To the editor:

I am writing this ”Letter to the Editor” out of my strong commitment to the City of Wellington.  My hope is that these comments will be viewed as my concern for our community, and hopefully, will start a positive discussion about these issues.

I love spring and summer!  Colors pop out, trees get new leaves, spring rain showers give way to fresh air and green grass.  Most of us get excited about spring.  It inspires “spring cleaning” and a fresh start.  We plant shrubs, flowers, trees, and work outside to improve the look of our home.

The past several years, Wellington’s downtown business owners have worked very hard to improve the appearance of their storefronts and inside their buildings.  The City of Wellington has made significant strides with new streets, lampposts, and planters on Washington and the adjacent streets.   Wellington’s churches keep their premises attractive.  The Recreation Center dedicates countless hours to upkeep all their facilities, and with help from the City has developed a wonderful facility at Worden Park that is frequently used by residents and folks from out of town.

Improvements are currently being made to Hibbs-Hooten Ballpark and the 9^th Street Ball Park.  USD 353 keeps the schools and recreational facilities well groomed.  Woods Park is nicely maintained by the Park department as well as other city areas. Century Park and Stewart Park are beautiful thanks, in large part, due to the hard work of Linda Stewart, who has made beautification of Wellington a priority.

The Wellington Golf Course’s staff grooms the course daily. The crew that picks up discarded brush and trash on a volunteer basis is another substantial asset. The Chamber of Commerce sponsors and helps with projects to promote Wellington like the Wheat Festival.  We have folks working diligently to place Wellington on the Historical list.

There are countless others behind the scenes who personally make improvements in Wellington’s outward appearance without compensation.  What inspires all these people to work so hard!  I believe it is a sense of pride in themselves and this community.

However, no matter how our public areas are maintained and beautified, there will be a distorted view of our vibrancy and growth potential if we don’t all pitch in to make Wellington look like an attractive place to live and work.  What I am referring to is trash lying around, weeds growing through sidewalks, lawns not being mowed until a weed notice is given, boats and trailers parked in violation of the city ordinances, and vehicles or other junk in yards.

I realize that we are all busy with work and family life, but each of us can contribute something to this great community by just cleaning up our yards, mowing, weeding, and planting some flowers or trees.

Let’s work together to make our residential areas represent Wellington as a place to “live well”.

Live Well, Live Wellington,

Darlene Ferguson