Round Rock City Council unanimously approved a contract for construction materials testing services tied to ongoing improvements along Gattis School Road.

What’s happening: The agreement, approved March 26, authorizes city officials to enter into a contract with Raba Kistner Inc. to support the Gattis School Road Segment 6 project.

The firm will provide testing services to ensure materials used during construction meet engineering standards and project specifications.

Under the agreement, Raba Kistner will conduct field and laboratory testing on materials such as soil, concrete and asphalt throughout construction.

The city of Round Rock recently renewed a water agreement with Georgetown, while Williamson County officials reevaluated voting processes ahead of the next elections in May. Catch up on the latest government news around Round Rock that you move have missed.

1. Round Rock renews water treatment deal with Georgetown: Round Rock City Council unanimously approved a new water treatment agreement with Georgetown, extending a partnership that allows Round Rock to process and deliver Georgetown’s water supply.

The agreement allows Round Rock to continue treating Georgetown’s raw water using existing system capacity, formalizing a regional arrangement as both cities plan for continued growth.

2. WilCo adopts floodplain mapping study to guide development, reduce flood risk: Williamson County commissioners adopted the Atlas 14 Floodplain Mapping Study on March 24, which identifies flood-prone areas to guide growth and development in the county to help reduce flood risk, according to county documents.

The Atlas 14 study identifies flood-prone areas using updated scientific rainfall data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, along with topographic information.

Dell Children’s Medical Center in Central Austin has become the first pediatric hospital to provide bone marrow transplants, also known as stem cell transplants, in Central Texas.

The impact: The procedure increases the cure rate for pediatric cancer patients, Dell Children’s doctors told Community Impact. The new stem cell transplant program means Austin-area families no longer have to leave Central Texas to receive lifesaving cancer care, said Dr. Amir Mian, the program’s medical director and division chief for pediatric oncology and hematology.

“Previously, everybody had to travel out of town, and what it meant was leaving home for more than a month, sometimes even longer,” Mian said. “Now they don’t have to ... nobody has to leave town just to get lifesaving treatment.”

How it works: The transplant involves removing a patient's bone marrow and replacing older stem cells by administering new stem cells to pediatric cancer patients through an IV, Mian said. The stem cells travel to the patient’s bone marrow and begin producing healthy blood cells that may restore their immune system.