As part of the continued effort to Keep Arlington Beautiful, the City Office Tower, located in Downtown, is moving into the 21^st century with its new energy efficient windows and newly designed Native Texas water conservation landscaping. Heather Dowell, Urban Forestry Land Manager with Parks and Recreation and Dustan Compton, Conservation Program Coordinator with the Water Utilities, were awarded a grant from the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation. In addition to the grant, matching funds were provided by the Water Utilities' conservation program and in-kind services from the Parks and Recreation Department to fully fund these environmentally friendly improvements

"The 80's called and wanted their design, irrigation and plant material back" said Dowell jokingly. "We are working to change all current designs to the way of the future, but in actuality we are going back to our roots and applying native design standards of how native plants grew back in the day," added Dowell. Heather collaborated with Xiwen Feng, an intern from the University of Texas Arlington to create a contemporary design that gives the building a whole new look by providing a natural feel for all citizens and city employees to enjoy.

The City of Arlington and the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation are committed to reducing water usage by utilizing proper native plant selection, coupled with drip irrigation to create aesthetically pleasing and more sustainable landscapes.

For information on water conservation go to www.SaveArlingtonWater.com

For more information on Arlington Parks and Recreation go to www.naturallyfun.org orwww.facebook.com/arlingtonparks.