Pharr advisory board highlights seed library, cleanup drives and summer programs; approves routine motions

PHARR, Texas — At its May 17 meeting, the Keep Pharr Beautiful advisory board reviewed recent and upcoming community projects including a seed library at the public library, an Earth Day/Arbor Day painting and tree-planting celebration, a TxDOT Adopt‑A‑Highway cleanup completed May 17, ongoing plaque installations for veterans and elders, and summer children’s programming, and it passed routine meeting motions to excuse absent members, approve April minutes and adjourn.

Board members and city staff said the month’s events drew volunteers and new community partnerships and produced measurable results — from seed packets checked out at the new library station to tons of material handled at Public Works drop-offs. The meeting also included updates from Building & Code, Public Works and Public Health on enforcement activity, recycling volumes and pending grant work.

Remy, a city staff member who attended the Keep Texas Beautiful conference in Austin with other city representatives, said the trip offered practical ideas the city can adopt. “It was an enjoyable experience,” Remy said, adding that sessions covered topics from community gardens to grant opportunities. Ms. Castro, a staff member who led the presentation, said the city must do a better job of sharing its local work with statewide partners.

Seed library and library display: The advisory board reported that a seed library unveiled April 17 at the public library drew more than 50 attendees for the unveiling event. Staff said roughly 24 seed packets were checked out in the first two weeks and that children’s supervisor Ruby and library volunteers created signage and seasonal displays to encourage use. Staff said they plan a fall seed swap and seasonal publicity to increase circulation.

Earth Day, Arbor Day and Paint the Park: Organizers said roughly 30 people registered for the Paint the Park activity tied to Earth Day/Arbor Day and that 14–16 painters participated in the live installation. The event included a tree-planting demonstration and a free native tree seedling giveaway funded via a reimbursement from the National Wildlife Federation, city staff said.

Trash-off and Adopt‑A‑Highway: The board reported that a trash-off cleanup tied to the TxDOT Adopt‑A‑Highway designation took place May 17. Staff said 27 volunteers collected about 24 bags of trash along a two-mile stretch; the city must complete four cleanups per year under a two‑year Adopt‑A‑Highway contract to retain signage and designation. Staff noted two earlier rainouts had delayed scheduling and that the next cleanups will be planned to meet contract timing.

Plaques program and veterans outreach: Compliance staff said the plaques program has been placing memorial plaques in batches. “Last month, we did 12 plaques; this month we’ve placed about 14,” Mr. Coronado said. Staff described work on veterans‑specific plaques and said a planned installation day would place roughly 20–30 plaques from pending batches.

Public Works and recycling: Nasim Diaz, Public Works staff, provided service metrics for April and said the department handled 43.16 tons of recyclables and 78.39 (RCS) — figures staff attributed in part to flood-related activity and extended drop-off hours. Diaz also announced an upcoming community cleanup and roll-off event at Memorial Park (8 a.m.–noon) with tire collection and neighborhood street/ alley cleanups; staff requested volunteers and said the event will include trailers for resident drop-off.

Public Health and grants: Nico, a Public Health staff member, said the department expects to submit a grant application with Texas A&M School of Public Health shortly and is tailoring outreach around hurricane preparedness as summer approaches. Nico also said city partners returning from Keep Texas Beautiful brought ideas the department will try to integrate with safety and environmental education.

Summer programming and other events: Staff said a summer program will begin June 9, running Monday–Thursday at the Pepe Salinas Recreation Center. Staff also announced “Cody’s Birthday Bash,” a city family event scheduled for June 13 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the City Hall rear parking lots featuring food trucks, a DJ, mounted patrol and department booths.

Building & Code: Building and Code staff reported case volumes for April and May, with a high number of “weedy lot” notices and routine right‑of‑way enforcement. For April, staff said they opened about 549 cases, with 347 for overgrown lots, and completed more than 70 health inspections.

Board business and motions: The advisory board approved routine procedural motions at the meeting: a motion to excuse absent members, a motion to approve the April minutes and a motion to adjourn. Each motion was called, seconded and passed by voice vote; no roll‑call tallies were recorded in the transcript.

The board discussed outreach and publicity improvements, including updating the Parks & Recreation event listing and considering boosted social media posts to raise event attendance. Board members praised the cross‑departmental effort and volunteer turnout and urged continued promotion of scheduled cleanups and youth activities.

The advisory board will next meet in June and members encouraged the public to look for schedules and volunteer sign-ups on city channels for upcoming cleanups and summer events.