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Southwest Austin Impacts — September 2008

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Friday, 26 September 2008

1. Car repairs

Big Boys Paint & Body expanded its location last month at 1013 W. Slaughter Lane to include the front building, where National Transmission was located before closing. Big Boys is a collision repair center that also does small auto repairs, including air conditioners, tune-ups and brakes. Call 292-6116.

2. New stores in Homestead

Jewelry and accessories store Charming Charlie will open in October or November in the Homestead shopping center at 5207 Brodie Lane, Ste. 230. Visit www.charmingcharlie.com. Great Nails is also moving into suite 140. The opening date has not been set. MW Tux opened late this summer in suite 135. Owned by Men’s Wearhouse, MW Tux sells and rents tuxedos. Call 891-0679 or visit www.mwtux.com.

3. Wash those cars

Opened this summer, Final Touch Car Wash at 4110 S. First St. offers deluxe car washes with high-end products. The full-service shop hand washes cars and details both the inside and outside. Call 428-9274.

4. Southpark Meadows

CHI, a Chinese and sushi buffet, will open by October in building 9900-O, next to the Cinemark theater. Casual Male XL, the largest retailer of big and tall men’s apparel, will open late November in between Hobby Lobby and Marshalls. Visit www.casualmale.com. Jackson Booth, DDS will open his new dentist location, Southpark Smiles, at building 9500-E in suite 400, at the end of October.

5. Staffing solutions

Link Staffing opened its newest location this August at 6104 S. First St., Ste. 102. Link Staffing provides services such as long-term, short-term and temporary to full time assignments, payrolling, on-site management and customized new employee orientations. Call 610-2070 or visit www.linkstaffing.com.

Elderly care services

Southwest Austin Caregivers will begin services Oct. 1. It does not have a permanent location but is the first nonprofit to offer services to enhance the independence and quality of life of older adults in the Southwest Austin area. Services include transportation, social contact, errands and minor home repairs. Call 364-6501 or visit www.swaustincaregivers.org.

6. Tenant for Albertsons

The former Albertsons building at 6800 West Gate Blvd. has been leased to Marketplace Austin. Marketplace Austin has another location on N. Lamar Boulevard. A neighborhood shopping center with multiple tenants, it fills the gap between indoor mall and outdoor flea market. The 57,000 sq. ft. building will contain a mixture of clothing and food retailers. Visit www.marketplaceaustin.com.

7. Howdy, partner

Gomez Western Wear opened in August at 6700 S. Congress Ave. Based out of Houston, this is the second Gomez Western Wear in Austin. The store sells cowboy gear, hats and boots. Call 326-1413.

8. Elementary school approved

Austin ISD approved a location for a new Southwest Austin elementary school Aug. 25 as part of the 2004 Bond Program. The property on Meridian Park Boulevard in the Meridian subdivision off Hwy. 45 was donated by Stratus Properties under the condition that AISD would build on the location within 10 years after 25 percent of the community was developed. Construction will likely begin next semester and be completed by fall of 2010. For the full story, visit more.impactnews.com/1781.

Bus fares increase

Capital Metro will increase its bus fares Oct. 13 for the first time since its inception in 1985. Local bus fares will now be 75 cents with local day passes and express bus fares $1.50. The ’Dillo bus fares will now be 50 cents. Visit www.capmetro.org.

Fiscal 2009 budget approved

Austin City Council approved the Fiscal 2009 budget unanimously Sept 8. The $2.8 billion budget will take effect Oct. 1. Much did not change from the proposed budget that City Manager Marc Ott presented to the council July 23, such as the lowered property tax of 40.12 cents per $100 assessed valuation. For the full story, visit more.impactnews/1857.

9. Opa! Greek food at Arbor Trails

Taking over the former Village Inn location in Arbor Trails at 4301 W. William Cannon Drive, Dimassi’s Mediterranean Buffet will open in October. Based out of Houston, this is the second Dimassi’s in Austin. The buffet offers Mediterranean delicacies such as falafel, tabouli and makloube. Visit www.dimassisbuffet.com.

10. Technology upgrade

Austin ISD leaders attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open officially the new Tech High wing at Akins High School, 10701 S. First St., Sept. 6. The wing will house classrooms with course offerings geared to help students acquire 21st century skills and knowledge that will transfer to their post-secondary endeavors.

11. New subdivision

Centex Homes is building homes for the Ashbrook development with some lots to be ready in October. Ashbrook, located on FM 1626 and S. First Street, will have 176 home sites when finished in the next two years. Homes start at $149,000. Seven floor plans are available. Call 292-8922 or visit www.centexhomes.com.

12. Reduce, reuse, recycle

The city of Austin and four area H-E-B locations will partner in a paper and cardboard recycling program, the city council announced Aug. 21. The city will be responsible for providing a 6-yard recycling container at each of the H-E-B store locations and will also provide for the collection and maintenance of the recycling containers. The net revenue from the sale of the paper will be split evenly between H-E-B and the city for the fiscal 2009 budget. The program is expected to generate $3,600 for the operating budget of the Solid Waste Services Department. Two locations are in Southwest Austin at 7010 W. Hwy 71 and 6900 Brodie Lane.