Keep Texas Beautiful has selected the City of Santa Fe to receive its Government Award for making a positive difference in its community and enhancing the environment for its citizens.  Santa Fe was chosen as the 2018 winner for cities with less than 30,000 population and will be presented its award at the Keep Texas Beautiful Annual Conference in Rockwall on June 18-20, 2019.
 
The City is being honored for boldly supporting the revitalization of the Keep Santa Fe Beautiful (KSFB) organization and for its support to transform an under-utilized park into a therapeutic garden.
 
In 2018, while its community addressed the impacts from Hurricane Harvey and the horrific shooting at the local high school, the City of Santa Fe embraced a unique approach to help its residents heal by providing property to create a place of peace and serenity.  Santa Fe approved a proposal from the non-profit Keep Santa Fe Beautiful to convert the Mae S. Bruce Park on Main Street to a garden, specifically designed to help those with trauma, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.  The area will be reconfigured and feature plants of calming scents and vision, walking trails, and seating areas. 
 
Under new leadership, KSFB proposed the idea to the City in June 2018 and before the end of the year, preliminary ground work and new fencing had been completed with assistance from the City, as well as other companies providing in-kind services and materials.  KSFB continues to move the plan forward with an expected completion date later this year.  The local volunteer organization is sponsoring an Earth Day Festival, April 27, with free activities for the family and with opportunities to help raise the funds for the Garden.  For more details, go to, http://www.keepsantafetxbeautiful.org/
  
Once the Garden is ready, the space will be the home of nature-based therapy classes and programs offered by the Resiliency Center, a facility nobly opened by the City of Santa Fe immediately after the shooting that offers free mental health services and resources to its community.  

As partners, the City of Santa Fe, the Resiliency Center, and Keep Santa Fe Beautiful continue to work together to enhance their neighborhoods and empower others to make Santa Fe and Texas a better and more beautiful place.

​The weather alert for this weekend notes possible below freezing conditions for the community of Santa Fe.  Keep Santa Fe Beautiful would like to take this moment to encourage residents to take precautions to protect, life and property.  Below are several tips for dealing with freezing temperatures:
PROTECT PEOPLE AND PETS FIRST

• Keep warm and stay inside as much as possible (Hot cocoa is always lovely)
• If you need to go outside, dress appropriately (layers, hats, gloves, and a coat as required)
• Please remember to clothe those who can’t dress themselves warmly if they must get out
• Remind tweens and teenagers that basketball shorts and leggings are not appropriate cold weather attire
• Pay attention to heat sources; never leave a space heater near furniture, water, drapes, those who cannot move themselves, children, and pets
• If you light your fireplace, please remember to close the screen and don’t allow children or husbands to play with the fire
• Before using a space heater or fireplace install fire alarms and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors and check the batteries in current devices
• Remember to bring your pets inside and move other animals and livestock to sheltered areas. 
• Also, don’t forget your car; make sure you add antifreeze, check your battery, and ensure your defrosters are working correctly especially if you must get out this weekend
• Small wildlife or feral animals may try to find shelter in your car during the cold including under you hood near the engine.  Starting your vehicle can injure or even kill a small animal if they are too close to the fan belt.  Please make noise, open and shut your hood, and give these animals a chance to escape before starting your car.
• Cats and dogs like the sweet smell of antifreeze which contains ethylene glycol, this is lethal to pets.  So, please remember to tightly close and put away any remaining antifreeze and clean spills immediately.

PROTECT YOUR HOME AND PLANTS

• Leave faucets on a drip to ensure your pipes don’t bust (just make sure all the plugs are removed first)
• Wrap all pipes and valves, including those that are outside the house, and in unheated areas such as the attic, garage, and crawl spaces
• Remove all outdoor hoses, drain water out and store indoors
• If you have a pool, it’s not a good idea to go swimming this weekend but does keep your pump running and make sure all your valves are open as well.
• Move all your potted plants indoors
• If you are unable to move your potted plants indoors, try to move them to a location protected from the north wind (plants receive more damage from the wind than the cold weather)
• Wrap all outdoor plans with a frost cloth (this cloth allows the plants to breathe while still holding in heat)
• If you do not own any frost cloth, using a sheet or blanket to wrap your plants is the second-best thing
• Another great tip to help your plants survive the cold weather is to add a few inches of mulch around the base of your plants and trees to protect the roots and ensure your plant comes back in the spring

 
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