Belton rolls out multi-phase beautification plan with $95,000 in pilot funding

Jenna Fernandez, city planner for the City of Belton, presented a multi-year beautification plan and a five-year implementation map to the Belton Parks & Recreation Board on Aug. 18, outlining pilot projects for medians, monument signs and public-art pedestals and asking the board to partner on park entry work.

Fernandez said the plan grew out of the city's recently adopted comprehensive plan and ranked beautification as a top community priority. "Beautification came number 1 on a lot of different survey questions in the comprehensive plan and in the parks master plan survey," Fernandez said, describing a process of visioning, goal-setting and an on-site existing-conditions survey.

The nut graf: The plan targets high-visibility corridors and park entry points in an initial phase, using a combined $95,000 of city budgeted funds for installation and signage and a new plant list intended to reduce maintenance costs. City staff described this as a pilot year to establish design standards and maintenance-friendly plantings before broader rollouts.

Fernandez told the board the committee's existing-conditions ranking averaged roughly 12.2 out of 25 (about 50 percent), with the lowest scores in "community benefit" and a general lack of landscaping in medians and entry areas. The board heard that phase 1 priorities include medians on 160th Street, the existing and extended East Marquis Parkway, monument signs and pedestals for art, upgrades on Main Street entry signs, and the South Mullen Road roundabout.

On funding, Fernandez said Public Works leadership set aside $75,000 in the street budget for beautification installations and Economic Development set aside $20,000 for wayfinding and monument signs for the current budget year. She said the 160th Street medians will include added irrigation and maintenance-friendly plantings such as perennial flowers, native grasses and trees, and that the project will include a new monument sign and a pedestal for art in the larger southern median.

The plan also includes a proposed unified plant list created by Public Works landscapers and parks staff to ensure a cohesive citywide look and lower maintenance needs. Fernandez asked the park board to partner on park-entry elements and to consider appointing members to a beautification committee; she said the plan had already been presented to the Planning Commission and to City Council.

Alex, the city council liaison, said he had requested that the council revisit the plan annually so the city would not lose sight of it and so the work could proceed with consistent direction. "I wanted to make sure that didn't happen again," Alex said, explaining that periodic review would preserve continuity and reduce ad-hoc changes.

Board members asked about who completed the site surveys; Fernandez said the committee members went into the field together and filled out a phone-based survey matrix. The board discussed partnerships Fernandez had already identified, including parks, public works, the tree board and the city's economic development staff, and Fernandez said the committee would re-engage local partners such as the Master Gardeners and MU extension programs.

Implementation details still require cost estimates and scheduling; Fernandez said the pilot phase would proceed in the fall as weather allowed and she invited board members to provide feedback and join the beautification committee. She noted council had asked that the plan be brought back each year for review.

Ending: City staff framed phase 1 as a focused, budget-limited pilot; the board and council liaison signaled support for regular review as the city moves from planning to installations and maintenance coordination.