saw more than 2 million passengers, an increase of nearly 9% from last year, while the Monday after the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix set a new single-day record with more than 45,000 departing travelers screened by TSA.

Zooming in: Officials said the project supports hundreds of local jobs and is part of a broader effort to expand long-term capacity. The airport’s $4 billion program will add a new concourse by 2030, but staff anticipate further upgrades soon after.

What else? Current planning for Concourse B targets a capacity of 32 million passengers annually, as projections show Austin reaching 30 million yearly travelers sooner than previously expected.