Story and photos by Cary Griffin, Forney Messenger

A team effort that created a beautified area between the Forney Fire Department’s two garages has led to the presentation of the City of Forney’s first-ever City Manager’s Team Award.
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The project had a foreshadowing in February, when Fire Chief Rick Townsend put flower beds between the two buildings. Previously, the area had been an asphalt alley bordered by untended grass.
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But another city employee, Karen Sanders, who works in the City of Forney’s Public Works Department, saw a greater potential. She had been attending Texas SmartScape classes. So she asked Townsend if he would let the Public Works Department do some SmartScape landscaping using environmentally-friendly plants, and Townsend gave his consent.
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Sanders said she got a group of city employees to donate a pond and some bricks for the project and then went out and purchased the rest of the bricks and the plants. Then the project began—and most of Forney’s fire fighters and Public Works Department personnel got involved. The project was started in March, which is Texas SmartScape Month. The work was completed right after the Public Works Department held their public water festival at Forney Community Park in June.
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To decorate the new SmartScape beds, project workers obtained a 1952 fire hydrant which had been pulled out of service in Forney. They power-washed it and Karen painted it red, white and blue—partly because a red fire hydrant would not have shown up well against the red brick of the main fire station building’s west exterior. They also added several miniature U. S. flags to carry the patriotic them through the entire landscape.
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Sanders said that everything in the new SmartScape garden is sustainable and meets Texas SmartScape’s list of environmentally-friendly plants. Included in the garden are perennials and shrubbery—Texas sage, lantana, barberries, and others.
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Sanders said she was able to obtain all of her plants from Forney businesses.
City Manager’s Team Awards presented during special program

On Thursday, August 6, each member of the team who worked on the SmartScape garden received a new City of Forney recognition—the City Manager’s Team Award.

The short awards program was preceded by a light buffet-style luncheon that began at noon in the briefing room on the first floor of the fire station annex. The meal was catered by Chick Fil A in Forney.
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After lunch, City Manager Brian Brooks gave a general welcome. He explained that the City of Forney has begun a program to recognize employees who, throughout each year, make special contributions to the city outside the course of their normal duties.
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The City Manager’s Team Award was presented individually to each participant. Brooks personally presented each recipient with a certificate and a small appreciation gift.
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“Once again, thanks,” Brooks said to the team members after he had finished presenting the awards. “You guys mean a lot to the community.”

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This story and any accompanying photo(s) were originally published in the Forney Messenger and are Copyright © 2009, Forney Messenger, Inc. and have been used by permission. The Forney Messenger is the publisher of Kaufman County’s oldest newspaper and may be found online at www.ForneyMessengerInc.com