Eric Langford, developer of Murphy Marketplace, is bringing big smiles to the residents of The Timbers—the neighborhood at the stoplight of FM 544 and Hawthorne.  Ever since TX DOT widened both Murphy Road and FM 544, The Timbers’ entrances have been without electricity and lights.  For many years, the sprinkler system at the Hawthorne entrance has required someone to turn the system on and off manually every few days in order to keep what little landscaping was there alive.  But that is about to change, thanks to Mr. Langford’s generosity.
In August, Maggie Whitt, president of the Timbers Community Organization, asked Mr. Langford if he would consider giving the non-profit voluntary neighborhood association a grant to “help us restore our Hawthorne entrance so we can join the city in its beautification efforts.”  Ms. Whitt informed Mr. Langford that “we are very mindful of the impact our neighborhood has on outsiders’ perceptions of Murphy due to our prime location, and we are doing our best to upgrade our appearance as fast as we can.  Thanks to 50% participation by our homeowners, we have been able to plant and maintain new flowers and bushes at all three of our entrances.  However, without help, it would be at least 5 years before we could save enough money to restore our electric service.”
Mr. Langford not only agreed to fund the project; he also agreed to actually make it happen.  As Mr. Langford noted, “We already have the people in place who know how to do all of the things you need, and they can do it for far less than you would pay to hire someone.”  Mr. Langford appointed Tom Day, president of his own real estate services company, as the project’s manager.  Mr. Day expects the first phase to be completed by the end of October.
With great enthusiasm, Ms. Whitt acknowledged, “We are doing the best that we can with the limited resources we have in order to make our neighborhood into a showplace that will make a powerful statement about what citizens can do when they care about their city.  We cannot do it alone, and we VERY much appreciate Mr. Langford’s partnership!”