Creating a Sense of Community & Pride

Author Wesley Salazar, Project Manager

One of the many ways that Kudela & Weinheimer has been able to aid in the beautification of the City of Houston and help create a sense of community pride in various parts of the city has been through the use of the Adopt-An-Esplanade program.

The Adopt-An-Esplanade program is a collaborative effort between the City of Houston and any local management district, civic association or business owner that allows for the adoptee to enhance their esplanades through the addition of landscape, irrigation, decorative paving materials and in some cases, community/district markers that meet the adoption programs design standards.

Once the construction of the esplanades is complete and has passed all city inspections, the deed of gift is issued over and the City of Houston will graciously pay for all water utilized by the irrigation system. This is a win-win situation for the both the beautification of the city and adoptee.

Kudela & Weinheimer has successfully designed and have been involved in the construction of over 120 medians throughout the City of Houston. We not only want to make sure our designs reflect what is representative of that specific community and create a form of identification, but we make sure that the installation of the design is successfully completed through weekly site inspections and documentation.

Kudela & Weinheimer has had the opportunities to work with various civic associations and management districts that include the following:

–          Spring Branch Management District
–          East Aldine Management District
–          Memorial City Management District
–          Woodland Heights Neighborhood Civic Association
–          Washington Heights Civic Association
–          Orchard Communities

One of the great benefits Kudela & Weinheimer has had through the design and construction of all these esplanades are the relationships we have built with several of the City of Houston partners. Mrs. Marilu De La Fuente- Adoption Coordinator, Mr. Abel Gonzales- Deputy Director, Greenspace Division and Teofilo ‘T’ Rebagay-City Traffic Engineer, have all been essential in making all of our esplanade enhancement projects a reality. They have guided us through each project and we are confident we know exactly what they need to create a successful project.

Kudela and Weinheimer is very proud to have had the opportunity of work with all the civic associations, management districts and developers that have had the desire and interest in beautifying an element that not only improves the aesthetics of their area but can really bring out a sense of community and pride to everyone who drives by the esplanades.

Wesley F. Salazar, Project Manager

Wesley Salazar joined Kudela & Weinheimer directly after graduating the Texas A&M University Landscape Architecture program. From the beginning he has worked on a vast array of commercial projects including: management districts and median enhancements, K-12 and Higher Ed, office, retail, and mixed use, multifamily and parks. With a sharp eye for detail and intense talent for landscape architecture he has quickly excelled into a Project Manager position at the firm. He manages a team of 6 and is passionate about customer service and customer satisfaction. Mr. Salazar has personally been an integral link for each of the Adopt-An-Esplanade programs Kudela & Weinheimer has prepared for our clients.