SOLID GOLD

If you’ve never heard of Keep White Settlement Beautiful (KWSB) then the best introduction will be the one they feature on their website.

“We take seriously our responsibility as a City and as individuals to look after our environment. We believe that to Keep White Settlement Beautiful is to get involved. To volunteer, to educate ourselves and each other, and to be an active participant in making this the hometown community that we all love.”

The City of White Settlement has been an affiliate of the statewide Keep Texas Beautiful program for almost 30 years, but in 2018 the City budgeted a full time position to focus on things like litter prevention, recycling, beautification, environmental education, and general community improvement. Keep White Settlement Beautiful became the avenue for those efforts and with the help of community volunteers it has grown steadily year after year. In 2021, Maureen Barrett became the Community Services Coordinator, with her main job priorities being the KWSB program. Under her guidance and with the assistance of the community, Keep White Settlement Beautiful has achieved Gold Star Affiliate Status with Keep Texas Beautiful. This is the highest status any community affiliate can achieve.

“This is the first time we’ve ever reached the gold star affiliate level and we achieved it thanks to the efforts of Maureen Barrett and the efforts of our great volunteers,” Community Services Director Rich Tharp said.

Gold Star Affiliate status isn’t just something that Keep Texas Beautiful hands out, there are requirements that must be met to qualify.

“We had to do more cleanups, keep track of a lot of data and information, and I had to do a lot of training and education,” Maureen Barrett said. “Becoming a Gold Status Affiliate was a goal of mine since I started in this position and I’m very pleased that we’ve achieved it.”

For a program like KWSB, volunteers are at the heart of everything they do. Volunteers work with KWSB on tasks like gardening, beautification, adopt a street/adopt a waterway efforts, and multiple litter and environmental cleanups each year.

“Volunteers are vital,” Maureen said. “They help us improve our public spaces, beautify the City, and protect our natural environment.”

Maureen Barrett (right) with Mayor Faron Young (left) and volunteers at the annual volunteer appreciation banquet.

Getting people to give up their Saturday morning to pick up litter in the creek isn’t the easiest endeavor, but KWSB has consistently seen growth in the number of people willing to sacrifice their time to help make the community better.

“We now have over 800 volunteers citywide that give up their time each year to help improve and enhance the City. Many of them work directly with Keep White Settlement Beautiful,” Community Services Director Rich Tharp said.

Public education is another big part of what KWSB does. From putting out information on social media to teaching about environmental issues and antilittering campaigns at local events, Maureen knows it’s not always easy to get people interested in learning about these topics.

“I understand there can be resistance, no one wants to be lectured, but it can be fun and exciting to learn about these topics” Maureen said. “Before I started in this position I didn’t know a lot about environmental concerns and programs, so I’m learning and growing just like everyone else is.”

Community members regularly volunteer for cleanup efforts across the City.

The old saying holds true, knowledge is power, and according to Maureen, it can also be the key to discovering new ways to get involved with your community.

“There’s so much to learn about our environment and how to take care of it. If you give it a chance you might discover a cause you’re passionate about and find a whole new motivation to volunteer and help out,” Maureen said.

Another skill that Maureen has brought to the position is her ability to find grants for the City. In recent years she’s secured grants that were used for environmental cleanup efforts, but her biggest grant achievement came earlier this year with the award from the North Central Texas Council of Government (NCTCOG) for a brand new Ford Transit-250 cargo van. The cost of the van and a cosmetic wrap featuring KWSB graphics will be fully covered by the grant. Prior to being awarded the grant, KWSB had to share a vehicle with multiple other departments, limiting the number of events and activities that could be done.

“I’m really happy that we were awarded the grant for the new van,” Maureen said. “Having a dedicated vehicle will enable us to expand the KWSB program.”

The van will receive a custom graphics wrap that will feature information and visuals about recycling and environmental awareness. It will be a centerpiece of outreach and education efforts as KWSB continues to partner with other organizations and attend their events. The expanded capacity for recycling events facilitated by the van will contribute to cleaner neighborhoods, something that has far reaching impacts such as increased property values, economic development, and crime reduction.

“Everything we do has far reaching effects and I hope we can continue to spread that message through KWSB,” Maureen said. “Together, we can make a big impact and maybe even inspire other cities to do the same.”

There is no doubt, the KWSB program has grown in reach and impact since it began in earnest six years ago.

“It’s been incredible to watch the growth of the Keep White Settlement Beautiful program,” Community Services Director Rich Tharp said. “We’re going to keep pushing forward and hopefully KWSB continues to be a positive force in the community for years to come.”

Keep Texas Beautiful will recognize the City of White Settlement and the new Gold Star Affiliate status of KWSB at an upcoming event in Austin. Along with the statewide recognition, the new status also expands program support and grant opportunities for KWSB. The new designation will also be reflected on new KWSB signage at the entrances of the City, something that should bring pride to those in the community.

As for Maureen, she’s not letting the new affiliate status dampen her ambitions.

“I don’t want to get complacent. I want to continue to grow and improve the program,” Maureen said.

If our growing roster of volunteers is any indication, the community will be right there beside her in those efforts.

Interested in learning more about fantastic KWSB programs like stormwater management, recycling, grease collection, tire recycling, household hazardous waste disposal, paper shredding, electronic recycling, mulching, and compost brush chipping? Give us a call or send us an email! We'd love to chat with you and answer any questions you may have. (817) 246-5012 or kwsb@wstx.us