Bellaire City Council and staff members met Feb. 24 for a strategic planning workshop that was facilitated by Nick Finan, a client services consultant.
During the meeting, council members and staff re-established the purpose of the city and the five main focus areas, which are community, governance, infrastructure, public safety and land use/zoning.
The overview
Council members also conversed about other notable goals and initiatives that they would like to see prioritized in the future. The list included:
- Driving and directing economic development
- Elevating city facilities
- Delivering flood risk reduction
- Advancing beautification
- Optimizing public safety
Mayor Gus Pappas also expressed interest in making sure the city appears clean and “good looking.”
“If things don't look good, if [visitors] know that your businesses are living ragged, if your streets are filthy, if you’ve got trash everywhere ... that’s going to be the first impression they have of your city,” he said. “You’ve got to have some pride with it.”
What they’re saying
Other topics brought up included the Bellaire City Library and the expansion of sports programs.
Council member Catherine Lewis mentioned she feels the city has neglected the library. Smaller improvements, such as painting and recarpeting, were suggested for beautifying the library as the city explores what long-term improvements are feasible.
Additionally, council member Brian Witt brought up his desire to incorporate sports across all demographics.
“Sports should be important to all of us, no matter what your age,” Witt said. “Obviously, we focus a lot on youth, [and] there is this component as adults, too, but there are some things that we can do to make sports a bigger part of our community over time.”
One more thing
Council members and city staff briefly discussed a new logo for the city, which the Culture and Arts Board and its chair, Gay Mayeux, are spearheading.
A final logo design has yet to be approved, but council members and staff talked about a new logo design in conversations about adding additional city branding, which could possibly include more signage when individuals drive into the city limits.
