ATX-LLH: Impact 10/10/2025

Liberty Hill officials received an update on design progress for the North Fork Wastewater Treatment Plant in October and approved a contract for the remaining phase.

The details: The $1.32 million contract with Garver Engineering brings the total cost of design to about $2.67 million, as council approved a $1.35 million contract for the phase in June.

What's new: The contract approved by council Oct. 8 includes the remainder of the design for the project, project administration and preparation of an easement for an entrance on the site's east side to address traffic safety concerns, Garver Project Engineer Jeff Meadows said.

Building Kidz of Leander opened on Sept. 15, marking the schools first Building Kidz location in Texas, according to previous Community Impact reporting. 

Learn more: The preschool and childcare facility offers multidisciplinary learning that incorporates STEM-based curriculum, performing arts, and its “Learning Through Life Experiences” approach for students ages six weeks to six years old. 

More details: The curriculum encourages students to learn through hands-on experiences in roles such as a banker or doctor, according to owner Nishanth Kondabolu. 

Kondabolu co-owns Building Kidz of Leander with Manjusha Ghanta and Christie Helka serves as the director. The school is now enrolling new students.

Texas’ power grid is unlikely to have issues this December, according to an Oct. 3 report by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.

The details: During the winter, demand for electricity spikes when people get up in the morning and return home in the evening. This December, the tightest period is expected to be from 7-8 a.m. each day, when little to no solar power is being produced. ERCOT found that there will be a 1.81% chance of a grid emergency during that time.

“Under typical grid conditions, the deterministic scenario indicates that there should be sufficient generating capacity available," the report reads.

The background: Texas' grid withstood three cold snaps early this year. ERCOT last asked residents to voluntarily reduce their energy use in January 2024.

Legislative approach: State lawmakers approved legislation this spring that is designed to make the grid more reliable by tightening regulations on large electric consumers, such as data centers. In extreme grid conditions, those customers will be required to switch to backup power to reduce strain on the grid.