Dripping Springs leaders accept the award for Platinum Scenic City at the recent Texas Municipal League’s annual conference in San Antonio. (From left to right) Mary Clary, Planning Assistant; Michelle Fischer, City Administrator; Bill Foulds, Mayor Pro Tem; Todd Purcell, Mayor; Sarah Tober, Executive Director, Scenic Texas; Sarah Cole, Building Official/Utility Coordinator; Ginger Faught, Deputy City Administrator. Photo courtesy of City of Dripping Springs
City earns Platinum Scenic City Certification Award
The City of Dripping Springs officially received its award as a Platinum Scenic City during the Texas Municipal League’s Annual Conference, held last week in San Antonio.
The Scenic City Certification Program recognizes cities for their demonstrated commitment to high-quality scenic standards for public roadways and spaces. It is the highest recognition through the Scenic City Certification Program, a program of Scenic Texas and its 17 partner organizations.
“Dripping Springs becoming certified as a Platinum Scenic City is a great honor for our City,” Mayor Todd Purcell said. “And knowing that we attained this level, through all the growth over the past few years, is a testament to both our citizens and City leaders. We could not have achieved this honor if it wasn’t for our standards and integrity when it comes to our streetscapes, lighting and signage requirements, and the care of our parks, trails and open spaces. I’m very proud of this award.”
The Scenic City Certification Program, is a nationally recognized one-of-a-kind model, developed to provide communities with a comprehensive set of standards and evaluations for the design and development of public roadways and spaces. Any Texas city may apply to the Scenic City Certification Program for an objective review of its existing municipal infrastructure ordinances as they relate to the model standards.
Twenty-one Texas cities have been recognized as 2019 Certified Scenic City award recipients, but only 5 earned platinum level, Dripping Springs being one of the five.
Assessment is points-based, and every city applicant receives a detailed, scored evaluation that identifies both strengths and areas for improvement. Official certification is earned by cities that score points in the upper range and meet threshold standards for landscaping, tree planting, and sign regulation.
The Scenic City certification is not new for Dripping Springs. The City was previously awarded Scenic City certification in 2014 at the gold level. The additional points earned in the scoring, that elevated the city’s ranking this year, are due to amendments to the city’s code of ordinances over the past few years.
Dripping Springs’ Scenic City certification is for five years.