Brett Broyles will tell you that the best part of his day is his early morning pass through downtown Anderson to make sure the city is well groomed to receive visitors.
“If you ever go to a town that is a nicely landscaped area, you’ll go back to that town, so our goal is to make Anderson look nice, neat and clean,” said Broyles, horticulturist for the City of Anderson.
Broyles has been working in the landscaping business for as long as he can remember. Growing up in Austin, Texas, he would get off the school bus in the afternoons and go spread bark mulch. He earned a degree in ornamental horticulture from Texas State Technical College, then made his way east where he took care of two large estates, one of which has been featured on the pages of Southern Living magazine.
He owned his own landscaping business for 30 years and two years ago was asked to join the City of Anderson as a full-time horticulturist – a move Broyles believes adds to the energy of a growing city.
“I think it shows vibrance and it shows that we care about who we are,” said Broyles, who oversees Main Street, McDuffie Street, Murray Avenue and Linley Park. “I think when you come downtown and you see color and you don’t see trash, and you see people that are taking the time to do the nit-picking things of pulling blooms and changing color out at the seasons, it shows that we care about who we are and that we’re interested in you being here.”
With several new redevelopment projects underway downtown, Broyles and the city’s landscaping crew – Danny Mullinax, Keith Gilstrap, Danny McAlister, JB Benson, Stanley Martin and Doug Smith – are finding new ways to beautify The Electric City.
For example, 16 new Nuttall Oaks have been installed along Market Street next to the new Home2Suites hotel. Tree grates – a first for Anderson – have been included to protect tree roots, manage storm water and keep mulch from splashing out onto sidewalks. Additionally, new landscaping around the Market Street Parking Garage will help provide a connection to Church Street Heritage Plaza next door.
Overall, 77 new trees have been planted in downtown to complement the older Bosque Elms that line the median along Main Street.
“(Trees) provide great shade. They provide great character. It makes the city look really old,” Broyles said.
For Broyles, the freedom to make creative decisions in an industry he loves is the best part of the job.
“It’s all I know, and I guess I was born with the eye, as some would say. I kind of know what looks good and what needs to look good, and what might fit here and what don’t fit here. I was born with that talent.”
But the real reward is the positive feedback from residents, visitors and his fellow employees.
“It’s kind of like cutting your grass. If your grass is weed free and it’s clean and it’s healthy, you like cutting it. So, if your flowers are clean and your streets are clean, you’re going to like being here. I think the employees are taking a lot more pride in what they’re doing and excited about what they’re doing. We all kind of share together in the same goal of trying to keep Anderson as clean as we can keep it and that includes flowers and trees that are pruned and trees that are healthy and plants that aren’t dying. I think we’re doing good together as a team.”
For more information, visit cityofandersonsc.com or call (864) 231-2200.
