LCRA Volunteers Take on Projects in 35 Texas Communities During Steps Forward Day

APRIL 11, 2025

​AUSTIN, Texas – Hundreds of Lower Colorado River Authority employees rolled up their sleeves to volunteer on dozens of community projects across parts of Texas during LCRA’s annual day of service, Steps Forward Day.

“We started Steps Forward Day 10 years ago as a way to give back to Texas communities,” LCRA General Manager Phil Wilson said. “Today, that journey continues stronger than ever. This year, more than 700 employees volunteered to work on projects communities may not have the time or resources to complete on their own.”

Steps Forward Day continues LCRA’s long-standing commitment to service.

“It’s all about making a difference in the communities we serve and supporting our fellow Texans,” Wilson said. “This is community service in action.”

In 2025, LCRA employees worked on 40 projects during the Steps Forward Day initiative:

• Bastrop – Painting pavilion supports and installing new trash cans at Bob Bryant Park.
• Bay City – Adding soil, mulch and plants to butterfly and wildflower gardens at Riverside Park.
• Brady – Painting the fence around the city swimming pool at Earnest O. Martin Memorial Park.
• Brenham – Picking up brush, cleaning park signs, refilling bird feeders and landscaping along Hohlt Park Nature Trail.
• Buchanan Dam – Painting the exterior of the Lake Buchanan/Inks Lake Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center and staining the observation deck.
• Buda – Planting a pollinator garden at Stagecoach Park.
• Columbus – Pressure washing exercise station signs and metal park benches; upgrading the surfaces of the horseshoe pits and volleyball court; and repairing wooden park benches and a cable safety barrier at Midtown Park.
• Cuero – Installing new landscape edging, plants and mulch at the public library.
• Dripping Springs – Painting a fence, picnic tables and the interior of the barn at Ranch Park House.
• Flatonia – Painting the old city jailhouse and landscaping near Flatonia City Hall.
• Fredericksburg – Painting the walls surrounding the stage and breezeways of the Pioneer Pavilion and painting the pool restrooms in Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park.
• Giddings – Painting metal pipe fencing at Veterans Park.
• Goldthwaite – Building and painting a wall creating a storage area inside the Goldthwaite Theatre.
• Hempstead – Adding mulch to the playground area at Hempstead City Park.
• Horseshoe Bay – Removing invasive plants at Horseshoe Bay Nature Park.
• Kingsland – Restriping the parking lot at the Highland Lakes Senior Center.
• Kyle – Scrubbing dasher boards around the skating rink, weeding and picking up litter at Gregg-Clarke Park.
• La Grange – Painting cattle pens inside the Emily Fritsch Barn at the Fayette County fairgrounds.
• Lexington – Installing sod at Heritage Square and painting railings at Lexington Memorial Park.
• Liberty Hill – Weeding flower beds, refreshing old mulch and landscape rocks, and planting flowers in downtown.
• Lockhart – Spreading crushed granite and sawdust at Lions Park.
• Luling – Adding plants and mulch to the flower beds at three community clubhouses.
• Marble Falls – Adding plants, mulch and a drip-irrigation system to the flower beds outside City Hall; picking up litter and trimming trees in the downtown area; and planting drought-tolerant landscaping by signage for the city’s business park.
• Mason – Replacing landscaping with gravel and painting the pool edge and canopies at the city pool.
• McCamey – Cleaning up litter along Main Street.
• Pflugerville – Removing dead trees, brush and debris from along the banks of Gilleland Creek.
• Round Rock – Painting railings, gates, fences and doors at the Hall of Fame Softball Complex.
• San Marcos – Painting handrails and curbs in the town square and picking up litter in downtown.
• San Saba – Cleaning up landscaping and installing river rock at Rylander Memorial Library and refreshing the playground mulch at Mill Pond Park.
• Schulenburg – Installing metal trim, laying out weed-control fabric and spreading decorative rock at three city facilities.
• Shiner – Painting the exterior of the police annex building.
• Smithville – Painting restrooms at Riverbend Park; painting the parking lot wheel stops, fire lane and fence at the Smithville Recreation Center; and painting an activity course on a sidewalk at the public library.
• Wimberley – Painting handrails at Old Baldy Park.

LCRA launched its Steps Forward employee volunteer program in 2015. LCRA works with its customers to identify service projects in their communities, supplies the labor and helps provide the materials needed to complete the projects. For more information, visit www.lcra.org/stepsforward.

About LCRA

The Lower Colorado River Authority serves customers and communities throughout Texas by managing the lower Colorado River; generating and transmitting electric power; providing a clean, reliable water supply; and offering outdoor adventures at more than 40 parks along the Colorado River from the Texas Hill Country to the Gulf Coast. LCRA and its employees are committed to fulfilling our mission to enhance the quality of life of the Texans we serve through water stewardship, energy and community service. LCRA was created by the Texas Legislature in 1934 and receives no state appropriations.

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