The city of Bastrop will spend $122,934 to minimize the amount of lead and copper that enters the public water supply.

The details: Bastrop City Council approved the purchase with Minnesota-based Hawkins Inc. for orthophosphates—a chemical used in public water supplies to prevent the corrosion of pipes and plumbing—during a March 10 meeting.

It will be financed through the city’s Water Treatment Chemicals Budget, according to city documents.

The outlook: TCEQ is requiring the city to continue using orthophosphates as a corrosion inhibitor until a new corrosion-control study can be approved and completed for the Simsboro aquifer wells, according to city documents.

A ranch west of Bastrop is making room for live music under the open sky.

Long Step Ranch—which has cattle, sheep and even peacocks roaming throughout—finished building an outdoor stage and dance floor in February that is serving as the centerpiece for music events on the property.

About the owner: Owner Justin LeClair purchased the first 20 acres of the property in 2023 and added 60 acres of land in 2025.

However, the magic, he emphasized, happens just inside the entrance gate.

“My favorite part about running Long Step Ranch is definitely the dancing,” LeClair told Community Impact. “It adds so much to the live music experience and there are too few outdoor venues with large dedicated dance floors close to town.”

• 5501 Wolf Lane, Del Valle

Check out six upcoming or ongoing transportation projects across the Austin metro.

Upcoming projects

West Rundberg Lane Extension
Project: The project extends West Rundberg Lane in Austin from Burnet Road to Metric Boulevard, including an expansion of the roadway from two lanes to four lanes with a raised median, an 8-foot shared-use path on both sides, and storm sewer, water and wastewater improvements.
Update: The project is currently in the design phase.

• Timeline: TBD
• Cost: $10 million
• Funding source: Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, city of Austin bond

• Timeline: 2023-29 (entire project)
• Cost: $19.9 million-$21.6 million (west), $42.3 million-$45.4 million (east)
• Funding source: 2022 city of Kyle bond

The Texas Science & Natural History Museum recently opened its latest paleontology exhibit to the public on Jan. 28. Museum attendees can now immerse themselves in how creatures lived by playing a video game, checking out interactive panels and learning where the featured Texas fossils were found across the state.

Dig deeper: Various interactive elements have been introduced to the Epic Encounters space, including the featured creatures touchscreen panels, which give attendees the opportunity to dig deeper into the lives of eight of the animals in the exhibit’s collection.

In addition to the panels, the museum has introduced a choose-your-own-adventure game where individuals can choose to play as one of the five creature options in two environments and see how they would do living out a day in that creature’s life.

• 2400 Trinity St., Austin