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Bastrop officials are taking a closer look at improving the quality of life for residents, as discussions continue around potential improvements across the city’s parks and recreation system.

What we know: City leaders said the goal is to better meet the needs of a community that is nearing 13,000 residents.

Areas of focus include:

• Enhancements to the Mayfest Park Rodeo Arena
Plans for a par 3 golf course

• A series of tunnels The Boring Co. could construct to better connect pedestrians to local parks

The city of Bastrop will purchase shade covers for the Mayfest Park Rodeo Arena that will cover the seating and pen areas.

The details: During a Jan. 21 meeting, Bastrop City Council approved a resolution that will allow staff to purchase the upgrades from ShadePro for up to $477,110—improvements that will be financed with series 2025 certificates of obligation, according to city documents.

“They’re cantilever covers that are custom made,” Bastrop City Manager Sylvia Carrillo-Trevino, who met with ShadePro representatives onsite, said during the meeting.

Notable quote: “We have to start somewhere,” Bastrop Mayor Ishmael Harris said during the meeting. “This shade cover gets us going to where we can have more events.”

From new worship spaces to a car wash and more, here are five of the most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week. 

1. St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church
Parishioners can soon worship at a new site, as St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church will build a two-story, 22,000-square-foot space. It will feature a seating area, a sanctuary with an altar, restrooms, a choir loft and sacristies—also called preparation rooms.

• Location: 230 Post Oak Drive, Dripping Springs
• Estimated timeline: July 1-Jan. 31, 2028
• Estimated cost: $17 million 

• Location: 800 Heatherwilde Blvd., Pflugerville 
• Estimated timeline: March 1-June 30, 2027
• Estimated cost: $5.5 million 

• Location: 3375 S. Interstate 35, San Marcos
• Estimated timeline: July 20-Feb. 26, 2027
• Estimated cost: $4 million

The Austin Blues Festival will return to Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park this spring, presented by Antone's Nightclub and Waterloo Greenway Conservancy.

The two-day festival celebrates music and culture and started in 1999. This year is the festival’s fourth edition and will celebrate Antone’s 50-year lease extension.

The details: The lineup will feature a variety of artists, including:

• Parliament Funkadelic ft. George Clinton
• Jimmie Vaughan & Friends
• BADBADNOTGOOD
• Eric Johnson
• Larkin Poe
• Adrian Quesada's Boleros Psicodélicos
• The War and Treaty, Chaparelle
• Los Amigos Invisibles
• D.K. Harrell
• Annie & The Caldwells
• Huston-Tillotson Jazz Orchestra
• Second line parades from Pinettes Brass Band & New Breed Brass Band

• April 25-26
• $79+ (varies on ticket type)

Texas families can soon apply to receive state funds for private education or homeschooling under the state’s new education savings account program, known as Texas Education Freedom Accounts.

What's happening: The application opens at 9 a.m. Feb. 4 and is designed to be completed in about 15 minutes, according to the state comptroller’s office. Families can apply through 11:59 p.m. March 17.

Parents must submit information about their family's residency, household income, their children's educational history and each child's special education status, if applicable.

The details: To be eligible for the program, students must:

• Reside in Texas
• Be U.S. citizens or lawful residents
• Be eligible to attend a Texas public school, open-enrollment charter school or pre-K program

Two Republican candidates are running to lead the Texas Department of Agriculture in the upcoming March 3 primary election.

The overview: Nate Sheets is challenging incumbent Sid Miller, who is seeking a fourth term as Texas agriculture commissioner. The winning Republican candidate will face Democrat Clayton Tucker in November, and the winner of that election will be sworn in for a four-year term in January 2027.

Tucker is running uncontested in the Democratic primary. Community Impact runs candidate Q&As for contested races only.

About the agency: The Texas Department of Agriculture's duties include administering federal nutrition programs and grants; facilitating trade of agricultural products; protecting crops from pests and diseases; providing financial assistance to farmers and rural communities; and conducting consumer protection programs, according to the agency's website.