By The Public Communications Office
In this episode of “What’s Up, College Station?” Marketing Coordinator Grace Hallowell and Neighborhood Services Coordinator Michelle Bond discuss ways to keep your neighborhood clean and inspire harmonious relations with your neighbors.
Transcript
Grace Hallowell:
What’s up College Station? My name is Grace Hallowell, and today I’m joined by Michelle Bond from our neighborhood services department. Hi Michelle.
Michelle Bond:
Hey Grace. How are you?
Grace Hallowell:
I’m doing well. So we have a little bit of a different episode today. Typically, we talk about events going on and things going on around the city, but today we’re going to talk about Neighborhood Services because it’s a resource that some cities don’t have and we’re very lucky to have. So tell us a little bit about, we’ll start off with what Neighborhood Services is and what you guys do for the community.
Michelle Bond:
Sure. Neighborhood Services is a department that believes in promoting healthy neighborhoods. As you know, College Station is constantly and repeatedly winning awards for best place to retire, best place to raise a family, best place to live, and we think that it’s because we have really healthy neighborhoods. So we believe in promoting healthy neighborhoods because we think that having healthy neighborhoods makes for a happy community.
Grace Hallowell:
It really does. I know we have such a diverse mix of residents here from, like you said, young families, retirees, students. So yeah, keeping everybody happy and healthy is a really, really good thing.
So we’re going to talk today a little bit about being a good neighbor. I know it kind of goes without saying, but sometimes we could all use a reminder, especially with the warmer weather, we’re going to be outside more, we’re going to have more parties. So starting off, what are some good tips to be a good neighbor?
Michelle Bond:
Well, one of the things we recommend is just get to know your neighbors. One of the things that I love in my neighborhood is seeing the young families out in their yards together and the kids playing together. That’s such a lovely thing. So get to know your neighbors. Get out there, introduce yourself. Maybe share contact information. If something happens, they need a way to contact you. So getting to know your neighbors is one of the things that we recommend.
Also, just take care of your property. If the shutter is falling, fix the shutter. If the gutter is falling, fix the gutter. Just remember that you have curb appeal and keep that up, keep your neighborhood looking nice. It’s just part of being a good neighbor.
Grace Hallowell:
Right. And if you rent, you can definitely talk to your landlord.
Michelle Bond:
Totally. Yes. Call your landlord and say, “Hey, come fix this for me.” So we talk about that. We encourage you to remember, we do have quiet hours here in College Station. From the hours of 10:00 p.m.-6:00 a.m. are quiet times. So, if you’re having a party, maybe bring it inside at 10 p.m. Also, as it’s getting warmer, folks are going to have their windows open. So just kind of keep that in mind.
Use your power tools during responsible times. Don’t be doing construction in the middle of the night. Fix your muffler. Remember, when you use your horn that you’re in a neighborhood. So quiet hours is something that we help promote.
Be a responsible pet owner. We do have leash laws here in College Station. So if you’re outside walking your dog, make sure he’s on a leash. Also, cats, ferrets and dogs have to be registered, vaccinated and tagged in College Station. And then just scoop the poop. Right?
Grace Hallowell:
Right. Very important.
Michelle Bond:
Keep your neighborhood clean. Other things that we do are we encourage you to secure your property. Keep your car locked, keep valuables out of sight. If you’ve just bought a brand new expensive TV, maybe don’t put that box out until right before trash pickup.
Speaking of trash, download the trash app. Find out when the trash comes to your neighborhood. Don’t miss a trash pickup day.
Grace Hallowell:
That’s at cstx.gov/curbside. I have it. I use it, especially around the holidays. If you think your schedule’s going to be interrupted, they’ll tell you. They send you notifications. So it’s a really, really helpful tool.
Michelle Bond:
Exactly. You just put your neighborhood address in and it tells you the day for your trash pickup, for your bulk pickup, for your recycling. And then remember to bring your trash can up within 12 hours. Don’t just leave it out there on the street.
And then other things, don’t pop fireworks. You can’t have fireworks inside the city limits. We just encourage you to just know the codes. Go on the website and learn the city of College Station codes so that you can avoid a code violation.
Mainly, we just really promote and want you to enjoy living in College Station. Be the neighbor that you would want to live by.
Grace Hallowell:
Right. I know going back, I’m from the Pittsburgh area, so Mr. Rogers always told us how to be good neighbors, and it’s something instilled in us since we were little. But as you get older, you forget those lessons. Yes, definitely a good reminder always to help others when you can, be there for other people. Your neighborhood is your home, and you want it to be as happy and healthy as possible.
Michelle Bond:
Right, right.
Grace Hallowell:
What other sort of things does Neighborhood Services help with? I know you guys have the Town and Gown partnerships with A&M, correct?
Michelle Bond:
Right. So we do have a partnership with A&M. We meet every couple of months with some of the departments over there to talk about ways that we can live together as a big, healthy, happy community. Because we are a college town, we do have a lot of college folks here, and so we kind of meet to discuss maybe some of the challenges, some solutions that we can come up with. So we have, yes, the Be a Good Neighbor Committee is what it’s called.
Grace Hallowell:
Well, if anybody has any questions about being a good neighbor, or if they want to find out more about Neighborhood Services and what you guys can do for them, where can they find out more information?
Michelle Bond:
We are at cstx.gov/neighbor.
Grace Hallowell:
Easy.
Michelle Bond:
That’s right. There you can find out about the mosquito dunk program that we will have. We have about the Seminar Suppers. All kinds of information is on that website.
Grace Hallowell:
Yes. I definitely encourage anybody who’s interested, to go to these Seminar Suppers. A lot of different departments from the city speak at them, you get a good meal, and it’s really informative. I know I spoke at one not too long ago, and it’s a really good experience.
Michelle Bond:
We’re glad you had a good experience.
Grace Hallowell:
Like I said, I’m a new resident here, so I love to learn about the city and just keep doing my part to be a good neighbor.
Michelle Bond:
Perfect.
Grace Hallowell:
All righty. Well, thank you for being here today, Michelle.
Michelle Bond:
Thanks, Grace. Appreciate it.
Grace Hallowell:
And that’s what’s up.
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