Keep Tyler Beautiful seeks council acceptance of 19th consecutive Gold Star Affiliate Award

Keep Tyler Beautiful presented an overview of its 2024 activities and asked the City Council on Aug. 27 to accept its 19th consecutive Gold Star Affiliate Award from Keep Texas Beautiful.

A representative of Keep Tyler Beautiful summarized the group’s 2024 accomplishments, including a Great Tyler Cleanup that engaged 500 volunteers and removed about 2,800 pounds of trash across 19 city sites, an Adopt-a-Spot program that engaged nearly 2,000 volunteers and removed more than 10,000 pounds of litter, and partnerships that extended litter removal to 116 miles of roadway on a bimonthly basis.

The group described other programs in 2024: a mural program that added four murals, a “Beauty in a Box” initiative that reached its 100th box wrapped, Project Daffodil sales of more than 16,000 daffodil bulbs, and a recycled-art contest that received 30 submissions. Keep Tyler Beautiful also reported over 11,000 volunteer hours in 2024, a youth outreach reach of more than 3,000 young people, and collection of more than 8,000 pounds of recycling in a single four-hour event through partnerships with Solid Waste and local vendors.

The presenter noted that the affiliate program’s Gold Star status requires annual dues, submission of reports, at least one community event per year, a letter of support from an elected official and other training/mentorship components; the organization said it exceeded those requirements in 2024.

Council members praised volunteerism and the program’s community impact. No council action or vote to accept the award was recorded in the meeting transcript.