Bastrop to hire engineer for Wastewater Treatment Plant No. 4
The city of Bastrop is seeking a professional engineer who will act as the “engineer of record” for Wastewater Treatment Plant No. 4—a role that will help oversee design of the facility.
“It is a niche expertise, with only a handful of engineers in the country having worked or designed in this area,” Bastrop City Manager Sylvia Carrillo-Trevino said in a Sept. 23 staff report. “In the city’s current [roster], there are no engineers who have worked through this type of technology.”
What we know: Carrillo-Trevino noted that Wastewater Treatment Plant No. 4, an expansion of Wastewater Treatment Plant No. 3, would do the following:
Reuse the effluent created at the plant
Generate a new revenue source for the effluent and solids created
Provide a quicker build time since many parts are prebuilt off-site
Have a smaller footprint
Require a lower overall maintenance cost than Wastewater Treatment Plant No. 3
Feasibility study underway in Bastrop for Rodeo Arena improvements
Bastrop city officials continue to discuss improvements to the Rodeo Arena at Mayfest Park.
The details: An online survey—which gauged responses from community members, industry experts and rodeo attendees—was held through Sept. 17 and shared with Bastrop City Council during a Sept. 23 meeting.
“The vast majority said they wanted a covered arena,” Bastrop City Manager Sylvia Carrillo-Trevino said during the meeting. “They said they wanted trails, trees and greenery because it was much too hot out there. They said they want RV hookups and wash racks, and an improved community atmosphere.”
What else? Other improvements discussed included:
Concession, seating and restroom upgrades
Paved or stabilized parking areas
Signage and lighting for spectators and participants
Diverse event programming, such as concerts, festivals and markets
Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility
“It was not a surprise that those were the results,” Carrillo-Trevino said.
FOODIE FRIDAY Check out these new restaurants and bars opening across the Austin area.
Eggman ATX has brought its New York-style breakfast sandwiches to another location in Austin, opening up a second food truck in the Mueller Hangar mobile food vender collective.
Founded by Queens native Richard Tavetian, Eggman brings a familiar favorite breakfast option from the East Coast down south.
The menu features a collection of “egg-slingin’ good” options such as the Bodega Classic with its two fried eggs, smoked center cut bacon, cheese and choice of sauce on a roll.
Thousands of Texas businesses barred from selling THC to customers under 21
Many Texas retailers can no longer sell consumable THC products to customers under 21 years old after the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission approved two emergency rules Sept. 23.
The overview: The new rules, which were drafted after Gov. Greg Abbott issued a Sept. 10 executive order requesting tighter THC regulations, apply only to retailers that sell alcohol. The rules state that businesses may not sell, serve or deliver consumable hemp products to minors and must check all customers' IDs before selling them THC products.
Zooming in: About 60,000 Texas businesses hold TABC licenses and will be prohibited from selling THC products to minors. Those businesses include bars, restaurants, liquor stores, grocery stores and some convenience stores.
However, the rule does not apply to THC retailers that do not sell alcohol or have a TABC license, such as smoke shops, gas stations or online sellers. The TABC and the Texas Department of State Health Services are working to determine how to best enforce age restrictions for THC retailers that do not sell alcohol, agency spokespeople said.
