By DAVID TUMA
The Belton Journal
A Beautification Committee has been established by the City of Belton. The committee has met three times so far.
Beauty is part of what makes a community stand out. Belton has that and is committed to improving upon and maintaining that standard that has been created.
With the recent improvements downtown, patrons can have a cup of coffee or a glass of wine in an old railway car or dine near the ticket booth of an old train station. They can also eat a fine meal overlooking beautiful Nolan Creek with the white water and walking trail in the background.
It is more than the improvements and part of that is the City of Belton’s and residents’ financial commitment to change the look of downtown.
After the MKT Railroad area was opened local retailers have seen an uptick in out-of-town visitors to their stores.
Downtown Belton over the past 10 years has been revitalized to the point it is a major tourist attraction for Bell County.
“I asked Sam Listi to do this before I decided not to run for Mayor again. We came up with a committee and the Mayor of Belton David Leigh has been a big supporter of this committee. I think anytime we have a group giving advice to the city, it is a good thing,” said Councilman Wayne Carpenter. “What can we do to make downtown more beautiful? This committee is an advisory committee and will give a report later this month. When you come to Downtown Belton you know it. We are trying to encourage people to consider murals on the side of their buildings.”
The Downtown Belton Business Alliance invested in planters downtown that were maintained by Eldred’s Nursery. This added to the beauty of downtown. The City of Belton followed suit and purchased planters for downtown.
Carpenter, who grew up in Belton, has seen the ups and downs over the past 65 years or so.
“People are walking around town every afternoon,” said Carpenter.
“This is all aligned with the Image Belton Plan. The Standpipe Park will be created and can be seen from I-35 and I-14. This park has a plan to light up the Standpipe. If you look across this country the thing that makes an area beautiful is trees and landscaping. This committee gives us some organization to the plan,” said Paul Romer, Public Relations Officer for the City of Belton.
Belton’s Beautification Committee gathers at a recent meeting. The committee will provide organization to the Imagine Belton Plan.
