On June 16, the Buda City Council approved a $13.9 million contract with SpawGlass Contractors Inc. for the construction of a new park, located on 40 acres along Onion Creek.

Officials from the company, city, Hays County and state broke ground on John D. and Byrd Mims Garison Memorial Park on July 30, marking the beginning of the estimated year-long construction phase.

The overview: John D. and Byrd Mims Garison Memorial Park is located just north of downtown, the Buda Amphitheater and City Park. The park will offer visitors direct access to Onion Creek and numerous outdoor amenities, according to previous Community Impact reporting.

The details: The project is being funded through Proposition B and supplemented by Proposition A of the 2021 Buda Bond, $6.9 million from Hays County and a $750,000 non-urban outdoor grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Looking ahead: The first phase of construction on John D. and Byrd Mims Garison Memorial Park is projected to be complete by summer 2027.

A new restaurant serving locally sourced, scratch-made cuisine has opened in downtown Buda.

Astra Restaurant + Bar held a soft opening in February and celebrated a ribbon-cutting with the Greater Buda Chamber of Commerce on May 18, marking the milestone of being open seven days a week.

Owner Mattison Bills said she is fulfilling a lifelong dream to open a restaurant like Astra.

Quote of note: “The concept itself is something that I’ve been ruminating on for a decade,” Bills said. “The local sourcing, everything scratch-made, the sourdough program is really a huge part of my identity; the handmade pasta. It's really built on recipes that I've been making my entire career.”

On the menu: Every item on the menu at Astra is scratch-made with no commercial ingredients, with produce being locally sourced or grown in the restaurant’s own 6,000-square-foot urban farm in San Antonio. The menu follows a similar framework throughout the year, but rotates seasonal vegetables to bring the best quality produce to the plate.

Austin leaders are seeking to mandate long-range water use and conservation plans from facilities that use large amounts of water, like data centers. The proposal comes as City Council is expected to consider several new regulations this summer that could restrict or ban hyperscale data center development in Austin.

“The overall message is that Austin is looking very carefully at water usage, and if you want to use a lot of water you’ll not only have to pay your fair share for water and infrastructure, but you also have to conserve as much as possible," said council member Mike Siegel.

The details: Siegel's resolution approved July 23 would impose new water planning processes for large-volume water users. It also kicks off new public reporting on usage by Austin Water's largest customers. More city policies related to land use, noise regulations and Austin Energy will be considered by council in the near future.

Across Texas, public school districts have approved at least 150 campus closures in the last three years as they grapple with declining enrollment, state accountability issues and hefty budget shortfalls.

What's happening: Among the closures are 56 schools in Community Impact’s coverage areas. Some districts have said that additional closures are not off the table.

Roughly 76,000 fewer students were enrolled in Texas public schools during the 2025-26 school year than the year prior. This marks the first non-pandemic enrollment drop in recorded history, according to Texas Education Agency data collected annually since 1987.

Analysts warn that this year’s enrollment decline is not a one-off, with demographics expert Bob Templeton predicting that enrollment could “drop over 100,000 kids” next year.

What they're saying: “This was a decision that I made, even knowing some of the challenges our students are going to face, because I think the alternative is untenable,” Fort Bend ISD board President Kristin Tassin said as the district voted to close seven elementary schools ahead of the 2026-27 school year.