The Pflugerville City Council unanimously approved a $1.52-million Community Engagement Grant on Jan. 13 to fund infrastructure improvements at Wells Point Park.

The big picture: The grant authorizes the Pflugerville Community Development Corporation to provide a little over $1.5 million from its fund balance to the city’s Parks and Recreation Department for upgrades that include new field lighting, restroom improvements and a lightning detection system.

PCDC Executive Director Jerry Jones told council members the project had already received unanimous approval from the PCDC board following a public hearing and was eligible for funding under state law governing economic development corporations.

Michael Mayer moved to Austin in 2004 and two years later he became the first Hip Hounds employee. After ten years of working at the dog daycare and boarding business, Mayer harnessed help from friends and family to purchase the business from Melissa Todd. He became the sole owner of the Round Rock-based business in 2016 with the goal of building a better financial future for him and his family.

“I didn't do this on my own,” Mayer said. “I had a bunch of help. I had a bunch of people who were willing to take a chance on me.”

What they offer: Hip Hounds provides overnight boarding, daycare and full-service grooming with no breed restrictions. During the day, dogs are placed in groups for hours of play with indoor and climate controlled areas, an outdoor section, canine playground equipment and pools. Pet owners can also tune into a live feed to watch their dogs play during the day.

Pegatron Corporation, a Taiwan-based electronics manufacturing company, plans to begin construction on its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Georgetown by March, according to Williamson County documents.

The property is located in the Blue Springs Business Park near SE Inner Loop and Blue Springs Boulevard.

The details: The 168,784-square-foot building is a shell space, and Pegatron plans to renovate the facility for its manufacturing and assembly operations, according to Georgetown documents.

The update: Williamson County commissioners approved a tax abatement agreement with Pegatron on Jan. 6, which will exempt 30% of the assessed value of the land, improvements and tangible personal property for 10 years.

The benefits are contingent on performance metrics, including starting construction by March 31. 

Hundreds of Texas private schools have been approved to participate in the state’s new education savings account program, per a map released by the state comptroller in early January.

The overview: As of press time, 775 private schools and prekindergarten providers had been approved to accept education savings accounts, or ESAs. There are over 1,300 accredited private schools in the state, according to the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission. 

Of the approved schools, there are:

• 233 schools in the Houston area
• 195 schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area
• 94 schools in the San Antonio area
• 70 schools in the Austin area