After submitting grant applications to various agencies Bellaire is the recipient of two grants to date. A Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for $252,033.84, for flooding from 2015, will be applied towards the Group C Phase 3 bond project. specifically the 4300 block of Cynthia. Council member McLaughlan continued to question the need for reconstruction of this particular block in Southdale.
A second CDBG for $4,095,702, for the 2017 Harvey flood, was also awarded for Group C Phase street projects: 4600 Block of Mimosa Drive, 4600 Block of Cedar Street, 500 Block of Chelsea Street, and 4500 Block of Larch Lane. Since the budget for this group of bond projects is $7.2 million, these grants will free up bond funds for future street, drainage, and sidewalk projects.
But — there was some discussion of the need to hire a grant administrator, and a $250,000 figure was tossed out. Yikes. West University has a recent job posting for a grant administrator at a salary of $58K, part of a full-time position n their Finance Department that includes other accounting and financial duties.
I sourced, prepared, and submitted research grants for years when I worked for a professor in the Chemistry Department at Rice University. Tracked expenditures and filed the reports. The knowledgeable personnel overseeing the projects provide the actual progress reports. In this case it would probably be someone in Public Works.
The submissions are not challenging, most are now online, and none of this is rocket science. Unless the report is about rocket science. Surely current personnel in our Finance Department or the City Manager’s office can handle the financial report portion for these two projects.
City Council approved an application by Dr. Mario Quintanilla to open Urgent Care Near Me, a walk-in urgent care center (hospital, acute and/or chronic care) for the provision of brief medical care services to people with urgent but not serious medical conditions. The center is located at 5310 Bellaire Boulevard.
Bellaire’s Debt is $123.8 million at the end of FY2019, one of the highest
per capita in the state. Find Bellaire on the Texas Comptroller’s
list for 2018; more bonds have been sold since then: https://comptroller.texas.gov/transparency/local/debt/city.php?cityname=Bellaire&citysubmit=GO
Another bond issue is under discussion for 2021.
Email the Mayor and City Council via our City Clerk and request that it be forwarded: tdutton@bellairetx.gov
Construction on the new Bellaire High school is complete. The original building was demolished during the week of July 13-17, 2021. 
FEMA imposes requirements for new structures and limits on existing structures in flood zones. Check with Development Services for more information,
