Our police department got a new police chief last night. After over 20 years of faithful dedication and service, Chief Jerry D. Whitman retired late last month. At the City Council meeting last night, Captain Virgil Blasdel was sworn in as the new Chief of Police for the City. I wanted to take a moment to congratulate him.
I also wanted to take a moment to recognize the efforts of the police, fire, and EMS departments of our City. These are dedicated individuals who serve the greater interests of the community at large in an effort to provide a safe and healthy community. These are the people who respond when you dial 911. These are the people who risk their lives reporting to traffic accidents, house fires, and broken arms. Their professionalism and dedication are commendable and should be a source of pride for our community.
As one who lives here, I would like to commend them and express gratitude for their efforts and sacrifice. Keep up the great work!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Thursday, November 8, 2007
What Makes a Community Great (part 2)
So, here's something fun to do. You can try this with almost anything, but I tried it with "mont belvieu." What you do is go to Google Image search online and punch in anything. Google search is a pretty complicated computer function which is based on several factors like relevance to the search parameters (how closely does what is returned match what you wrote) and access (how many people clicked on what website). This is what the Google image search returned for me.
The first few images returned maps and schematic drawings of various petrochemical elements in the region. The first picture returned was this:
The first few images returned maps and schematic drawings of various petrochemical elements in the region. The first picture returned was this:
Pretty dramatic, huh? What is this telling people about our community? Assuredly, Mont Belvieu is heavily tied in with the petrochemical industry and has been since the early 1900's. When I was researching the area before moving down here, this was one of the things that I found out about the City. On one level, having this kind of thing in our City, it keeps taxes low, provides numerous job opportunities, and helps the country overall by allowing the storage of gas and oil essential for our economy. This probably is not going away any time soon. The question remains, however. What does this say about our community? This is so integrated into our culture here that there is a fake oil rig in front of the school.
The next picture that the Google Image search returns is this:
Now this is something that a community can get behind. This speaks to a community that is interested in the health and well-being of its citizens, that is concerned with providing families opportunities to gather and enjoy each other doing wholesome activities, and creating an attraction for the entire region. The recreation center, food court, wave pool, golf course, and pavilion are all well built and demonstrate good design principles. While nothing is perfect, these facilities speak to the needs of the community to gather and grow.
The City has just recently (yesterday) passed an 11 million dollar bond for the reconstruction of Eagle Drive. We have another chance to create the kind of positive image that we have all come to appreciate about Mont Belvieu. This will be another of the signature elements of a community that is looking to the future - one where Mont Belvieu is held up as an example of great community throughout the region.
Friday, November 2, 2007
What Makes A Community Great... (Part 1)
I have a lot to say about this, as you might well imagine. Much of what I will write will no doubt be filtered by my own experiences with the various communities that I have been familiar with. I have studied a lot about this, and I have come to some very definite conclusions. This series of ideas will probably take up a lot of blog posts over a long time, but bear with me. As communities evolve over time, and as our understanding of what makes communities great also evolves, my own ideas will certainly change. But I think that I have identified several basic ideals that help to foster positive community experiences.
The first ideal is community involvement. We all live here. This is our community. In fact, while the built environment is often highlighted in our ideas of what a community is, it is the people who live here, work here, and play here that make our community what it really is. The extent to which each individual becomes involved in creating this community is the extent to which the community will succeed in reaching its full potential. In short, if you are not involved actively in the community, the community as a whole suffers. Each of us has different idea of what we need from our community, and those needs change over time. I, for example, am very interested in the schools that my children will be attending. Are they safe? Are they good places for learning? Does the community support the efforts of the schools? In Mont Belvieu, the answer to these questions seems to be a resounding YES!
As my children grow, there will be other concerns: will they be able to find a job? Will their educational opportunities in the area be sufficient for their overall goals in life? Will the community that they grew up in retain the same essential character?
As my parents age, I am concerned about opportunities for their well-being as well. How will we take care of them? How will their needs be met for a place that is less maintenance intensive yet attractive and homey? Will they have access to medical facilities that are needed? Will they further have the opportunities for community involvement and activity that they need?
A good community finds the answers to all of these questions, as well as the concerns of each community member. It is only together that we can find the solutions that we need.
So what? My needs are being met. Why should I be concerned or involved with others? As I mentioned above, every one needs different things at different times of their lives. It is important to plan for our own future rather than resting on the laurels of the past. When our own time of crisis comes, it may be too late to correct deficiencies in our community, and we will be forced to look elsewhere for our needs.
Your voice is important in our community. Your apathy creates a hole that cannot be filled by someone else. Only you can adequately express your ideas. And only on this local scale can one person make a significant difference. Get involved! If something is not right, say something! If you have a good idea, share it!
The first ideal is community involvement. We all live here. This is our community. In fact, while the built environment is often highlighted in our ideas of what a community is, it is the people who live here, work here, and play here that make our community what it really is. The extent to which each individual becomes involved in creating this community is the extent to which the community will succeed in reaching its full potential. In short, if you are not involved actively in the community, the community as a whole suffers. Each of us has different idea of what we need from our community, and those needs change over time. I, for example, am very interested in the schools that my children will be attending. Are they safe? Are they good places for learning? Does the community support the efforts of the schools? In Mont Belvieu, the answer to these questions seems to be a resounding YES!
As my children grow, there will be other concerns: will they be able to find a job? Will their educational opportunities in the area be sufficient for their overall goals in life? Will the community that they grew up in retain the same essential character?
As my parents age, I am concerned about opportunities for their well-being as well. How will we take care of them? How will their needs be met for a place that is less maintenance intensive yet attractive and homey? Will they have access to medical facilities that are needed? Will they further have the opportunities for community involvement and activity that they need?
A good community finds the answers to all of these questions, as well as the concerns of each community member. It is only together that we can find the solutions that we need.
So what? My needs are being met. Why should I be concerned or involved with others? As I mentioned above, every one needs different things at different times of their lives. It is important to plan for our own future rather than resting on the laurels of the past. When our own time of crisis comes, it may be too late to correct deficiencies in our community, and we will be forced to look elsewhere for our needs.
Your voice is important in our community. Your apathy creates a hole that cannot be filled by someone else. Only you can adequately express your ideas. And only on this local scale can one person make a significant difference. Get involved! If something is not right, say something! If you have a good idea, share it!
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