The Texan Newspaper (Bellaire and Houston, Tex.), Vol. 38, No. 11, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 14, 1990 Page: 3 of 8
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12
Texan Newspaper
March 14, 1990
By Bcllaire Mayor Tim Carter
In the last Council Update, I re-
viewed several areas that were ad-
dressed in the fourth annual State of
the City Luncheon. The areas that I
reviewed were 1989 residential tax
base development and 1989 commer-
cial tax base development.
A third area that I addressed in the
State of the City speech was 1989
citizen involvement in Bcllaire. In the
last several years, the City Council has
been committed to communicating
with and involving citizens in our
decision making process. One citi-
zens’ committee appointed by the
council that has been an overwhelm-
ing success is our Recycling Commit-
tee. This committee was formed by the
CityCouncilinMay 1988 after the city
accepted applications for volunteers.
In June 1988, the committee put to-
gether a six-month trial program of
one weekend per month recycl ing nex t
to our gym. The response, since then
has been very positive and the commit-
tee has spent many hours both educat-
ing and formulating plans for recy-
cling. In May 1989, a permanent facil-
ity that accepts aluminum cans, tin
cans, glass, newspaper and plastics
seven days a week was opened near the
City Service Center. Recycling thus
far has generated $15,000 from the
sale of recycled material and has saved
$4,500 in landfill costs. We have re-
cycled over 750,000 pounds of mate-
rial, which is the equivalent of 25,000
garbage bags. Money generated from
the sale of recycled material has been
invested back in the city to buy a slide
in Bcllaire park, make adonation to the
Friends of Bcllaire Parks, buy an ice
machine for the civic center, etc.
Another important area for citizen
involvement is our Parks and Recrea-
tion Advisory Board originally formed
in February 1988. The board is respon-
sible for looking at a number of issues,
one of which was to help staff with
planning the upgrade of play areas
within our parks. Both Feld and nearby
Mulberry Park were improved in 1989
at a cost of over $75,000. The board
has approved a master plan for Bcllaire
Park adjacent to the Civic Center and
construction is scheduled to begin this
year on a child’s play area, a volleyball
and badminton sand court, a walking
trail, and landscaping.
Many of you are aware the Hcnshaw
House in Russ Pitman Park is now
fully operational with a nature discov-
ery center on the second floor and
rooms on the first floor for meetings
and events. The Pitman Park project
was a true volunteer acquisition and
renovation through the Friends of
Bcllaire Parks, and is being used by
hundred of Bcllaire residents, many of
whom were volunteers or donors in
this remarkable effort.
One aspect of our city which resi-
dents enjoy is our small town atmos-
phere, highlighted by seasonal events
such as the Friends of Bcllaire Parks’
annual Labor Day picnic, the city’s
Fourth of July parade, and two new
events Spring Fever Day and Holiday
in the Park. Spring Fever Day involved
over 1,500 people and was a day-long
event with many activities and con-
tests for children, teenagers, and
adults. This year’s event is scheduled
for April 21, 1990. The second event
was Holiday in the Park which was an
effort to light up our downtown area,
especially along the esplanade, and
encourage shopping for Bcllaire resi-
dents with our downtown merchants.
Approximately 2,000 people came to
see carolers sing, the city’s Christmas
tree lit, and Santa Claus who arrived on
a Bcllaire fire truck. Both of these
events produced favorable comments
by citizens and we would hope that
these events put on by volunteer com-
mittees and funded by citizens, mer-
chants, and the city will grow in the
future.
Our city manager Patt Lilly also
reviewed the State of the City from
management’s prospective and re-
ported on the following areas.
Police and fire protection remain a
priority in Bcllaire in regard to quality
of service and responsiveness. Both
the police and fire departments offer
our Vacation House Watch Program,
smoke alarm inspectioas, and crime
and fire prevention information. Both
departments have continued to retain
their three-minute emergency re-
sponse time. Overall, crimes reported
in Bellaire dropped by four percent in
1989. The Fire Department reported
nine house fires, which was an in-
crease over 1988’s level, however, the
dollar loss was lower. The city expects
to receive a new $200,(XX) fire truck in
May of this year.
The city manager also reported that
the city library is scheduled to begin a
phased renovation in 1990. Interests in
our library and usage continue to in-
crease and an improvement in the
aesthetics and operation of the library
will benefit our citizens in the future.
The Office on Aging, created by the
city in 1985, has grown significantly.
The office was given a departmental
status within the organizational struc-
ture of the city and received an ex-
panded budget in fiscal year 1989. The
office is charged with focasing on the
present and future needs of our seniors
and works closely with a citizens advi-
sory board. The office continues to
publish a senior action newsletter,
sponsors various recreational and
educational activities and coordinates
the Bellaire Volunteer Program which
places citizens who would like to vol-
unteer their time to the city in various
departments to help staff.
In the next Council Update, I will
finish my review of the State of the
City with a review of the capital im-
provement program, the city’s finan-
cial position, and a discussion of the
challenges we will face in the 1990s.
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The Texan Newspaper (Bellaire and Houston, Tex.), Vol. 38, No. 11, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 14, 1990, newspaper, March 14, 1990; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth641752/m1/3/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bellaire Friends Library & Historical Society.