Houston City Council approved an agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation on July 21 to move forward with improvements to the West 15th St. bridge located across a Harris County Flood Control District ditch.

What this means: Located in District C, the project will replace or rehabilitate the bridge on West 15th St. between Beall St. and Dian St. as part of TxDOT’s Off-System Bridge Program, which funds improvements to bridges that are not part of the state highway system.

The project is estimated to cost about $726,000, per the agenda item. The city will use a state-approved equivalent match waiver, allowing bridge improvements at two other locations at Reo St. and Packard St., to satisfy the local match requirement. Those projects will cost a total of $72,600.

One more thing: The city has not yet announced a construction timeline for any of the projects.

A new space designed to immerse customers in the Oakley brand officially opened its doors to residents July 22 inside the M-K-T, a shopping center in the Heights.

The big picture: Oakley is an American company with headquarters in California. The brand sells performative eyewear, including sunglasses, sports and Meta glasses, as well as prescription eyeglasses.

The new M-K-T store also offers guests an elevated experience designed to immerse customers in the Oakley brand, according to a July 20 news release. A notable feature of the store is the Prizm Wall, an interactive experience that demonstrates how Oakley's proprietary Prizm lens technology enhances color, contrast and detail.

One more thing: Guests can also engage with Smart Shopper technology, which involves digital tools used to help consumers make informed choices, according to the company's website.

• 600 N. Shepherd Drive, Ste. 410, Houston

Taking place from Aug. 24-30, theater fanatics can score exclusive deals on live performances in the city, including opera, music and dance performances, per a July 16 release.

The overview: For the fifth year, consumers can take advantage of buy-one-get-one-free tickets to hundreds of shows for Houston Theater Week, including favorites such as:

• "A Christmas Carol"
• "A Raisin in the Sun"
• Disney’s "The Little Mermaid"

Individuals interested in running for local office are now able to apply for a place on the November general election ballot through Aug.17, according to the Texas Secretary of State's office.

What you need to know: Individuals interested in filing to run for office within a local subdivision or school district must file an application with the entity in charge of the election as well as meet several criteria, including:

• Be 18 years of age or older

• Be a resident of the city, district or subdivision

• Be a U.S. citizen

What else: Several local entities across the Greater Houston area are set to have elections, such as:

• Harris County Emergency Services District No. 9

• Klein ISD

• Fort Bend ISD

• New Caney ISD

• City of Roman Forest

• Tomball ISD

• The Woodlands Township

Individuals interested in running for office should check with their local entities for any additional information or application packets ahead of the November general election.

Need to catch up on Community Impact’s coverage from last week? Check out six trending stories from the South Houston area from July 20-24.

1. Pearland shifts with new mayor and city leadership changes

2. New 17-acre River Oaks development set to define luxury with new amenities

3. New DPS office to open in Katy after 15-plus years

4. Goodwill to open 2nd Missouri City store in Sienna

5. Pomodoro’s Cucina Italiana awarded $850K incentive to open in Seabrook

6. Blue Mambo to rebrand, relocate to Bissonnet in elevated beauty partnership with Hair Craft Collective

As more data centers are being built in Texas, the state’s water planning agency warns that limited information is available about the booming industry and its impact on water supplies.

The overview: The Texas Water Development Board adopted its initial 2027 State Water Plan on July 23, with a “more robust” version of the plan expected later this year. The plan consists of 3,000 water management projects and 6,700 strategies that experts say are needed to prepare for future severe droughts.

It will cost about $174 billion to complete the projects, according to the TWDB. However, if they are not implemented, a severe drought could cost the state $91 billion in economic damages as soon as 2030 and lead to $177 billion in annual losses by 2080.

The context: These projections do not account for the amount of water that data centers—which largely purchase their water from public systems—may use or how the large facilities could contribute to overall water availability. Right now, the board said it did not have enough information to do so.