Keep Levelland Beautiful receives Governor’s Community Achievement Award by KCBD 11 News Channel

Published: Apr. 22, 2024 at 4:57 PM CDT|Updated: 19 hours ago

LEVELLAND, Texas (NEWS RELEASE) - Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB) recognized Keep Levelland Beautiful as one of ten winners of the 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. Keep Levelland Beautiful received $160,000 for a landscaping project. Plans are to create a Mosaic wall to be placed at the corner of Highway 385 and 300. Six new mosaics will be included on the wall. On August 24th at 9am a groundbreaking ceremony will be held at the location. The community and media are invited to attend.

Levelland became the “City of Mosaics” in 2019 and with this monument the city will have a total of 106. A mosaic is a 6000 year old art technique in which cubes of glass tile are fixes in a pattern to make a work of art.

Kelly Hancock with Keep Levelland Beautiful said, “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 “in previous years the Chamber members were surveyed and indicated they wanted to see community cleanliness as a priority. The Chamber contracted with the City of Levelland 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, 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. Our goal was to place a star in the South Plains indicating a West Texas win. Siders continues, our committees, task forces, city council 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.”

The GCAA program has recognized outstanding communities since 1969, with TxDOT providing landscaping award funding since 1985. The City of Santa Fe, Texas placed second and Graham, Texas was third in the same population size as Levelland.

About Keep Texas Beautiful

Keep Texas Beautiful is a network of dedicated Texans working together to make Texas the best place to live, work and play. They equip local partners and affiliates with the tools needed 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 they do is focused on mobilizing volunteers to take action across the state. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, they lead nearly 300 affiliates and reach 17 million Texans annually. They are based in Austin, Texas. For more information, visit www.ktb.org.

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

Keep Levelland Beautiful mission is to improve the community’s appearance through partnerships, education and action. Keep Levelland Beautiful has been named a Gold Star Affiliate for four consecutive years