The City of West Lake Hills has been recognized with a Scenic City Gold Award, presented by Scenic Texas.
The overview
The award was announced at the West Lake Hills City Council meeting Oct. 23, and is valid from 2024–2029, Mayor James Vaughan said. The gold recognition is an upgrade from the silver award presented to the city in the last awards cycle.
Scenic Texas is a nonprofit organization, established in 1985, which is dedicated to preserving and enhancing the visual environment of Texas cities. The organization is inspired by the former First Lady of Texas, Lady Bird Johnson, and her involvement in beautification projects around Texas, according to its website.
The organization runs The Scenic City Certification program, which recognizes cities across Texas exhibiting high quality public spaces. There are 91 Scenic Certified Texas cities, according to the organization’s 2022 Annual Report. Other nearby cities featured on the list include Bee Cave, Lakeway, and Dripping Springs.
Certain criteria are considered when Texas cities are evaluated for awards, including cities’ individual ordinances and code language regarding streetscape enhancement, lighting standards, landscaping, litter prohibition and sign control, among other things. Any Texas city may apply to be recognized, and there are five possible ranks for certifications: platinum, gold, silver, bronze, or ‘recognized’.
Check this out
Those interested in getting involved with Scenic Texas can learn more about the organization at www.scenictexas.org.
