Group is bothered by ‘shabby’ Bellaire

Residents plan to point out examples of neglected city structures and curbing

A citizen group believes Bellaire is looking “shabby” and “rough around the edges” and plans on bring City Council a list and photos of items every 90 days it hopes the city will address.

“I am the spokesman for a small group of people here in Bellaire that have some concerns. I just passed out a sheet which talks about our top-10 list of concerns and suggestions for visual improvements in the city of Bellaire,” said resident John Monday who served on the City Council from 2000-09.

“Our intent is, over time, to identify short-term and longterm maintenance and repair items that have been neglected, overlooked or otherwise are contributing to what I call the shabby look of the city.”

He said the group wants council to “get on board with our thoughts that Bellaire is looking a little ragged around the edges.”

He said power-washing and painting city structures, repairing curbs and other actions seemed like simple tasks, in his view.

Monday addressed these comments to council at a July meeting.

Monday said the group wants the council to take the list that he provided, which in-

cluded photos, and translate it into a plan giving the city manager responsibility to direct actions to be taken or reasons be given why not.

Mayor Phil Nauert reacted to the list and photos with concern.

“Thanks to you and the group for pointing these things out to us. Some of them not only look shabby but unsafe as well,” he said.

Monday said group members look at things through different lenses.

“I am the kind of guy that’s looking at the curbs. It has always bothered me that the curbs are corroded, dirty or need to be power-washed and in some cases painted,” he said.

He said other members of the group come from landscaping backgrounds and will be looking at ways to improve landscaping at city facilities and right-ofways.

Terry Leavitt-Chavez has been a member of the city’s cultural arts board since 2011. She also is part of the citizen group and asked the council to address beautification in the upcoming fiscal year budget.

“As part of the budget please consider landscaping around the main Bellaire entry marker. Consider placing colorful landscaping at end caps and support seasonal banners as is already proposed in the draft budget,” she said.

Another group member, Bill Cox, has been in the landscaping business for 35 years.

“I know what first impressions mean and how important it is. I spoke to the council about these issues around a year-anda-half ago and they have made some improvements, but there are still some areas that reflect very poorly on our city,” Cox said.

He said he has noticed brown and dying plants at the corner of Bellaire Boulevard and South Rice Avenue and seasonal color beds in front of City Hall that are empty. Cox described the esplanade near Bellaire High School as “looking terrible” with weeds, vines and sucker trees, all of which he said finally were removed.

He also notes the “crummy old sign with weeds growing around it” at the railroad tracks on Bellaire Boulevard.

“Bellaire is competing with area communities to attract more residents. We also need to make sure we keep the city looking nice to protect our property values and to make it attractive for the people who live here,” he said.

Bellaire City Manager Paul Hofmann said he appreciates the input.

“I appreciate their interest in improving the community’s appearance. I have asked the appropriate staff persons to study the information and to help me develop a complete response,” he said. “Much of what was shown is not directly the city’s responsibility, such as improvements in rights of way owned by others and private property. We do communicate with utility companies to point out things like leaning and broken utility poles and low-hanging wires.”

Regarding utility issues, Hofmann said the group’s work does point out the need “to step up those efforts.”

He said of other areas the group pointed out that the city already is in the process of trying to address those.

“We will be changing out plants at the ends of the South Rice Avenue median this month, as called for in an existing contract. I’m proud of what we have done to improve the maintenance of city facilities, parks and rights of way, and I think it shows,” he said.

Hofmann said the proposed fiscal year 2016 budget, which would take effect in October, would include additional resources to address issues with street striping, broken curbs and landscape maintenance.

The citizen group just began meeting and has yet to adopt a name or to create any web or social media presence.