After years of advocating and planning, Southeast Austin residents can now access an improved neighborhood park. Grand Meadow Neighborhood Park, which stood for decades as a wildflower meadow, now includes functional amenities with more improvements to come over the next few months.

The big picture: The Austin Parks Foundation, along with Austin Parks and Recreation and Friends of Grand Meadow, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 15 to celebrate the first phase of Grand Meadow Neighborhood Park improvements.

The almost 10-acre park features:

• Natural surface trails

• Accessible concrete walkways

• A play area

• A shaded pavilion

• Grass fields

One more thing: Phase I is funded by the Urban Forest Fund, the city of Austin Parkland Dedication Fund and APF.

The next phase of park development will add a community garden and a food forest.

From a new Greek cafe to a coffee shop reopening, read about six recent business updates in the Dripping Springs area.

Now open

Texas Hill Country Diesel and Automotive: The team offers general maintenance, engine diagnostics, repairs and auto upgrades.

• 16299 Fitzhugh Road, Ste. E, Dripping Springs

Relocations

Capri Microblades: Local Capri Jentsch recently relocated her business in Dripping Springs. Services include permanent makeup and paramedical tattoos.

• 13341 W Hwy. 290, Ste. 402, Austin

In the news

Oakwood Public Market: The business reopened in September, according to a Facebook post from Headwaters. In addition to reopening the existing concepts, the new owners introduced an arcade to the business’s offerings.

• 2500 Beverly Drive, Dripping Springs

Travis County Commissioners Court approved Central Health's $650 million fiscal year 2026-27 operating budget Sept. 15, including $127.5 million for crisis and recovery mental healthcare with $54 million in new investments.

The breakdown: New funding includes $33.1 million for 22 inpatient psychiatric beds and 10 psychiatric emergency department bays, $16 million for a new Mental Health Crisis Care Center, and smaller allocations for jail-based health support, an expanded crisis care team and medication access.

The budget also carries a tax rate of $0.132863 per $100 valuation, raising the median homeowner's bill by about $36 a year.

What's next: The new psychiatric beds could open within months, while the standalone crisis center is years away. Austin City Council is expected to receive a briefing on the related No Wrong Door initiative during its Oct. 6 work session.

Circuit of the Americas is gearing up to go beyond racing with the opening of COTALAND Theme Park later this month.

A closer look: Officials said the park will offer everything from extreme-thrill coasters to children’s rides and family-friendly attractions.

Learn more: The roughly 30-acre park will feature 33 attractions, with a compact layout designed in part to help keep guests and employees cooler during hot Central Texas summers.

Bobby Epstein, chairman and founder of COTA, discussed the approach with Community Impact before construction began.

“Most parks would spread this many rides out over a wider space, but what we’ve tried to do with this park is actually condense it a little bit so that we have more shade,” Epstein said.

What's next? Beyond COTALAND, officials said they are planning a water park and, longer term, an on-site resort to expand the venue's year-round entertainment offerings.

Community Impact will provide more details as plans develop.

• Opening Sept. 26

• 9111 Circuit of the Americas Blvd., Del Valle