The Beautification Committee is down to a single member after 10 people left it.
"The main reason -- from what I was told -- is many of the members are getting up in years and don't have the energy they used to," City Council President Scott Marn said to his fellow Council members during a work session Tuesday.
Marn added that no residents have demonstrated interest in filling the void left by the mass departure.
In recent years, the city has had its Parks Department or independent contractors take over responsibilities that used to belong to the Beautification Committee. For example, the city will pay a contractor to care for it's rose garden this year, Mentor City Manager Kenneth Filipiak.
Filipiak said paying the contractor was only a "modest cost."
Also, the beautification boxes throughout the city are now cared for by sponsors instead of the committee.
City Council, sans Bruce Landeg who was not present, discussed the possibility of dissolving the Beautification Committee but ultimately decided against it.
Councilman Robert Shiner noted the committee had charity 501(c)3 status and sold personalized bricks in the Commemorative Rose Garden so dissolving it might be complicated.
Instead, City Council decided to let the committee remain -- perhaps inactive but still inexistent -- in hopes that it might bloom again.
"We might have renewed interest," Councilwoman Janet Dowling noted.
But, yes, the sponsors are a good thing. A quote from Filipiak that didn't make the story: "We're still committed to keeping Mentor beautiful."
I suppose it's just a sign of the times when residents are just too busy to care about community. After all, someone else will handle it - right? I'm all in favor of families supporting their kids events and camps, but let's not forget about being part of the community.