By Victoria Holloway
Keeping Lubbock neighborhoods and businesses clean and attractive may have more benefits than just looking pretty.
One of City-Wide Pride’s founders, Donna Zartman, said maintaining curb appeal and cleanliness reduces crime rates and increases the value of property.
“People are happier,” Zartman said. “It’s a place they want to be, and it feels like home.”
Zartman is a gardening coach, who graduated from Texas Tech with a bachelor’s degree in horticulture. She helped start the group 16 years ago.
“We were frustrated that code violations were not getting taken care of,” Zartman said. “If you get your car impounded, you have to go get it out, but if you have a dead tree fall over on the neighbor’s fence, it’s a little different. You may get a ticket, but you never have to pay for it.”
Donna Zartman graduated from Texas Tech with a bachelor’s in horticulture. She helped start the City-Wide Pride committee 16 years ago. Victoria Holloway/The Hub@TTU
The committee started with about 20 people who were involved in neighborhood associations.
City-Wide Pride members attend city government meetings to advocate for codes to be enforced, Zartman said. The members also organize clean-up efforts around the city and give out awards to businesses, churches and schools that keep their establishments clean and visually appealing.
President of the organization, Ysidro Gutierrez, said the awards encourage people to continue to maintain their landscapes.
“[The award] makes people aware that someone noticed how they’ve kept up their property,” Gutierrez said.
For a story map of restaurants the committee awarded in 2015 and more information about how businesses earn the awards, click here.
Gutierrez has been a part of City-Wide Pride for five years. He is a former Lubbock County commissioner and is a current candidate for mayor.
The group continues to draw awareness of code violations and safety hazards to the city government and the public, Zartman said.
“Our only focus as an organization is to beautify the city,” she said.
City-Wide Pride’s next project is to plant more trees in the parks and continue to enhance the community in cleanliness and charm.
The City-Wide Pride committee meets once a month. Anyone interested in attending a meeting, becoming a member, joining a clean-up team or donating to the organization can call 806-771-2777 or 806-797-8237.
THE LOWER THE BAR, THE DIRTIER THE CITY
Reader’s Digest gathered data to evaluate the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. They graded each city on a scale of one to 50, taking into consideration air quality, water quality, industrial pollution (toxics), superfund sites (land contaminated with hazardous waste) and sanitation. The bars for Texas cities are colored blue. To find the information on the Reader’s Digest website click here.
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