Letter to the Mayor

The following is a letter that I recently sent to the Mayor of Galveston. I thought you might like to see it. I will post the response.

T

June 14, 2007

Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas
City of Galveston
P.O. Box 779
823 Rosenberg
Galveston, Texas 77553

Dear Madam Mayor,

I am writing to bring to your attention an issue that has had a tremendously negative impact on our small neighborhood on the west end, Sunny Beach. We are located just south of 3005 and east of 8-mile road. 8-mile road is the only access to our neighborhood, and the access to the public beach parking area.

We are aware of the difficult task the planning department had bringing the island into compliance with the Texas Open Beaches Act. However, the beach access plan instituted last year has unfairly burdened our neighborhood. The plan more than doubled the Sunny Beach T head parking area. The increased traffic load is substantial.

Now this year beach pocket park #1 has reopened as a PAID parking area to our east. Beach pocket park # 2 just to our west is also a PAID parking facility. The distance between the two is less than 1.5 miles with our FREE and enlarged T head sandwiched in-between. You can imagine the FREE traffic we get. The public works department has helped at least slow the traffic with the placement of speed humps, but it’s not enough.

Many of our neighbors use 8-mile road to walk to the beach. It is no longer safe for our residents, their children and guests to make that walk down the side of 8-mile road. We are respectfully requesting the City of Galveston’s help to mitigate a small portion of the negative impact the cities plan has caused in our little neighborhood.

We would like a sidewalk placed adjacent to 8-mile road the entire length of our neighborhood, from 3005 to the beach. (approx 875ft) We also want a barrier between the traffic and the pedestrians. We have a design of posts and a rope fence in mind. It would be economical and form a safety barrier for the pedestrians, while maintaining an aesthetically appropriate beach friendly appearance.

We all want to co-operate with the cities plans for the future, and understand some of the problems created by growth. Please take this opportunity to help mitigate a problem created by city staff. Feel free to contact me at any time if you have concerns that need to be addressed. We look forward to helping the cities public works department in completing the sidewalk project in any way we can. Time is of the essence; the summer season is upon us. Your help and attention to this matter is greatly appreciated.

In addition, we are requesting written notification to any meetings or discussions of modifications to the current beach access plan.



Sincerely,



Tom Empey
President
Sunny Beach Neighborhood Association
11221 Bernice Drive
Galveston, TX 77554
409-741-2455
713-410-9672 (mobile)
tempey@houston.rr.com



Cc:
Dianna D. Puccetti
Steve LeBlanc
Brandon Wade
Jerry Mohn
Honorable Bryan Lamb
Ray Newby, GLO
Wendy O’Donohoe