PHOTO #1: The City of Victoria’s Community Appearance Division recently finished renovating the “Welcome to Victoria” sign on Bloomington Highway.
PHOTO #2: The “Welcome to Victoria” sign on Bloomington Highway is seen in May prior to a renovation project by the City of Victoria’s Community Appearance Division.
PHOTO #3: The area around the “Welcome to Victoria” sign on Bloomington Highway was cleared in May in preparation for a renovation project by the City of Victoria’s Community Appearance Division.
PHOTO #4: Native plants were used for the updated landscaping of the “Welcome to Victoria” sign on Bloomington Highway, and old tires were added for elevation.
The City of Victoria’s Community Appearance Division recently finished renovating the “Welcome to Victoria” sign on Highway 185 (Bloomington Highway), adding lighting and fresh landscaping to create a welcoming display for residents and newcomers alike.
“Victorians who see the sign will hopefully have a sense of pride—that feeling of, ‘I’m home,’” said Assistant City Manager Mike Etienne. “And visitors will know they’re entering a special place where they would be proud to move, raise a family or open a business.”
The new sign is part of an effort to add or update entryway signs at all of Victoria’s major entry points, which will play a critical role in improving the city’s image, Etienne said. The signs are a project of the Community Appearance Division, a relatively new division of Environmental Services dedicated to cleaning litter, maintaining City-owned rights of way and undertaking beautification projects to build community pride and enhance Victoria’s profile.
Jackie Yates, supervisor for the Community Appearance Division, said improving the signs was on Environmental Services’ to-do list, and the creation of the new division allowed resources to be dedicated to the project.
The new landscaping around the sign includes a bed of native plants. Yates said the Community Appearance Division tries to use native plants whenever possible because they reflect Victoria’s natural environment and are easy to maintain.
“It’s easier to get native plants started than perennials that aren’t acclimated to our region,” she said.
The division also elevated part of the landscaping using a base of recycled tires that were picked up around the city.
Yates said she hopes residents who see the new landscaping will be motivated to take pride in their community and beautify their own properties.
“We have a lot of talented gardeners in this city,” she said. “Sometimes people get ideas from things they see growing in other people’s yards, and we want to inspire people with this project.”
The Community Appearance Division in May finished updating the sign at the Goliad entryway on Highway 77. Next, they plan to tackle the sign at the Highway 87 entryway coming from Cuero.
“People often form an opinion about a place in as little as 15 seconds,” Etienne said. “Making a good first impression will be important to our city’s economic success and our efforts to make Victoria a destination city.”
To learn more, visit www.victoriatx.gov, or contact the Community Appearance Division at 361-485-3230.