One Year Later: Bellaire is Still Bellaire

As we pause to reflect on the anniversary of Hurricane Harvey, we remember the devastating, life-changing personal losses; heroic, life-saving rescues, by first responders and civilians alike; the kindness and generosity of others far and wide; and a community that came together like we’ve never before seen.  Each of us has our own individual story to tell, and collectively we look back on our shared experiences both during and after the storm.  Taking stock of how far we’ve come in so short a time, through our ongoing recovery and planning for the future we’ve proven Bellaire is still Bellaire.

2015 Disaster Grant Application Update

We spend a lot of time and effort disseminating information and communicating with you on issues important to our community, and are constantly looking for ways to improve on that.  (My blog for example, which I thank you for reading and hope you find helpful.)  As difficult as it can already be to reach people who are busy with their own work, family and personal lives, it's unfortunate just how much misinformation there is out there that we have to contend with on a seemingly daily basis.  Social media, never known for robust fact-checking, only exacerbates the problem by perpetuating inaccurate reports rather than living up to its potential as a means of sharing good information with others.

This week, some have expressed concern after hearing that the City of Bellaire has been awarded a quarter-million dollar disaster grant relating to the 2015 flood, but won't actually receive that funding because we haven't applied.  And they'd be right to be concerned—if only it were true.  It's far more complicated than that, and in fact, the City has been actively engaged with county and state officials for months now, working with them to increase our chances.

At the End of the Path(ways)

After several months of patiently waiting for the proposed Community Pathways Plan to work its way through the public process, in which there was no shortage of input from all sides even before the Plan was actually presented, the City Council has finally had its opportunity to weigh in.  But not until after one last round of input, and it was a marathon session indeed.  Council heard four hours of public comment plus nearly 140 written comments, not even counting all that had previously been submitted to the planners in the course of the project and to the Parks Board and Planning and Zoning Commission, in addition to numerous individual e-mails to Council and postings on social media.

By the time Council got its turn to speak, after all that, it turned out that the views of the overwhelming majority of those we heard from were already shared by Council.  While it was not agendaed for formal action, Council’s clear consensus was that the Plan not be brought back for a vote, thus concluding the matter.