Tyler, Texas) – Keep Texas Beautiful announced Keep Tyler Beautiful as one of nine winners of the 2008 Governor’s Community Achievement Award (GCAA) for outstanding community improvement on Friday, March 28. The honor recognizes Tyler with one of the most celebrated annual environmental and community improvement awards in Texas.
The nine winners, based on population categories, were selected by a panel judges to receive a share of a $1 million landscaping prize from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). Tyler will receive $130,000 for a landscaping project along a local state right-of-way.
“Keep Texas Beautiful’s mission is focused around helping people take responsibility for protecting and improving their environment, and that is exactly what these outstanding communities have done,” Keep Texas Beautiful President Steve Hazlewood says. “Their hard work and dedication has helped illustrate how these environmentally-focused projects can help Texas prosper into a more beautiful and enjoyable place to live.”
The winning communities were chosen for their achievements in seven environmental and community improvement areas including community leadership and coordination, education, public awareness, litter prevention and cleanup, illegal dumping enforcement, beautification and property improvement, and solid waste management.
In 2007, Tyler was designated an Azalea City by the Azalea Society of America, the city hired its’ first arborist, the Solid Waste Department went to automated garbage collection, the pro-active code enforcement program started, the city partnered with Goodwill to provide electronic recycling to East Texas and KTyB started the Adopt A Park program with the Andrews Center at Windsor Grove Nature Park, among other projects.
The GCAA program has recognized outstanding communities for 39 consecutive years, with the Texas Department of Transportation providing prize funds since 1985. Tyler will formally receive its award on June 26, 2008 in Irving during the 41st Annual Keep Texas Beautiful Conference.
Keep Tyler Beautiful has been a city board since 1995. Board members are Eloise Muxworthy, chair; Susan Lucido, vice chair; Crystal Hampton, secretary; Marjorie Mustard; Pat Parsons; Lonnie Beasley; Kimberly Squyres, Kitty Springer, Shelley Mathis and Tony Hernandez. Kristi Boyett, special projects coordinator for Tyler Solid Waste, is the board liaison.
Keep Texas Beautiful, a statewide grassroots environmental and community improvement nonprofit, strives to educate and engage Texans to take responsibility for improving their community environment. KTB and its more than 350 affiliates work with government, businesses, civic groups, and volunteers to ensure that every Texan has the opportunity to make Texas the cleanest, most beautiful state in the nation. For more information on programs and events, call 1-800-CLEAN-TX or visit www.ktb.org.
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