(Taken from Bank Notes 2004 spring newsletter.)

FirstBank & Trust is proud to announce the appointment of chief operations officer, Abel Castro, to Lubbock’s new Water Advisory Commission board. Recently created by the Lubbock City Council, this nine-member board is charged with making recommendations on how best to preserve and utilize our city’s water resources now and in the future. The board is slated to meet on the second Tuesday of each month to review the many water-related issues facing Lubbock. The board will then make recommendations to the Council.

"I am so pleased to have been asked to serve on this very important board," Castro said. "I grew up here, so I know just how precious a commodity water is. And because I have children growing up here, I want to find ways to ensure Lubbock’s water needs are met for the next 100 years."

Castro said that type of long-term planning is a focus of the board, along with maximizing current water availability through conservation and education. Casto said it wasn’t a background in civil engineering or water conservation which landed him on the board. His banking history with FB&T was his foot in the door.

"Chairman of the board, "Bo" Brown, wanted to include as many people as he could from areas which relate to water regulation and conservation, so my financial background appealed to him, and he asked me to serve," Castro explained.

The new MidCity branch, at 22nd St. and Indiana Avenue, wasn’t specifically set up as a water conservative site. However, Castro said FB&T worked closely with the project’s landscape architects to design a space with a maximum of hardscape, along with native plants and trees which require little water once established.

Anna Johnson, FB&T customer and owner of Little Red Riding Hood Nursery, said being water conscious doesn't necessarily mean giving up beautiful flower beds or a lovely green lawn.

"The proper variety of plants is the first step to a water conservative approach," she stressed.

If your flower beds have a drinking problem, Johnson said that mulching consistently is the key to success with trees and plantings in a water-conservative scenario. "Mulch retains moisture and insulates plants from stress, allowing them to protect themselves from the elements more effectively."

Proper management of sprinkler systems is a must for conserving water in lawn areas. Overspray onto hard surfaces, poor time management when watering, and overwatering, are the major culprits in water waste. Johnson has many easy to implement ideas for controlling these problems and keeping your lawn healthy and beautiful.