Published: May 14, 2008 03:44 pm         

Valley View renewal project begins

VALLEY VIEW — Members of a beautification committee in Valley View could not curb their enthusiasm as major dirt work began on a project to renovate the town square.

The high, white-painted curbs on the Valley View town square, which group secretary Norman Newton said date back to around the 1920s, held the soil and kept the land at the center of the square at a slightly higher elevation than the rest of the area. The Texas Department of Transportation plans to level the area and place modern curbing and sidewalks on each side as part of a plan, which also includes decorative corner posts, new picnic tables and landscaping features.

“We’re just excited to see this all finally take place,” said Natalie Massengale, a member of Keep Valley View Beautiful.

Rita Parker, who lives west of Valley View, said she is happy to see construction begin.

“I am so excited to see that Valley View’s town square is getting a heart transplant,” Parker said. “Just the thing this once vibrant town needs to bring life back into its tired, worn body. I pray it pumps new life and vitality into all the surrounding buildings — the rebirth of Valley View.”

Keep Valley View Beautiful (KVVB) won the 2006 Governor’s Community Achievement Award of $60,000, and the committee selected to use this money for the rebuilding of the town square, which is scheduled to begin in spring 2008, with the permission of the city of Valley View.

Keep Valley View Beautiful planned for a gazebo to be placed on the northwest corner of the square, but there were not enough funds to cover its construction. Kelly Ready Mix of Valley View donated materials and labor to build the gazebo’s foundation, but to raise funds for the structure members of the group are selling commemorative bricks for a walkway to the gazebo.

Anyone may purchase a brick to remember a loved one or honor a living person or organization, and another in a special area just for families which settled Valley View prior to 1900, according to the group.

Bricks containing the names of families and individuals who settled Valley View prior to the turn of the century would be placed around site of what will be Valley View’s first state historical marker, to be located on the southeast corner of the square.

Near the marker the steps from the old 1902 school will be placed. The school was located north of the square and was tore down in 1938.

So far, about 70 inscribed bricks have been sold at $50 each. Keep Valley View Beautiful is working on getting an estimate on gazebo construction.

The group set a deadline of Oct. 1 to order the bricks.

Keep Valley View Beautiful has also been involved with clean-up projects and celebrating Arbor Day this spring.

The group gave awards for its Great Texas Trash Off event on April 5, and on the week of Arbor Day the group hosted a poster contest in conjunction with Valley View ISD. The winners’ artwork are being displayed at various businesses throughout the town.

The winner of the Trash Off was a group calling itself “The Traildusters” from the Pecan Creek Trail neighborhood. Runner-up was the Valley View First United Methodist Church — ”The Clean Machines.”

The “Most Useful” find was a pop corn popper by the Terri Wilhite, the “Funniest” award was presented to a whole slightly cracked egg by the Traildusters team. The “Most Bizzare” award was for a rooftop turbine vent by the Baily and Callie Wilhite and Mary and Melanie McCann.

“The event was very successful,” reported Perlene Newton, of the group. “KVVB wants to thank First State Bank for furnishing the hot dogs and bottled water, also a big thank you to Valley View City Hall and the Valley View residents.”

The winners of the Arbor Day poster contest were: Lauren Streeter, 10th grade, high school winner; Kara Saba, sixth grade, middle school winner, and Dakota Davis, second grade, elementary school winner.

Kris Wood, art teacher of VVISD, spearheaded this in conjunction with Keep Valley View Beautiful for the Texas Arbor Day. The winners received a Pecan tree (the official state tree) — a candy pecan tree donated by Katie’s Nursery to be planted at the school grounds — and a brick will be purchased by KVVB with all three names on it stating that they are winners of the 2008 Texas Arbor Day poster contest.

See photos of the contest winners in an upcoming Register.

The judges of the poster contest were Gail Patterson with Big Fatty’s On the Square and Shannon Willkerson of the city of Valley View.

For information on Keep Valley View Beautiful programs, or to inquire about purchasing a brick, call Norman Newton at 726-3414 or by e-mail at normannewton@yahoo.com.

On the Net:

For a diagram of the square plans, and an order form for the bricks, see Newton’s home page at www.geocities.com/valleyview1872