LIVINGSTON-The Livingston Beautification Board recently announced the 2005 spring season winners of the “Yards of the Season” at their April 19 meeting at the Ruby Pickens Tartt Library. The winners will receive a beautiful wrought sign to be placed in their yards signifying their award for the months of April, May and June. The signs will be going up later this week.

The winners were Mr. Lee Walker, Mr. and Mrs. Don Lauderdale, Mr. and Mrs. Willie Boyd, Mrs. Clara Lyon, Mr. and Mrs. Nat Watkins and Mr. and Mrs. Clemit Spruiell.

The non-residential winner was First Baptist Church of Livingston.

There were also several honorable mentions this season. Honorable mention winners were Mr. and Mrs. Randy Reeves, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Wilson, Mr. and Mrs. Tom Luke and Mr. and Mrs. David Scott.

The board would like to express their enthusiasm that the revitalization of this project has created and passed their thanks to all of the winners for doing their part to help beautify the city and set it apart from the average.

At Monday’s City Council meeting the winners were honored with certificates and recognized by Candace Strickland, Chairman of the Livingston Beautification Board. Strickland said she appreciated all the efforts that had been put into the program.

“We really appreciate the job that you all do in beautifying our city,” Strickland said. “You have all really done a wonderful job.”

Livingston Mayor Tom Tartt said the board and individual efforts were a huge boost to the rest of the city’s efforts to keep a nice, clean environment.

“The beautification board in this city can only do so much,” Tartt said. “We only have so many resources and the job that you do is extremely helpful in helping us make our city look good.”

Tartt said the efforts of the winners have instilled a feeling of pride in others causing them to work harder on their own yards.

“This is not just the downtown area,” Tartt said. “This has been all over the city and I want you to know that we as a city have noticed and we certainly appreciate it. We appreciate the effect that it has on the entire city.”

The Livingston Beautification Board also passed out certificates to the 2004 “Yards of the Season” winners at the meeting.

The 2004 winners were:

Mr. and Mrs. Jay Wenger, Mr. and Mrs. Jack Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Ricky Fields, Mr. and Mrs. Preston C. Minus, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Ed Mason, Dr. and Mrs. William Simpkins, Mrs. Mary Helen Jones, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Holycross, Mr. and Mrs. Danny Carrier, Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Hines, Mr. and Mrs. Willie Rogers, Mr. and Mrs. Billy Trawick, Mr. and Mrs. Pierce Boyd, Dr. Asa Green, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Spears

Mr. and Mrs. Zane Winfield, Mrs. Joyce Springfield, Mrs. Helen Thomas, Mr. and Mrs. Sparky Sparkman

Mrs. Violet Reed, Mr. and Mrs. Temple Ennis, Mr. and Mrs. Burt Guin, Mr. and Mrs. Curtis Jones

Mr. and Mrs. Tommy Carter, Mr. and Mrs. Sonny Duke

The non-residential winners for 2004 were Kensington Apartments, St. James Episcopal Church. Bobbie’s Beauty Bar and The Drug Store

Each season residential winners are chosen from six different areas within the city limits and a non-residential winner is chosen at large. The project was first started back in the seventies but had not been done for several years.

In 2004 the board purchased some wrought iron signs and began placing them in selected yards.