Beginning March 9, Austin ISD will hold community meetings to discuss the future of several district properties that are slated to close.

The big picture: Next school year, the district will close eight elementary schools and two middle schools amid declining enrollment and growing budgetary concerns. The district may choose to lease, sell or reuse these campuses as educational facilities either now or in the future, AISD’s website states.

The details: To decide on the future use of a closing school, AISD officials will evaluate whether the district will need the property within the next 20 years, according to AISD information.

The district is considering leasing or selling Becker, Dawson, Ridgetop, Sunset Valley and Widén elementaries as well as a portion of the land at Bedichek Middle School. The Bedichek building will house several district departments, 18-plus programming for young adult special education students and community partners, according to AISD information.

Get involved: AISD will hold community meetings at these six campuses beginning March 9 through April 7 from 5:30-7 p.m.

Austin leaders say the city is prepared for a slew of major events this spring, including a reimagined South by Southwest Conference & Festivals, and advised residents to be aware of impacts from traffic to public safety over the weeks ahead.

The details: Austin's Spring Festival Season kicks off this month with the official start of SXSW on March 12. The 40th edition of the festival will be spread across multiple hubs and venues in and around downtown, a change partially prompted by the multiyear redevelopment of the Austin Convention Center.

This year's spring season begins soon after a deadly mass shooting on West Sixth Street. Officials noted that incident left a different feeling for planners and attendees this month. Still, Austin's police, fire and emergency medical services departments remain ready to work and respond to the upcoming major events as usual.

Growth in Pflugerville has reshaped neighborhoods, filled new subdivisions and drawn businesses to major corridors.

Now it is reshaping the city’s underground infrastructure.

Behind the scenes, engineers and city leaders are planning and constructing a wide-ranging expansion of Pflugerville’s water and wastewater systems—projects that will determine how much the city can grow and how quickly.

The effort took on a new urgency after a pipeline failure reduced the amount of water flowing into Lake Pflugerville, prompting city officials to declare a local disaster March 4 and set restrictions across the city.

Two-minute impact: Amid the Lake Pflugerville pipeline failure, the city projected that by April 18, water levels could drop below its raw water intake structure. This means the city would not be able to provide water to its customers. The city was made aware of the damage to the waterline on Feb. 6.