ATX-BAS: Impact 11/10/2025

The Bastrop Opera House marked a new chapter in its storied history Nov. 7 when officials hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the start of construction on its expanded space. 

The details: The project, a renovation of the building adjacent to its current space, will add more than 5,000 square feet to the existing footprint, according to Bastrop Opera House. 

How we got here: Lisa Holcomb, executive director of the Bastrop Opera House, told community members and local leaders in attendance that she had her eye on the building for the past few years. 

“I’d walk past all these red doors, oftentimes to get into the opera house, and I’d be like a little kid at a candy shop,” she said. “I’d be looking into this empty building, knowing we’re out of space, and thinking, ‘Wow, if we just had this building.’”

Crews were moving dirt Nov. 7 at the construction site of a new Courtyard by Marriott in Bastrop. 

The details: The 63,603-square-foot project at 1651 Hwy. 71 E. in Bastrop, which is scheduled to be completed by Dec. 25, 2026, has an estimated construction cost of $10 million, according to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. 

It will feature a full-service restaurant and bar, as well as a retail pad site next door, according to the Bastrop Economic Development Development Corporation. 

What we know: During a Nov. 4 meeting, Bastrop City Council authorized a temporary access and use agreement to allow developers to use adjacent city-owned land to access the Courtyard by Marriott site.  

“The developer wishes to purchase said property in the future, however, an appraisal and other legal documentation is not complete,” Bastrop City Manager Sylvia Carrillo-Trevino said in a staff report.

Check out the top trending Community Impact stories in the Austin metro from Nov. 3-7.

1. New high-rise height limit now in effect for downtown Austin

2. Austinites reject Proposition Q tax hike

3. New Indian grocery store in the works in Pflugerville

4. Lucky Claw Mania now open in Pflugerville

5. Austin ISD to hold off on 3 school closures, delay boundary changes

6. Pflugerville mayoral race heads to runoff; Coffman wins open council seat

More than 20 months after wildfires swept through the Texas Panhandle in early 2024, burning over 1.2 million acres of land, state lawmakers questioned if Texas has the tools needed to tackle another major fire.

The context: Texas is always a fire-prone state, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association. The association’s website reports that annual wildfire risk is most severe from February-April, when dry grasses and high winds can cause fires to spread, and August-October, when high temperatures and droughts contribute to fires.

“Our purpose today is to figure out—what is our response going to look like next February and March?” Rep. Ken King, a Republican representing Canadian and other Panhandle communities, said during a Nov. 3 committee hearing. “Are we better prepared … or are we in the same position we were in 2024, when our response was lacking?”

The details: Officials said Texas owns just two firefighting aircraft, with others "essentially [subleased] through the federal government."

During peak wildfire season, this means Texas may have access to limited resources.