As construction on the Buda Sportsplex renovation moves forward, city staff pushed forward efforts to market the park as a competitive location in Central Texas for youth and amateur sports tournament organizers.

The City Council approved a rebrand of the facility, and city staff presented the planned strategic marketing and sales initiative at an April 21 meeting.

The big picture: The efforts aim to increase hotel occupancy and generate economic impact in the city by marketing the sportsplex as a highly desired tournament destination for various sports, according to agenda documents. The city will target organizers for baseball, softball, soccer, flag football, lacrosse and multisport events.

As part of the rebrand, the Buda Sportsplex will be renamed to Buda Championship Park in an effort to further cement the location as a preferred destination for organized tournaments, according to agenda documents.

Zooming in: Prior to the Buda Sportsplex’s renovation, the facility had limited promotion of tournament activities due to its narrow capabilities and condition, according to agenda documents.

Applicants are still needed in order to fill the San Marcos CISD board of trustees' Single Member District 2 seat, which will become vacant in May. Board president Anne Halsey announced the application window will be extended to May 18, following an application period that was slated to close April 20.

Looking back: District 2 trustee Margie Villalpando's term is up in May, and she is not seeking reelection; no candidates filed to run in her place. According to district officials, trustees can either appoint someone or call a special election to fill the seat.

The update: The board of trustees was expected to make an appointment at its April 20 meeting; however, following the board's closed executive session, Halsey said applications will remain open through May 18.

Get involved: The seat must be filled by someone who has resided within the District 2 boundary. The appointed candidate will serve until May 2027. 

From an elementary school replacement in Austin to a Home Depot in San Marcos, here are five of the most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Andrews Elementary School modernization ($52 million): This project involves the complete removal and replacement of an existing elementary school. Construction will start this summer.

2. Willow East leasing office ($25 million): Construction on a leasing office for a new apartment complex in Austin will begin this summer.

3. Home Depot ($13 million): The new store in San Marcos will be 107,797 square feet with a 28,120-square-foot garden center.

4. Discount Tire ($2 million): Construction will begin next month on an 8,000-square-foot Discount Tire location in Georgetown. 

5. Layne's Chicken Fingers ($1.1 million): A new Layne's chicken fingers restaurant will be built in New Braunfels.

Austin-Travis County EMS has partnered with We Are Blood to implement a blood distribution plan for mass casualty incidents. The plan strengthens the region’s ability to respond to large-scale emergencies and helps patients receive transfusions quickly.

At a glance: The Mass Casualty Incident Whole Blood Deployment Plan is intended to quicken emergency response in Central Texas by optimizing the deployment of blood units to major incidents, according to an ATCEMS news release.

The plan outlines four distinct steps in the coordination of whole blood deployment to mass casualty incidents in the region:

• Activation: ATCEMS notifies We Are Blood of the mass casualty incident and the estimated amount of blood needed.
• Rapid Staging: We Are Blood prepares units of blood and pre-packed supplies for transfusions.
• Field Deployment: ATCEMS personnel get the units from the blood bank.
• On-Scene Management: A dedicated blood officer oversees blood and equipment distribution at the scene.