Spring has sprung on the Athens Loop! Over 100,000 daffodil bulbs planted as a joint project of Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful (KACCB), ACC Landscape Management, and the Georgia DOT are currently bursting into bloom. Those looking to enjoy the show can find plantings at the on/off ramps at Chase Street, Prince Avenue, Atlanta Highway, MLK Parkway, and North Avenue. The daffodils should be in bloom for the next few weeks with a showy display of golden yellow that will benefit the thousands of motorists that live or work in and around Athens. This project is not just about beauty, but is also an effort to curb littering behavior in areas that are traditionally hot spots for trash.
The vision of this long-term sustainable project is to continue around the loop exit by exit to beautify the heavily trafficked gateways into our community. The KACCB Board of Directors raises funds to pay for the bulbs and tools needed to implement the project. The ACC Landscape Management Division helps layout the area to be planted and pre-drill the holes. The project was implemented using volunteer hours and interdepartmental support. This year’s planting took place as a part of the MLK Day of Service in January. Approximately 125 community volunteers came together to plant 30,000 daffodil bulbs on the North Avenue on/off ramps. The Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful board served as group leaders and the ACC Police Department and Landscape Management Division staff all worked hard in order to make this day of service a success.
“The daffodils look so PRETTY! I drive pass them on my way to work and always appreciate how lovely there are. Thanks for all you do for the community!” emailed Cathy, a local commuter who is enjoying the beautification project. This is typical of the feedback we receive each spring and the project is not just a local success, but has also gained statewide and national recognition from Keep America Beautiful and Keep Georgia Beautiful.
If you love the daffodils and would like to be a part of the project, you can donate to the Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful non-profit board to help continue around the loop! Invest in Beauty -Donate at www.keepathensbeautiful.org or contact Stacee Farrell at stacee.farrell@accgov.com
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