Civic Group Recognizes Its Heroes
By LOYD BRUMFIELD, News Editor
Today Newspapers
Taking care of the environment isn’t about just picking up trash, Lynn Lantrip said. It’s also about money.
Lantrip, president-elect of Keep Texas Beautiful, add-ressed a meeting of Keep Cedar Hill Beautiful board members and guests Feb. 1 at the Cedar Hill Recreation Center.
“I first started thinking about this in Houston,” Lantrip said. Some high-dollar Jap-anese developers visited the city some 20 years ago looking to build but came away aghast at a serious trash problem around the area.
“They left as fast as they could and said, ‘We would never consider developing in such a filthy place,’” Lantrip said. “So, that’s money. This is about economic development. You develop an interest in the environment and keeping things clean.
“That, bare-bones, is what Keep America Beautiful is all about.”
Keep Cedar Hill Beautiful paid tribute to a year of accomplishment in 2004 and recognized new board members, outgoing board members and community sponsors who help keep the organization strong, President Sheri Borth said.
“Our organization would not be what it is today without people like you all,” she said.
Lantrip said keeping the city clean involves a long of repetition of not just physical labor but emotional labor, as well.
“This is about changing people’s behavior, and the key here is kids,” he said. “It’s hard for a lot of us to change our behaviors, but a kid will embarrass the crud out of you. That’s why we’re all about education. That’s what Keep America Beautiful is all about, that’s what Keep Texas Beautiful is all about, and that’s what Keep Cedar Hill Beautiful is all about.”
Lantrip praised the dedication of Cedar Hill’s group.
“My job is to inspire you, to get you to see beyond what’s in front of you,” he said. “To be honest, it’s surprising to see something like (Keep Cedar Hill Beautiful) so organized so early in the year.”
Keeping the environment at the forefront of people’s concerns is a never-ending process, he said.
“The difficult thing for you to do is to keep people inspired,” he said. “There is never an end to this labor.”
Once one area is wiped clean of refuse and debris, another will pop up, Lantrip said.
“You might think the problem is solved, but it’s not. What’s happened is the problem has moved,” he said. “You will succeed here, then the next thing you know, you need to do some work over there.”
The rewards down the road will be remarkable, Lantrip added.
“Don’t be afraid of the repetition. Fight to keep your heart in it,” he said. “One of the great things about Keep Texas Beautiful is we plagiarize the crud out of each other,” and share resources with member chapters.
Borth, elected to another term as Keep Cedar Hill Beautiful president at the meeting, seconded Lantrip’s statement.
“I get a lot of ideas from Keep Texas Beautiful conferences,” she said. “I come back so pumped up from all the information that people can’t stand to be around me.”
Wade Emmert, a Cedar Hill city council member, was elected to another term as treasurer, and the board added new members Mike White and Fred Schallon.
Don Ripple and Theresa Brooks are the group’s vice president and secretary, respectively.
Cedar Hill Mayor Rob Franke and Mayor Pro Tem Cory Spillman also addressed the group at its meeting.
“I look around this group, and I see that you guys have really bought into Cedar Hill,” Franke said. “One of the first things you learn when you go to politicians school is to ask people to help you or to ask them for money.
“Once they do that, all of a sudden they have a vested interest in what you’re trying to do.”
Spillman was impressed by the large turnout, which came on night of frigid temperatures and non-stop rain.
“We’ve got a great story to tell in Cedar Hill,” he said. “Sheri Borth and the board go above and beyond what anybody could ask for.”
Loyd Brumfield can be reached at cedarhill@todaynewspapers.net .