Linda Anthony is West Lake Hills’ mayor.[/caption]
West Lake Hills Mayor Linda Anthony told City Council July 13 she wants to turn the plants, trees and shrubbery around city hall into an educational demonstration site where citizens can learn about native plant species, erosion control and other horticulture.
“It would be a place where people would want to come, maybe sit out and have lunch, come read a book,” she told
Community Impact Newspaper July 14.
Anthony said she has received citizen feedback about the lack of a city park in the past and hopes the demonstration site could serve as a city park.
She said her vision includes removing the invasive plants currently found around the city facility and planting new, indigenous vegetation. She said she wants to model the “teaching garden” after the restoration project at The University of Texas’ Neill-Cochran House Museum, where native plants were added.
Anthony said she would like to install educational markers identifying the plants and is interested in using an interactive mobile application that identifies plants.
She said she would also like to have an educational blog on the city’s website to identify the plants outside city hall, chronicle the steps city staff and volunteers are taking to restore native plants to the area, and feature a “plant of the month.”
Anthony said she has been interested in developing a demonstration garden since 2014, when City Council amended its tree ordinance to establish standards and requirements for the protection of trees and natural vegetation.
She said she does not expect the proposed project to be costly, as volunteers have offered to help with site plan and landscape development. City Arborist Christy Shull has performed a tree survey and a landscape architect has developed a site plan, she said. Anthony said she has also enlisted the help of Jill Nokes, a local landscape designer and land stewardship consultant in Central Texas.
City Council members said they were interested in further pursuing the idea in the coming months.
Linda Anthony is West Lake Hills’ mayor.[/caption]
West Lake Hills Mayor Linda Anthony told City Council July 13 she wants to turn the plants, trees and shrubbery around city hall into an educational demonstration site where citizens can learn about native plant species, erosion control and other horticulture.
“It would be a place where people would want to come, maybe sit out and have lunch, come read a book,” she told Community Impact Newspaper July 14.
Anthony said she has received citizen feedback about the lack of a city park in the past and hopes the demonstration site could serve as a city park.
She said her vision includes removing the invasive plants currently found around the city facility and planting new, indigenous vegetation. She said she wants to model the “teaching garden” after the restoration project at The University of Texas’ Neill-Cochran House Museum, where native plants were added.
Anthony said she would like to install educational markers identifying the plants and is interested in using an interactive mobile application that identifies plants.
She said she would also like to have an educational blog on the city’s website to identify the plants outside city hall, chronicle the steps city staff and volunteers are taking to restore native plants to the area, and feature a “plant of the month.”
Anthony said she has been interested in developing a demonstration garden since 2014, when City Council amended its tree ordinance to establish standards and requirements for the protection of trees and natural vegetation.
She said she does not expect the proposed project to be costly, as volunteers have offered to help with site plan and landscape development. City Arborist Christy Shull has performed a tree survey and a landscape architect has developed a site plan, she said. Anthony said she has also enlisted the help of Jill Nokes, a local landscape designer and land stewardship consultant in Central Texas.
City Council members said they were interested in further pursuing the idea in the coming months.
