Upon sending out my first installment of my “I believe in” series, I was encouraged to spend a bit more time on the vital role of the Bellaire Police & Fire Foundation in the provision of safety in our town. At the outset – so you can appreciate the magnitude of the Foundation’s impact – it was reported that in the last ten years, the Foundation granted the City of Bellaire over one million dollars toward upgrades in technology, education, and equipment for our Bellaire Police and Fire Departments. These grants represent privately raised funds for the sole purpose of supporting safety above and beyond what is provided for in our city budget. As citizens, we recoil at the notion of increased taxes, but more often willingly and freely give more for items we choose and believe in.

During my tenure on the City Council, we (the City) accepted countless grants. Each provided comfort to us as well our first responders, e.g., that they would be able to do their jobs with the best available technology and increased opportunities for education and equipment. I would be remiss in not taking the opportunity to share the fact that we have among the best in our police and fire department. Chief Tittle and Lopez love their jobs and seek and employ men and women who share their passion. We are all safer for it. If you have not taken the opportunity to speak with them or any of our firefighters and police officers, please do. You will find them, as I do, a part of the community that cares about your wellbeing. The importance of our continued support cannot be underestimated. But the notion that it should be made a priority or emphasis is incorrect. It is, has been, and should always be a priority and emphasis. For me, it will be, from our intake to our dispatchers to our men and women in our neighborhoods.

Many people have asked me what are my positions of a variety of issues, ranging from the proposed Methodist Hospital development, Evergreen Pool, the Metro Station, parks in general, sidewalks, flooding, drainage, crime, street improvement, business development, noise, signs, city debt, the Comprehensive Plan, youth sports, city infrastructure, the enforcement of city ordinances, etc. I was even presented with the question of why we find homeless in our parks but our dogs are prohibited. It's an interesting question to be sure. I have often thought that the best way to respond is to channel Kevin Costner’s line in Bull Durham when he recites his philosophy of life derived from a lifetime of experiences on a baseball diamond, which constitutes a series of short “I believe in…” The list is clever and entertaining but a bit short on detail.

Let’s give it a go with a few topics anyway. Methodist Hospital: I did not have to decide the issue and did not see it evolve from the beginning, which matters, but I observed that the development was short in adherence to the Comprehensive Plan. But then the question remains, if not Methodist, what and when?

As for Evergreen Pool: It’s an important part of our park system and needs to be revitalized. For many of us, it was the first home of the Bellaire Barracudas, and the site of many celebratory summer night swim meets, abound with wet but smiling children and parents actively cheering for the success and efforts of all our own. Why shouldn’t we have two premier swimming pools in town? Council doesn’t even need to decide it, just put it up for a vote of the residents.

The metro station is more difficult, but we can continue asking questions. If we can’t move it and have to endure the cost of its existence and the challenges that 610 poses, by golly let’s see if we can‘t get some more money for it.

Next, I am a parks guy and a Patron’s supporter and am happy to proclaim it. And why wouldn’t I be, given that the Patron’s sole purpose is to privately raise money that is given to the city to improve its parks. No brainer there.

Sidewalks are difficult in this town. Passions run deep. I can live with the status quo, e.g., equal opportunity to have them or reject them street by street. It’s a compromise, but the difference in opinion is as great as the diversity the city enjoys and considers as one of our greatest strengths.

I have talked about flooding and drainage. Suffice it to say that as I sit here today, some rain would be welcome, but the flooding of our town is a problem. We will need to continue to be diligent for years to come, but it need not wait. There are moves we can make on our own and should.

The safety and security of our city is something we can influence with commitment and support. Our police and firefighters and the staff that support them deserve our gratitude and support, financial and otherwise. Big picture, that’s it and that’s all on that subject. More to come on this topic as it deserves its own independent discussion.

Last for today and admittedly a pet peeve of mine: I believe in our town looking good. Not only from a development standpoint, but free of debris and trash, and not only on our 610 corridor, but in our streets as well. I hope I don’t have to convince anyone on this one. If we are about the environment, I would contend that we first start by fighting the battles we can do something about, e.g., maintaining our streets and city free of trash and debris that does nothing but end up in our gutters, ditches, waterways, and seas. My daughter informed me that the issue has a name. It’s called the Tragedy of the Commons. The problem is that the commons are owned by everyone and no one at the same time.

