Bastrop County's newest emergency services district is one step closer to building a regional station at 1811 Jasper St. as officials continue their effort to expand emergency medical coverage across the county.

The overview: Months ahead of schedule, Bastrop County Emergency Services District No. 3 will begin construction in September on a $2.5 million facility at 1811 Jasper St., Bastrop, that will serve as its regional station.

The approximately 6,000-square-foot, single-story metal building will include apparatus bays, living quarters, a day room, kitchen, fitness room and other amenities.

Construction is expected to last about one year.

What's changing? "It is our intent to have eight ambulances, 24 hours a day, with three additional peak trucks,” ESD No. 3 Executive Director Allen Johnson said. “So we will have gone, over about a 16-month period, from four ambulances a day to a max of 11, with two supervisors.”

Plans are underway for Smithville's first AutoZone.

In a nutshell: A May 27 filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation reveals plans for a 7,381-square-foot auto parts store on NW Loop 230. Construction on the $890,000 project is projected to start in January 2027 and finish in June 2027.

What they offer: AutoZone stores are stocked with automotive parts, tools and accessories. Services are also available, including battery recycling, check engine light testing and a loan-a-tool program.

Learn more: The Smithville store is one of two new AutoZone locations planned for Bastrop County. Community Impact reported in January that another AutoZone project is underway on Blue Flame Road in Cedar Creek, with construction expected to start in July.

• 1623 NW Loop 230, Smithville

Check out the latest Austin metro transportation project updates.

Upcoming projects
RM 1431 road and intersection improvements
Project: The project will span New Hope Drive to Bagdad Road, and the intersection of RM 1431/Whitestone Boulevard and 183A Toll in Cedar Park.
Update: Preliminary engineering and design of the intersection is next. 

• Timeline: TBD
• Cost: $11.9 million (road), $15.9 million (intersection)
• Funding source: city of Cedar Park, Mobility Authority, Surface Transportation Block Grant

• Timeline: total project completion expected in 2026
• Cost: $5.8 million
• Funding source: Type B sales tax

• Timeline: 2023-26
• Cost: $91.5 million
• Funding source: Waterloo Greenway, city of Austin Tax Increment funding, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Deep Eddy Pool will be closed June 22-28 due to repairs.

What's happening: A fill inlet valve at the pool, located at 401 Deep Eddy Ave., broke earlier this year, according to the city. The issue is interfering with pool filling operations during morning openings.

The city expects Deep Eddy Pool to reopen June 29 following the one-week repair process, barring any weather-related delays.

The closure comes as the nearby Barton Springs Pool remains closed until further notice as a result of heavy rains and flooding earlier this week.

In the meantime, the city encouraged residents to visit any of Austin's more than 30 other public pools that remain open. Updates on pool and park closures are also available online.

Tex-Mex restaurant On the Border Mexican Grill and Cantina permanently closed all company-owned restaurants in mid-June, according to an emailed statement from OTB Hospitality.

The overview: The company made the decision through an “evaluation of the business,” according to the statement.

“On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina has made the difficult decision to move forward with a significant transition in its restaurant operations, which [included] the closing of company-owned locations by end of day Friday, June 12, 2026,” the statement read. “This decision follows a thorough evaluation of the business and was not made lightly.”

The statement added that the franchised locations will remain open.

Some background: A news release from Houston-based Pappas Restaurants, the parent company of Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen and Pappasito’s Cantina, stated that the organization purchased On the Border May 1.

The restaurant offered nachos, quesadillas, fajitas and burritos, according to its menu.

• Company-owned locations closed June 12