PRESIDIO — Last Wednesday evening, around two dozen Presidio residents gathered at City Hall. Armed with gloves, trash-picking poles and bags donated by TxDOT, a diverse crew that included representatives from the local Lions Club, the Border Network for Human Rights and the U.S. Army made a clean sweep up and down the street. At the end of the night, the volunteers had a trailer full of litter to show for their efforts — and a sparkling clean downtown.
The volunteers were a part of a new initiative called “Keep Presidio Beautiful,” modeled after “Keep America Beautiful,” one of the country’s first and most successful conservation campaigns. “It’s a shift in a way of thinking for the whole community,” explained Presidio Mayor John Ferguson, who hit the streets Wednesday nights with his family. “Hopefully people will try to pitch in and keep our town looking as nice as possible.”
Over the past few years, city and county officials have been frustrated with what they describe as a gradual build-up of junk around town, particularly just outside city limits on Highway 67. They worry that the presence of ad hoc junkyards and decaying buildings might scare away tourists or potential investors, but they lack funding for an official code enforcement officer to police residents’ trashy habits.
Enter Elvira Hermosillo, one of Presidio’s greenest residents. For more than a decade, Hermosillo has worked on a number of campaigns to raise environmental awareness, from hosting massively popular annual bicycle races on Earth Day to fighting for the survival of the town’s recycling center. More recently, she partnered with the Big Bend Conservation Alliance as Presidio’s community liaison, helping to connect the small border city with environmentalists across the region.
Hermosillo said that the project grew out of discussions held by the Convention and Visitors Bureau, which uses hotel occupancy taxes to fund events that draw locals and tourists alike. The board felt frustrated by what they felt was a decline in the image of the town — what was the point of working hard to attract newcomers if the streets were full of garbage? “The city can only do so much,” she said of Presidio’s public works crew.
Over the summer, Mayor Ferguson and a handful of city employees experimented with a tire clean-up campaign, offering a free pick-up service for junk tires. The program was massively popular and yielded a mountain of worn-out rubber. They’re no longer accepting tires, but phase two of the program is underway — anyone who needs to dispose of broken or worn-out appliances can do so at the landfill free of charge until October 12.
Hermosillo said that the latest campaign aims to inspire everyday Presidians to do their part. Beyond just appealing to potential visitors and investors; she wants Presidio to radiate the Blue Devils pride that locals take in their community. “We want to get the town looking the way we feel about it,” she explained.
Follow the City of Presidio on Facebook for more information. If you need help disposing of a junk appliance, call 432 229 3527 or stop by City Hall.