Local businessman spearheads beautification effort
Contributed by Earl McLeod

Keep the Midlands Beautiful is pleased to announce the planting of more than 100 trees along Airport Boulevard between the John Hardee Expressway and Interstate 26. The project is the vision of real estate developer Stewart Mungo, who approached Keep the Midlands Beautiful in 2006.

Mungo's vision is to plant trees along roads that serve as important gateways to our region in order to improve visitors' first impressions of the Midlands. Keep the Midlands Beautiful and Mungo decided to focus their initial efforts on Airport Boulevard, a key road leading in from Columbia Metropolitan Airport.

"I am delighted we were able to put together a public- private partnership for the benefit of all residents and businesses of the Midlands," Mungo says. "We always need to put our best foot forward. It's best for tourism, economic development, and for our region as a whole."

The Airport Boulevard Beautification Project is the result of a partnership among Keep the Midlands Beautiful, the City of Cayce, Lexington County, the Town of Springdale, and a group of corporate supporters, and is fully funded through a mix of private and public donations. In addition to financial support, The City of Cayce, Town of Springdale, and Lexington County provided staff expertise and agreements to care for the trees. The trees, including magnolias, crape myrtles, lacebark elms, and shumard oaks up to 14 feet tall, will be planted in late January 2008.

To learn more about the Airport Boulevard Beautification Project, contact Keep the Midlands Beautiful at (803) 733- 1139.