Each year, the Governor’s Community Achievement Awards (GCAA) celebrate ten Texas communities for their outstanding efforts to keep their communities beautiful. From the Texas coast to the Panhandle, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has awarded cities with this honor since 1986. Winners are selected for their ability to engage citizens, local businesses, schools, and other organizations in environmental improvement initiatives. Categorized by population, these ten cities share an award of $2 million in landscaping projects. Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB) and TxDOT have worked together to administer the GCAA for more than 30 years. The GCAA 2020 application is officially open. Review the application and apply at ktb.org/gcaa.

Applications are due on Thursday, March 4 at 5 p.m. CST. In the months leading up to the deadline, we will be sharing last year’s ten winners, who were recognized at the KTB Virtual Conference in 2020. Interested in applying for GCAA? Join us on Thursday, January 21 to hear from our past winners. Register to attend here. 

Category 4: Levelland

Population 9,001-15,000

Landscape Award: $160,000

Levelland is located on the Llano Estacado, 30 miles west of Lubbock. Levelland’s beautification efforts have been hindered over the years by questions of who is responsible for the litter and debris along the railroad that runs through the city.

Great progress has been made with efforts from the City and Keep Levelland Beautiful (KLB). The railroad, city and state have worked together to clean up debris and develop sustainability plans along the railroad tracks. In addition, KLB implemented the Bungalow Beautification Project, which allowed for less attractive railroad bungalows to be wrapped with art designs that depict the local area.

The City and KLB decided to name “beautification” a major pillar of Levelland. This signifies the value and dedication the community places in keeping their city a beautiful place to live, work and play.