CITY & COUNTY
News from Cedar Park & Leander
COMPILED BY ZACHARIA WASHINGTON
Cedar Park City Council will meet March 9 and 23 at 7 p.m. at 450 Cypress Creek Road, Bldg. 4, Cedar Park. 512-401-5000. www.cedarparktexas.gov Leander City Council will meet March 16 and April 6 at 6 p.m. at 201 N. Brushy St., Leander. 512-528-2743. www.leandertx.gov Travis County Commissioners Court will meet March 21, 28 and April 4 at 9 a.m. at 700 Lavaca Williamson County Commissioners Court will meet March 14, 21, 28 and April 4 and 11 at 9:30 a.m. at 710 S. Main St., Georgetown. 512-943-1100. www.wilco.org St., Austin. 512-854-4722. www.traviscountytx.gov MEETINGS WE COVER HIGHLIGHTS LEANDER The city ushered in Randall Malik as its next economic development director at the Feb. 16 City Council meeting. Malik was recommended out of a pool of 21 qualied candidates by City Manager Rick Beverlin and approved by council at the meeting. Malik previously was assistant director of economic development for the city of Cedar Park.
Leander terminates agreement for 300-job Cangshan Cutlery project
Two candidates run for Cedar Park City Council Place 1 seat CEDAR PARK The candidate ling period for the three upcoming Cedar Park City Council elections closed Feb. 17, and four total applications were received. Incumbents Anne Duy and Kevin Harris are running unopposed for Place 3 and Place 5, respectively. Place 1 will have two candidates, not including Stephen Thomas—who was appointed in June. The two Place 1 candidates are Bobbi Hutchinson and Justin O’Brien. The last day to register to vote is April 6. Early voting will run from April 24 to May 2. Election day is May 6.
Leander ups water conservation due to new BCRUA pipe leak LEANDER Residents were asked to temporarily implement Phase 3 water conservation eorts Feb. 24 as the Brushy Creek Regional Utility Author- ity repaired a new leak in its 36-inch raw water pipeline. The leak—which caused disruptions in raw-water delivery to the BCRUA facility—was identied Feb. 15. Repairs began in late February and were completed March 1, BCRUA General Manager Karen Bondy said. Leander ocials said despite the repair being completed, it will still take a few days for the BCRUA to safely rell the pipeline and facility basins. Throughout the rell process, the BCRUA will monitor the pipeline for other potential setbacks. Leander will remain in Phase 3 conservation—which requires hand- held watering—until the BCRUA facility is back online and safely distributing water, city ocials said.
PAST PIPE BREAKS The Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority has experienced three pipe breaks, which caused residents to need to conserve water, in the last 2 1/2 years.
BUTTERCUP CREEK BLVD.
LEANDER City Council voted to terminate a Chapter 380 economic incentive agreement for the Cangshan Cutlery Co. headquarters project—which went by code name Project Cutting Edge—on Feb. 2. City ocials said “the company’s timeline, relocation, and cost estimates for build-out didn’t align with their short-term facility needs,” conrming the termination was a mutual agreement. Cangshan Cutlery initially planned to move its international headquarters to Leander in 2023. The California-based company, which manufactures premium cutlery, was slated to develop a 400,000-square-foot production and administrative facility that would have brought up to 300 jobs to the city. The facility was projected to create $150 million in annual revenue, according to the city’s
original press release on the knife company’s relocation. Cangshan Cutlery’s current headquarters is located in Chino, California. The previously planned facility site is located at 204 Heritage Grove Road, Leander. No known projects are planned for the site.
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First leak Discovered: December 2020 Repairs completed: May 2021 Second leak Discovered: August 2022 Repairs completed: October 2022 Third leak Discovered: February 2023 Repairs completed: early March 2023
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The Cedar Park Public Library will be located in The Bell District. COURTESY CITY OF CEDAR PARK
New Cedar Park Public Library breaks ground
CEDAR PARK As part of The Bell District development, construction on the new public library in Cedar Park began Jan. 27. “In this new dynamic, walkable mixed-use development, we are going to be able to reach even more of the community, including community members who might not think to visit the library but are coming to The Bell District,” Julia Mitschke, Cedar Park Public Library director, said in a release. Spanning 50 acres along Bell Boulevard, The Bell District will include residential units with retail, restaurants and oces. One of the main goals of the
Cedar Park Public Library is to be a civic gathering space. The library’s courtyard will be surrounded by dozens of heritage trees. Additionally, Cedar Park City Council approved the installation of a play structure at its Jan. 26 meeting. The 47,000-square-foot library will have a storytime reading room, tech maker spaces, a classroom, a teen area, an adults quiet space, group study rooms, a multipurpose room and a reading room. The library is funded through 2015 voter-approved bonds. Construction is slated to be com- pleted in late 2024.
CUTTING TIES
Leander City Council terminated an agreement with knife company Cangshan Cutlery Co. that would have brought revenue and jobs.
SOURCES: BRUSHY CREEK REGIONAL UTILITY AUTHORITY, CITY OF LEANDERCOMMUNITY IMPACT
annual revenue $150 MILLION
in projected
While the leak was being repaired, the city moved all water treatment capacities to the Sandy Creek plant, resulting in the city’s water treatment capacity dropping from 25 million gallons per day to 9 million. Leander could return to Phase 2 of its water conservation plan as early as March 6, after press time.
300 jobs
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EARLY VOTING April 24-May 2 SAVE THE DATES
ELECTION DAY May 6
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SOURCE: CITY OF LEANDERCOMMUNITY IMPACT
CEDAR PARK 13530 Ronald Reagan Blvd (512) 986-7681
NORTH 620 10601 N FM 620 (512) 506-8316
HYMEADOW 12611 Hymeadow (512) 506-8401
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