Volunteers step up to give City Hall a landscaping redo

Texarkana, Texas, City Hall has new landscaping thanks to local business Studio 230. The city allows individuals, groups or businesses to take ownership in beautifying the community through the Adopt-a-Spot program. (Staff photo by Erin DeBlanc)
Texarkana, Texas, City Hall has new landscaping thanks to local business Studio 230. The city allows individuals, groups or businesses to take ownership in beautifying the community through the Adopt-a-Spot program. (Staff photo by Erin DeBlanc)

TEXARKANA, Texas -- City Hall received a makeover Aug. 24, thanks to the city's Adopt-a-Spot program and partnership with local landscaping company Studio 230.

"We provided new landscaping using native drought-tolerant plant material," said Bryan Callaway of Studio 230. "This will provide a beautiful new, low-maintenance garden for everyone to enjoy."

The Callaway and Patterson families of Texarkana sponsored the project through Adopt-a-Spot and hope to inspire other individuals, groups and businesses to step forward and participate in community beautification.

"Studio 230 did an outstanding job making the area visually pleasing. We are grateful," said Lisa Thompson, public information officer for the city.

In previous years, the Parks and Recreation Department maintained landscaping at City Hall, since funds were limited for hiring a commercial landscaper.

"This generous offer by Bryan Callaway and his team at Studio 230 was unprecedented," Thompson said of the company's donation of labor and materials.

Thompson said the city needs the public's help to take care of the community.

"We can't possibly pick up trash, landscape and paint and care for every nook and cranny of the city, and even if we could, we don't have access to private property," she said.

The city will continue to educate the public about responsible ownership, in addition to partnering with residents and businesses to make public areas look clean and presentable.

"We have two full-time positions dedicated to picking up litter, an entire Parks and Recreation Department that makes our 500-plus acres of parks look incredible, and Public Works crews, Code Enforcement officers and contractors that spend their time mowing weed lots, picking up road hazards, caring for abandoned animals, processing complaints for code violations and building and maintaining infrastructure to serve our taxpayers," Thompson said. "It's everyone's job to keep Texarkana twice as nice."

The hope is Adopt-a-Spot program will motivate others to volunteer with city beautification.

"Incrementally, we must start changing the appearance of our community, so that clean and neat is the precedence rather than disarray and disrepair," Thompson said. "

For information on the Adopt-a-Spot program, visit ci.texarkana.tx.us/481/Adopt-A-Spot-Program.

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