I will finish my “I believe in” list next week. Thanks for hearing me out.

The Flood Plan is a major issue the City will handle in the coming years. It is not an easy task. In the simplest of terms, there is a tremendous amount of water that flows from west to east, in addition to the rainfall directly in our area. There are conveyance systems in place to get that water to the big bayou’s. For us, it's Braes Bayou. Those conveyance systems are either severely lacking or do not exist. As the western water combines with our own rainfall, the flows hit a barrier – 610 for example – and to a lesser extent the railroad tracks at Newcastle. Without sufficient north-south arterials to get the water to Braes Bayou, it backs up. Then when Braes overflows, our water has no place to go, and so it returns from the south.

This is the problem, broadly speaking. I am no hydrologist or engineer, but this is how I understand the issue. In recent years we have seen the bridges on Braes Bayou be elevated, the bayou widened, and some adjacent retention/detention ponds deepened. All of this helps with capacity issues and reduces the dam effect of the lower bridges. All good moves, but how do we get our water and the water that flows over us to the Bayou?

The Plan focuses on first addressing the Cypress Ditch so that the artery we use to transfer water to Braes has greater capacity. Second, we tweak our building codes so that new builds are higher, further protecting the new structures and any attending code sections (remember, this is a 10k view). Next, one by one we create and improve our north-south arterials, whether it’s in the Chimney Rock area, down Rice, 610, or Newcastle.

We control our building codes, but we don’t control the Cypress Ditch, as it is in Houston. Plus, the cost of the north-south arterials exceeds what we can afford on our own. We need help and hopefully with grants, our own efforts, and the help of regional partners, we can get it done. It’s a long range plan, and we really should not expect anything different. This is not something that can be fixed overnight. However, we can recommit ourselves to continuing with our own infrastructure improvements, such as our streets, our own water storage and conveyance systems for all the normal gully washers we get and for the big ones. What good does the Braes Bayou improvements, the plan for Cypress Ditch, and the north-south arterials do to us if we can’t store and convey it from our streets to get it there in the first place? That is an issue that we can also address internally while we simultaneously repair our streets, for which we need to start planning now.

The residents and businesses of Bellaire are in the midst of two rather very important issues. The first is the Comprehensive Plan review and the second is the Flood Plan. That is my name for it; there is a more sophisticated name with an acronym attached that doesn’t help me remember it any better than the name itself, so I just call it the Flood Plan. As for the Comprehensive Plan, many of our residents think we got it right more than a decade ago and that the Comprehensive Plan just needs a few tweaks here and there to keep up with the times, and a recommitment to its core principles, which really means a commitment to (very) limited high density housing, e.g., no apartments. Those folks, as we all, have seen apartment complexes built all around us, which are shiny and new at the start and full of hope only to slowly deteriorate over time, leading to a variety of undesirable consequences. Therefore, they don’t want them and if someone wants to pursue them, they will have to meet a variety of conditions, most ending up in the required submission of a planned development to the City, which is then subject to review by Planning & Zoning, public hearing(s), and then city council approval, e.g., a gauntlet. Few consider it let alone try. Frankly, I am okay with that. Bellaire, by and large, is an open minded city, but if someone wants to proffer and for the city to seriously consider multifamily housing, it better be really good for Bellaire. Why should we expect or accept less?

On the flood plan, with the passage of time since Harvey, and the May and Tax day floods, the approach that is being proffered is sound in concept, although it will take time to implement; it will naturally require the assistance and cooperation of other entities, and, yes, by the way, will cost a lot of money, but you know that. What I can offer you today, and what is most important for you and to the process, is your input. Stay on the lookout; there are ways to provide input: in person, to the City, or at community events where plans are being presented and discussed. Bellaire is a town where you, an individual, can have an impact, so don’t forget to exercise that sacred right.