LEVELLAND, Texas (NEWS RELEASE) – The following is a news release from the Levelland Chamber of Commerce/Keep Levelland Beautiful:
Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB) has recognized Keep Levelland Beautiful as one of ten winners of the 2020 Governor’s Community Achievement Awards (GCAA) for outstanding community improvement. KTB, in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), has awarded the GCAA to Texas communities for more than 50 years. This year, the ten winning communities will share $2 million in landscape funding from TxDOT. Keep Levelland Beautiful will receive $160,000 for a landscaping project. Plans are to create and place gateways signs into Levelland.
The award is one of the most coveted annual environmental and community improvement honors in Texas. A community’s environmental program is judged by a group of diverse, multi-sector judges on achievements in seven environmental and community improvement areas: public awareness and outreach, environmental education, beautification and community improvement, litter prevention and cleanup, solid waste management, litter law and illegal dumping enforcement
Keep Levelland Beautiful is extremely excited and proud to receive this award. Mary Siders, President of the Levelland Chamber of Commerce said that in 2014 the Chamber members were surveyed and indicated they wanted to see community cleanliness as a priority. The Chamber contracted with the City of Levelland in 2015 to coordinate the efforts. At that time, the Levelland Chamber of Commerce Beautification committee and staff decided the Keep Texas Beautiful model was the best fit for our community.
Siders said after attending the Keep Texas Beautiful training seminar in 2015, we noticed on the State of Texas map in the awards program, there were no winners in West Texas or our part of the state. Those maps have hung on the wall of Siders’ office since 2015 as a reminder and posted goal.
Sider continues, “Our committees, task forces, city council, county partners made this possible with their vision and commitment. A great working relationship with our local Republic Service officials and Texas Department of Transportation opened many doors for us; they have been outstanding supporters and will remain instrumental as we move forward with our gateway signs.
Per Mayor Barbra Pinner, “the city also focused efforts on cleanliness and community appearance by making it one of their top pillars in the city’s strategic plan. Pinner who also serves on the Keep Levelland Beautiful committees said, we are extremely excited to be the recipient of this award. We set a goal to accomplish this in five years and we did it. In addition, the City of Levelland Planning and Zoning Commission, Board of Adjustments and City Staff have started the process of a comprehensive zoning review that will enable better enforcement, communication and awareness. She said along with Keep Levelland Beautiful and the city, we want to have codes that are reflective of a growing and progressive community while also making citizens and businesses aware of rules and expectations. Our city leadership saw that we had some aging codes that did not coincide with our community’s progressiveness, so we are working to bridge that gap.
Kelly Adams, who has served six months in her capacity as the Keep Levelland Beautiful affiliate complimented the volunteers who made this award possible. “We were chosen as the winner of this prestigious award because of their work. We are new to this state wide program, and know many great opportunities lie ahead for Levelland. My job is to coordinate and educate Levelland about the importance of community cleanliness and litter prevention and most importantly, sustainability. A clean community is great for our citizens, economic development efforts, quality of life and our guests.”
The GCAA program has recognized outstanding communities since 1969, with TxDOT providing landscaping award funding since 1985. Keep Levelland Beautiful will receive its award at the GCAA Gala on Tuesday, September 29 in Houston during KTB’s Annual Conference. The City of Santa Fe, Texas placed second and Graham, Texas was third in the same population size as Levelland.
Other winning communities include South Padre Island, Weston Lakes, Lago Vista, White Settlement, Alvin, The Colony, Harlingen, Tyler, and Grand Prairie.
To learn more about GCAA and this year’s winners, visit ktb.org/gcaa.
About Keep Texas Beautiful
Keep Texas Beautiful is a network of dedicated Texans working together to make our state the best place to live, work and play. We equip local partners and affiliates with the tools they need to build vibrant, engaged communities. Founded in 1967, Keep Texas Beautiful has more than 50 years of experience deploying resources for local clean-up, recycling, and youth engagement efforts. Everything we do is focused on mobilizing volunteers to take action across the state. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, we lead nearly 300 affiliates and reach 17 million Texans annually. We are proudly based in Austin, Texas. For more information, visit www.ktb.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @keeptxbeautiful.
About TxDOT
The Texas Department of Transportation is responsible for maintaining 80,000 miles of road and for supporting aviation, rail, and public transportation across the state. Through collaboration and leadership, we deliver a safe, reliable, and integrated transportation system that enables the movement of people and goods. Find out more at TxDOT.gov. “Like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
About Keep Levelland Beautiful
Levelland is an affiliate of the Keep Texas Beautiful program and the local mission is to improve the community’s appearance through partnerships, education and action. Keep Levelland Beautiful mission is to improve the community’s appearance through partnerships, education and action.
(News release from the Levelland Chamber of Commerce/Keep Levelland Beautiful)