Monday, December 9, 2024
AZLE — Four months after it was codified by ordinance, Azle’s beautification committee has its first two members. Shadi Sutton and Tiffany Nelson were appointed to Place 1 and Place 3 by the Azle City Council during a July 16 meeting.
Sutton is a lifelong Azle resident. Always the active volunteer, she wants to begin doing even more for the community with her child leaving for Abilene Christian University in the fall. In the past, Sutton has served on the Sting Fling committee, Azle Little League board, Azle High School Softball Booster Club and as the Azle High School Hornet Football Booster Club president. She works as a land tech for Texhoma Land Consultants. Sutton joined the committee on recommendation of Mayor Pro Tem Randa Goode, with whom she has served on various boards. Sutton said she got her love of volunteering from her grandparents, who instilled the value of loving one’s home, and that she is excited to be a helper and improve the community.
““I think I maybe complained about something not being very nice and that’s always bound to get you volunteered,” Sutton said. “I have enjoyed seeing the progress our city has been making recently with improvements and would love to be a part of the process.”
Azle City Council member Derrick Nelson abstained from voting preceding the appointment of his wife, Tiffany Nelson. She is a multifamily real estate investor with Chayil Nvestments. Nelson said she has served the Azle community and schools in various capacities. She feels her experience working with interior and landscape designers makes her a good fit for the board.
“I feel like Azle’s not showing their best qualities and has a beautiful foot to put forward and I’d like to see that displayed,” Nelson said. “I think some simple things could really show the beautiful character of our town. I would focus on one whole complete project at a time to make it look uniform — not just a certain area — making it easy for the owners, a low barrier of entry. Main Street has so much potential. A coat of paint and some flowers would do a lot to move forward. I think moving forward with the spirit of love where you love the local people, the community and moving with that, regardless of budget. I think anyone can present themselves and their home with dignity and I think there’s a lot of dignity to display in Azle to show off who we really are.”
Sutton and Nelson are two of the first seven voting members to be appointed by the city council. The council decided board members can be some combination of up to three members from the Azle City Council, one Azle High School student who resides within the Azle city limits, up to two nonresident owners or employees of businesses operating within the Azle city limits and up to three resident citizens who are qualified voters. Each committee member will be elected for two-year terms in alternating years.
The committee’s purpose will be to aid and organize in “all things making Azle more beautiful.” Some of the committee’s proposed duties include helping make the city a clean and attractive place to live, maintaining a healthy environment and advocating these efforts to its residents. The committee will make recommendations to the council regarding landscaping, maintenance, trash cleanup and public advocacy among other subjects. The council passed ordinance number 2024-03 during a March 4 meeting. The board’s motto — “Keep Azle Beautiful” — is reminiscent of similar initiatives in Fort Worth and White Settlement.
Goode first brought up the idea of establishing a beautification committee, as well as the possibility of erecting “no littering” signs during an Oct. 17, 2023, Azle City Council meeting. She was disappointed with the amount of trash she saw on certain Azle roadways and was excited to explore solutions after learning about the beautification committees of nearby cities. The council revisited the subject in February and has resolved to appoint the rest of this new advisory committee at some unspecified time in the near future.
