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GCAA 2020 Category 3 Winner: Lago Vista

By January 14, 2021No Comments

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 3: Lago Vista

Population 5,501-9,000

Landscape Award: $130,000

The City of Lago Vista is a small Hill Country community located in Travis County. The city has experienced new growth that brings with it the challenges of controlling population impacts and developing programs for the expanded growth. Lago Vista City Manager, Joshua Ray, says winning the GCAA “is a true testament to our City and the way we work together.”

The City and Keep Lago Vista Beautiful work together to develop community improvement plans, including artworks placed throughout the city, town square development, litter prevention, a recycling center, and more. The entire community is involved in programs involving beautification and litter prevention. In 2019, their spring cleanup resulted in 460 loads of litter picked up.

Environmental efforts have been a community-building exercise in Lago Vista that have increased hometown pride.