$43.1M grant to bring internet to rural Bastrop
More than 10,000 Bastrop County homes and businesses are being connected to the internet through a $43.1 million grant the Texas Broadband Development Office awarded earlier this year.
What we know
With construction now underway, Bastrop County officials and representatives from Highline—the provider installing the high-speed fiber internet to previously unserved locations—celebrated the milestone Dec. 3 at the Bastrop County Courthouse.
Lewis credited several key players for their ongoing commitment to closing the digital divide in Bastrop County, including:
- Bastrop County Commissioners Court
- Bastrop County Cares
- St. David’s Foundation
- Communities Unlimited
- Lower Colorado River Authority
- Connected Nation
- Bastrop County Economic Development Organization
Zooming in
Bastrop County was one of 13 counties to earn the grant funding through the Bringing Online Opportunities to Texas, or BOOT II, program.
“Expanding broadband countywide will ensure our students can learn, our businesses can grow and our residents can stay connected in an increasingly digital world,” Bastrop County Precinct 4 Commissioner David Glass said.
The outlook
Lewis added that installations of the high-speed fiber internet are expected to be completed in late 2026.
“Upon completion, Bastrop County residents and businesses will enjoy enhanced broadband options at affordable rates—unlocking opportunities in telehealth, remote learning, small business growth, civic engagement and beyond,” she said in a news release.
Bastrop seeks Texas State University campus
The city of Bastrop wants a Texas State University campus or satellite instructional center within the community.
The details
Dori Kelley, business attraction, retention and expansion manager for the Bastrop Economic Development Corp., cited previous interest from the Texas State University System to expand its footprint in Central Texas.
“Bastrop’s unique combination of historic charm, rapid population growth and economic expansion makes it an ideal location for consideration as a potential satellite instructional center or full campus,” she said in a staff report.
Zooming in
Bastrop Mayor Ishmael Harris emphasized that Texas State University’s presence in Bastrop would serve as a “catalyst for workforce development.”
“Bastrop has become a hub for growth, innovation and opportunity—attracting a unique mix of global corporations, small businesses and creative entrepreneurs,” he said in a letter to Brian McCall, chancellor of the Texas State University System.
Austin Water halts Bastrop ASR project
Austin Water is no longer pursuing an Aquifer Storage and Recovery project in Bastrop County.
The details
Although Austin City Council was scheduled to vote on a collaboration agreement with Bastrop County entities, which would have advanced the project to a field testing phase, Austin Water withdrew the item from the Nov. 20 Austin City Council agenda.
“While Austin put our best foot forward to achieve the collaboration and partnership that would be needed to complete testing and eventually build such a regional project, we didn’t reach the level of partnership that is needed,” Austin Water Director Shay Ralls Roalson said in a memorandum sent to Austin City Council.
Bastrop City Manager Sylvia Carrillo-Trevino noted the agenda item removal.
“The residents in Bastrop won,” she said in a Nov. 19 statement.
Some context
The ASR project, which was approved as part of Austin’s Water Forward Plan, aimed to store and draw water at the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer through a facility Austin officials planned to build in northeast Bastrop County, as previously reported by Community Impact.
Bastrop County entities that did not approve the collaboration agreement included:
- Bastrop County
- The city of Smithville
- The city of Bastrop
A 189-acre commercial development is planned for Bastrop County that could expand the region’s business corridor and tap into the area’s rapid population growth and ever-rising consumer demand.
The details
Tampa-based Franklin Street, a commercial real estate services firm, sold the vacant property to Cedar Creek EAT 1031 behalf of 6682 FM 535 Associates—a sale that was announced Dec. 2.
The location neighbors a Lower Colorado River Authority substation and a $1.4 million data center campus in Cedar Creek.
“We were able to meet our clients’ goals and find a buyer that has a vision for the land in accordance with the growth and direction of the area,” said Marshall Durrett, Franklin Street managing director.
