Durham Seeks Nominations for 2012 Golden Leaf Awards

Having Durham be a beautiful place is important to many.  In fact, people in Durham think appearance should be a high community priority by a ratio of almost four to one.  For those that do feel that way, now is the time to mobilize.

Residents who think there are certain Durham properties that have outstanding curb appeal are now invited to nominate those properties for the 2012 Golden Leaf Awards for Community Appearance.

The Durham City-County Appearance Commission and Keep Durham Beautiful, Inc., in association with the Environmental Affairs Board, are seeking nominations from the community for properties that raise the bar for excellence in design and maintenance in Durham. These awards are given to highlight the value that Durham puts on community appearance.

The deadline to submit nominations for this year’s award is Monday, July 30, 2012. Nominations may be submitted in the following categories:

•    Small Scale Residential Properties Award will be given to new construction, renovation, or restoration of a single-family house or residential building containing four units or fewer.

•    Large Scale Residential Properties Award will be given to new construction, conversions, or improvements to a multifamily residential property or mixed-use property incorporating residential units.

•    Commercial Properties Award will be given for new construction, renovation or adaptive reuse of non-residential properties.

•    Community Properties Award will be given for projects that enhance the appearance and livability of highly visible public areas including churches, schools, parks, and other projects providing community services.

•    Landscape Award will be given for landscape, hardscape, or garden projects at least one year old, which have consistently maintained high standards of upkeep and appearance.

•    Keep Durham Beautiful Award will be given to a volunteer or group of volunteers for projects, programs or events that impact a Durham community or neighborhood, and address Keep Durham Beautiful’s mission to support volunteer efforts to (1) beautify the natural environment (2) prevent or reduce litter and/or (3) reduce waste through reducing, re-using or recycling.

•    Sustainable Properties Award will be given for projects creating a sustainable built environment by incorporating green building principles in the planning and development of projects. Projects must document these principles in the areas of energy, design, site, water, and building materials.

•    People’s Choice Award will be given to one project selected by public vote from the nominees under consideration for the above award categories.

Visit the Durham Golden Leaf website to review the complete list of categories, submission criteria, and nominations forms.