Keep Gatesville Beautiful installs new officers

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Keep Gatesville Beautiful installs new officers

The Keep Gatesville Beautiful Committee held its quarterly meeting on April 21 in the council chambers at City Hall. The first action on the agenda was election of new officers. Shelley Herring will serve as president, Stayce Parry as vice president and Liz Reinhart as secretary/treasurer.

The committee heard a report from the Beautification Team regarding recent efforts to clean up and revive the gardens at Freedom Park and Raby Park. The committee approved a $500 budget for the Beautification Team to use for plants, mulch, crushed granite and other supplies for the continuing efforts in the parks, at the green space on Main Street and other projects.

The Don’t Mess With Texas Trash Off campaign has been well received with several families, businesses and organizations participating in litter pick-ups. Approval was given to spend up to $50 for painting supplies for Gatesville High School’s baseball program to paint fencing at the city ballpark.

The committee saw preliminary plans for the TXDOT roadside beautification project that the organization was awarded through the Governor’s Community Achievement Award. The project, which will include a retaining wall, lights and plantings, will be constructed at the corner of Business Highway 36 and U.S. Highway 84 and is expected to be started in 2023.

There was discussion of possible fundraising efforts, with the options of T-shirt sales or a plant sale under consideration. Other agenda items for discussion included the need to recruit additional committee members and the appointment of volunteers to manage email, social media and the website.

Keep Gatesville Beautiful is an organization of community volunteers, organized under the city of Gatesville’s Economic Development Board. Members of the Keep Gatesville Beautiful Committee are appointed by the Gatesville City Council, but anyone with an interest in the goals of the organization may become a volunteer.

Anyone who would like to be involved is encouraged to contact a committee member or email keepgatesvillebeautiful@gmail.com. The work and projects of the organization is funded entirely through fundraising, and donations are welcome.

Meetings, which are held quarterly, are open to the public. The next meeting will be on July 21 at 5 p.m. at City Hall. Learn more about Keep Gatesville Beautiful by following its Facebook page and through the website www.KeepGatesvilleBeautiful.com.