During a joint Denton ISD and Denton City Council meeting Oct. 13, city and school officials gave an update on the status of Borman Elementary School’s construction projects.

The overview: A multi-purpose field will go in where the old Borman Elementary used to sit. The school was demolished and a new elementary school was constructed on the same plot of land, according to previous reporting.

The field will be shared by the school and the city of Denton’s Denia Park, which relinquished parts of its park land to the new elementary school building, said Jen Basham, Denton’s new director of parks and recreation.

The field was initially slated for completion in August 2027 but is nine months ahead of schedule, said Brandon Boyter, DISD’s executive director of construction planning and growth.

Denia Park also underwent enhancements, including improved trails, additional trees, restroom renovations and improved drainage, lighting and accessibility, Basham said.

Medical City Healthcare locations in Frisco, McKinney and Denton will offer anonymous prescription drug disposal services on Oct. 24 for National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, according to a news release. 

How it works: In partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration, law enforcement officers from local police departments will safely collect prescription and over-the-counter medications at each drive-thru location as part of Drug Take Back events. 

Participating Medical City Healthcare collection sites include Medical City Denton, Medical City Frisco and the McKinney Fire Department.

Disposing of unused or expired medications can easily prevent them from being misused or abused, Medical City Healthcare Chief Medical Officer Alan Harmatz said in the release.

AT&T is building its new headquarters in Plano and West Coast University in Richardson is planning renovations. Check out some of the latest construction filings with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

1. AT&T headquarters Central Utility Plant

Several TDLR filings were submitted for the new AT&T headquarters planned in Plano, including for a central utility plant to be used by the campus. A total of seven other buildings and three garages are included in filed plans for the headquarters, per previous reporting.

• Location: 5500 Legacy Drive, Plano

• Estimated timeline: Dec. 1, 2026-March 31, 2029

• Estimated cost: $1.05 billion (total from current filings)

2. Alliance Westport 12

AllianceTexas will have a new 600,000 square-foot facility to support 3 manufacturing lines, per a TDLR filing. The facility was first announced in March, per previous reporting. The facility will be near multiple logistics hubs, like BNSF’s Alliance Intermodal Facility, FedEx Ground Hub and Amazon Air Regional Hub.

• Location: 1501 Distribution Drive, Fort Worth

• Estimated timeline: Dec. 1, 2026-Sept. 1, 2027

• Estimated cost: $500 million

Texas environmental regulators have continued processing certain data center permits in the month since Gov. Greg Abbott ordered a permitting pause, according to a new report from FracTracker, an oil and gas watchdog group.

The details: Abbott directed the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality last month to "halt all permits sought by data centers" while the Electric Reliability Council of Texas audits proposed projects.

Yet as of Oct. 16, the TCEQ had moved at least 35 data center-related applications forward, per an analysis of TCEQ records.

Zooming in: The agency has issued public notices for three data center projects since Abbott ordered the pause Sept. 21. It also approved stormwater coverage, certified air emissions limits or assigned engineers to other projects.

"No permits have been approved," Andrew Mahaleris, the governor's press secretary, said Oct. 20. "In line with the governor’s directive, TCEQ has not taken and will not take any proactive actions related to the approval of data center permits."

"These actions do not signal an agency trying to pause," FracTracker said in the report.