City leaders are preparing for work on Butler Rough Hollow Park to begin this summer, with the latest City Council action pinning down one of several project managers to come for the city’s parks bond projects.

A motion allowing the city manager to negotiate an up to $253,550 contract with Pape-Dawson Consulting Engineers LLC was approved in a 5-1 decision at the March 16 City Council meeting, with council member Matt Sherman dissenting.

The details: Voters approved a $22 million bond to fund citywide parks projects in 2024, including five projects.

Although the city hasn’t used project managers for its bond work so far, the projects moving forward are more complicated and will happen simultaneously to deliver them on time, Director of Parks and Recreation Andra Bennett said.

“We don’t have the bandwidth or the expertise that is needed from an engineering standpoint to now manage these larger park projects,” Bennett said. “This will help us stay on schedule, remain within budget and meet city standards, while also helping reduce risk and potential liability.”

Deep Eddy Pool closed March 28 for its annual cleaning and maintenance.

The details: The pool will reopen April 11, according to a city of Austin news release.

The background: Deep Eddy Pool is a human-made swimming pool and the oldest swimming pool in Texas, according to the city's website.

The pool features spring-fed waters that remain at 68 to 70 degrees year-round, according to volunteer organization The Friends of Deep Eddy website. The pool is operated and maintained by city staff. Entrance to the pool includes a fee.

Keep in mind: Other pools in Austin will remain open during Deep Eddy's closure, including Big Stacy Pool, Bartholomew Pool, Springwoods Pool, Colony Park Pool and Barton Springs Pool during Deep Eddy Pool's closure. More Austin pools can be found on the city's website.

What else: Barton Springs closed Feb. 23 for maintenance and reopened March 21, later than originally anticipated, as previously reported by Community Impact.

• 401 Deep Eddy Ave., Austin

Check out the latest updates on upcoming, ongoing and completed transportation projects across the Austin metro. 

Upcoming projects
Austin’s I-35 cap-and-stitch vision faces uncertain funding future: The outlook for Austin's ambitious plans to cover stretches of the redesigned I-35 with public amenity decks remains unclear due to the high costs of constructing the project, which city staff advised not to fund as of this spring. City Council committed last year to pay the Texas Department of Transportation $104 million to add structural supports along I-35, which are needed for any future decks to be built. But no funding has yet been set aside for the development of caps and stitches or public amenities. 

Ongoing projects
Greenlawn Boulevard widening
Project: The city of Round Rock is reconstructing Greenlawn Boulevard from an existing four-lane divided roadway to a six-lane divided urban roadway with pedestrian and lighting improvements.
Update: Construction began in January, per city officials.

• Timeline: completion is expected by April 2027

• Cost: $13.95 million

• Funding source: type B sales tax revenue

Kites, wiener dogs, bluegrass and more—the spring festival season is here, and it stretches well beyond Austin city limits. 

ABC Kite Fest
Nearly a century old, this Zilker Park tradition will pull more than 10,000 kites into the Austin sky. Handmade and commercial kites will compete side-by-side while live music, children’s activities, a pet zone and a mini market populate the park.

• April 11, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

• Free (admission)

• 2100 Barton Springs Road, Austin

Red Poppy Festival
Georgetown's downtown square will transform over three days with a mix of artisan markets, live music, food vendors and parades celebrating the event's namesake flower.

• April 24-26, times vary

• Free (admission)

• 710 S. Main St., Georgetown

Buda Wiener Dog Races
Buda, the self-proclaimed Wiener Dog Capital of Texas, will host dachshund races across multiple heats with awards for speed and costumes. The two-day event aims to bring families together for food, vendors and community celebration.

• April 25-26, 8 a.m.

• $10

• 204 San Antonio St., Buda

In the nine months until Texas’ 90th legislative session begins in January, state lawmakers are expected to hold information-gathering hearings on hundreds of topics that will lay the groundwork for next year’s policymaking.

During a March 27 legislative summit in New Braunfels, four longtime lawmakers shared some of their top priorities for next year.

What they're saying: The legislators said they were focused on furthering some projects from previous legislative cycles, including water preservation initiatives and a new education savings account program.

More details: They said they also intend to study data center operations and how the large facilities impact local water supplies, noting that the legislature will work with local officials to determine how much data center regulation should happen locally and when the state should step in. 

“Does the state need to be involved? Yes,” Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, said. “Does local government need to have a say? Yes. But we’ve also got to remember, so does the private taxpayer. So we need to get a combination of all three.”