MEXIA, TX — Mexia city leaders have become more serious about their town's appearance.
In January, Mexia took aim at blight by starting the process to tear down old, abandoned houses. Now, an outgrowth of that project will touch each and every neighborhood.
When Mexia started tearing down derelict homes earlier this year, in a fight against blight, Carolyn Anderson had no idea it would so profoundly affect her neighborhood, affectionally known as "The Hill."
"Being on The Hill, we're kind of part of the family that gets overlooked," she explained.
For years she watched roads crumble, weeds grow, and young families move out. Now, she and others on "The Hill" have new optimism, thanks to these "strike teams" of city workers and contractors sent in to address the neglect of the past and set things right.
The idea grew out of the successful derelict homes program. After that got underway, council members had one question:
"What do we do next? And it's just a step in a process of making Mexia a greater city," said Mexia City Council Member Geary Smith
City leaders came up with the NICE Neighborhoods program for Neighborhood Improvements and Consolidated Enhancements.
Suddenly, the Hill became a hub of activity as the strike teams arrived and got to work, fixing potholes and patching bad streets, clearing drainage ditches, chopping down weeds, picking up trash and more.
The Hill will even get replacements for missing or stolen street signs, all to make "The Hill," and eventually other Mexia neighborhoods, more livable.
"That's the ultimate goal. It's gonna take us a while, and it's based on resources, and it's a time-consuming process, but now we have a good vision of it all and that's the ultimate goal," said Smith.
The NICE neighborhoods program will move on to another section of town as time and money allow. City leaders say they're determined to make sure all neighborhoods get the so-called "strike team treatment".
And if the city can improve a neighborhood, and right a wrong from long ago, that's even better, because people like Carolyn Anderson call this place home, and a place that can play a vital part in Mexia's future.
"It was very heartwarming to me, to know that they thought of us, to spend the money here first," she said.
She hopes once people see the city at work to fix things, they'll have new pride in their old neighborhood.
