Take a look around town

It is a proven fact that towns where routine home and business maintenance and renovations are not done fail quickly. Western Kansas towns are really prone to failure at this time. Yesterday, I received a phone call from a member of our society who encouraged me to take a drive past Mr. Dwight Case's home on West Broadway Street. The caller had been keeping a watchful eye on the progress that has been made on Dwight's home this summer. (I had also!) For as long as I can remember Dwight living in his home, he has ALWAYS maintained a well groomed, lovely yard. This past Spring, contractors removed his former porch and added a very large porch with railing around it's entirity. To my eye, it looks like the work has now been completed. The condition of his house and yard really say alot to people travelling through our fine town.

Several houses in town are currently undergoing painting processes. Tammy Meyer's home on the corner of "F" and Second Street is one such home. Practically overnight, half of it's body has been painted. As if painting is not enough to tackle, she has also tilled up her yard and has planted grass and a corner flower garden. Even without the project being finished, the house looks totally different!

Tammy is moving along MUCH faster than we are! We started our paint job over a month ago but because of various committments, it is still far from being finished. Ugghh...

Over the past two years, several homeowners have elected to have contractors stucco their homes. I am sure that in the beginning, many of us really had to wonder why modern day people would do that considering the fact that stucco cracks and falls off of buildings over time. Well, the reason is that NEW stucco has been formulated which is much sturdier than the original and will stay neatly in place for much longer. Plus the new formula actually adds insulation properties. As I write this, I am thinking of the Doug and Dawn (Haverfield) McKinney house which is just a little over a block further west of Dwight's house. It was always a beautiful house but it has much more substance than ever today.

Take a gander by John and Liz Gould's house sometime. Wow!!! It looks like their home and yard should be featured in a house and garden magazine!!! Their house is located straight south of the ballpark. It is difficult to believe that just 2 years ago, nothing was located on their lots besides evergreen trees and alot of buffalo grass.

Over the past couple of years, business owners from property by the post office that is owned by Bruce and Rhonda Endorf clear to the south side of town at Russell and Jolene (Nodine) Bernings store have undergone dramatic facelifts. Russ and Cathy (Marcy) Wiegers brought their external renovations to the interior as well. They own Western Hardware and Lumber yards.

The massive improvements along with new decorative streetlights on Main and Broadway, plant boxes in the business district, etc have really beautified Leoti! Honestly, I am very proud of how our downtown area and much of the private neighborhoods look today!

I must rain on one parade though. Over the past year, Dave and Jenet Gardner have really spruced up their Northside Auto Parts Store. They've replaced windows, doors, sign, etc. Unfortunately, the railroad property just to the north of them looks AWFUL! I don't know why the railroad is not doing a much better job of maintaining the grounds around the railroad tracks. The weeds have been allowed to soar and thicken. There has always been a great deal of foot traffic over the railroad tracks. I wouldn't allow my kids to walk over the tracks at this time. In addition to it being a disgusting eye sore, I think that it could very easily be a danger.

Enough of the doom and gloom...

Anyway, I want to thank each and every person out there who is doing his or her part to make Leoti a beautiful place to live!!!

VLE-B