From The Mailbox:
Belton Annexations
To all those concerned,
My name is Rene' Darden, I live On 10th ave. in Belton. We've lived in this
location since 1998. Waco road runs beside my house. We have a very bad
problem with drainage in our area. When it rains hard a small river runs through
our yard. Two year's ago a lady drove under the over pass and had to abandon
her car due to the amount of standing water trapped there. Her car was TOTALLY
submerged...you couldn't see it at all. So, the problem is drastic. The road is
maintained by the state...however, it is in the city limits, nothing has been done.
In my yard we had to have a speed-bump added to our driveway, and we
dug two trenches, one in front one in back. We also have to dig out the rocks
and dirt that build up and slow water flow to the drainage ditch after EACH
hard rain we get. It's getting old fast!
The lady who lives across the street from me has lived on 10th ave. since
she was born...she is now in her 60's and says there has never been any
attempt to fix the roadway since in was first put in. We did have the asphalt
company out here dumping rocks and tar out...but the road itself needs repaired,
not covered up! Also, the water runs down the ditch area behind her house,
all the way up to her back porch, making it impossible to go out that door.
She has pleaded her case on several occasions. The city says it's the
railroads problem and the railroad says its a city problem again nothing has
been done in over 50 years. The water that goes under her house flows
across the street, meeting up with what's comming down the street, and
floods into my yard, FRONT and BACK.
I'm sure there are many problems like this one. I know there are several
sidewalks in need of replacement or removal. Not to mention the endless
number of street repair projects that need to be addressed.
Ore of the attraction's to this town is its SMALLTOWN SPIRIT. Why
are we going to keep adding more "TOWN area" when we cannot repair
what we have? What is our town going to be like 10 years down the road?
Will we have to install metal detectors in our schools and search the students
: upon entry? That's not what I want For-my kids...I want the schools to stay
on the smaller side as well as my community. I'd like to see there be
more things to do as a family in our area...but I prefer to keep the town itself
as small as possible.
Rene' Darden
