Three local organizations have joined forces to create an alliance that aims to clean up and beautify Troup County and its three cities.

Forming Troup Alive and Green are the LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce’s Beautification Committee, Keep Troup Beautiful and Troup TREEmendous. The umbrella agency was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to assist each of the three organizations in fulfilling their individual missions.

Collectively, the organizations have similar goals with the common thread their desire to enhance the natural beauty of communities within Troup County.

Members of the new alliance are Jan Evans, representing the Beautification Committee; Nancy Green of Keep Troup Beautiful; Jackie Kennedy of Troup TREEmendous; Alton West for the city of LaGrange; Meg Van Der Kruik, representing the city of Hogansville; Malinda Powers, representing the city of West Point; Nancy Seegar of Troup County; Diane Harrell of the Elms and Roses Garden Club Council; Page Estes of the chamber; Gary Garter of the Master Gardeners; and at-large community representatives Matt Comerford, Patrick Crews, Doris Jefferson, Todd Stephens and Rick Waterhouse.

Crews and Waterhouse, who together originated the idea to form the alliance, were elected chairman and vice chairman, respectively. Stephens was elected as secretary/treasurer.

“This is a historic day,” Crews said. “It’s going to take a lot of people wanting to take this county and make it what it ought to be. There are many things this group can do by pooling our areas of interest together. We have much we want to achieve, mainly a ‘wow’ factor so that when folks ride into our county and towns, they say, ‘Wow, what a beautiful community,’ and they see the efforts we put into keeping our cities and county beautiful. These are our goals and expectations.”

County Commission Chairman Ricky Wolfe commended the group for setting high goals.

“What you’re going to do here will pay huge dividends for the community,” he told the members.

Commissioner Ken Smith, a longtime advocate for litter control, expressed gratitude.

“For years I’ve been talking about how filthy Troup County is and people would call me on the phone and yell at me,” he said. “It means a lot to have you all getting together to address this problem.”

Van Der Kruik, whose daughter attends Hogansville Elementary School, said creating a sustainable clean environment “starts with teaching our children.” The sponsor of a “Green Team” devoted to recycling and litter control at her daughter’s school, she said TAG might help introduce similar clubs to other area schools.

Keep Troup Beautiful has promoted local recycling and litter-free communities since the early 1990s. An affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, the organization also supports beautification and waste management efforts.

The chamber’s Beautification Committee was or-ganized in 2008 to enhance the local natural and manmade environment through sustainable community stewardship, seeking to create landscapes pleasing to the eye.

Troup TREEmendous formed a year ago to promote the county’s heritage tree program and to promote and protect trees through community awareness and Arbor Day celebrations while preserving the county’s rural character.

Troup Alive and Green will meet March 24 and plans to meet the fourth Wednesday of each month thereafter.