Clean City Commission

FULL COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES April 11, 2017 ~ 3:30pm Board Members Present: Jackie Cannan (Vice Chair), Barbara Abraham, William Kotheimer Jr., Edward Sean Robinson Others Present: Claire Neubert, Teresa Schmidt, Kay Trotter, Nancy Williams, Jim Williams, Cris Ausink, Debbie Blanton Opening Business Welcome and Time Sheet: Jackie opened the meeting and reminded members to sign the time sheet. Roll Call & Protocol: Roll was called, with four board members present. This constituted a quorum as we currently have seven appointed members. Jackie reminded the group to be guided by the Hampton Clean City Commission mission and the Keep America Beautiful philosophy as well as by all applicable legal standards and guidelines. Approval of February/March Minutes: February minutes were approved. March minutes approved with corrections. The Hampton Waterways Restoration Project report by Claire Neubert was corrected, and the Hampton Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Services report was provided by Kay Trotter, not Kevin Myers. Parks & Recreation: Kay Trotter provided a one-page information report, which included an announcement about water sports opportunities at Buckroe Beach, Mill Point Park, and Bluebird Gap Farm. The Bluebird Gap Farm site is already open; the other two will open May 10. Members commented positively on this news. Public Works: No report. Financial Report: Debbie indicated that both the Itemized Debits & Credits and the budget were included in the agenda package. A few copies were available at the meeting. Edward asked if the C.H.A.N.G.E. budget was $1400. Debbie replied that the $1000 that we have not yet received was still listed in the grant. Edward said he contacted Keep America Beautiful and was told we can still receive it after we make the proper reports. Debbie asked him to forward the email communication he referenced. The grant is nine months overdue after receiving an extension in April. Voting Items No Voting Items were submitted. New Business Nominating Committee for Election of Officers: Debbie started by saying that both Wendy Iles and Jackie are eligible for another term as officers. Officer terms are one year, renewable once. She offered two options for preparing for the May elections: set up a nominating committee that would include perhaps one board member and two other volunteers or conduct the nomination process by survey as was done the previous year. Edward moved that the survey be used to collect nominations. The motion was approved. Board members decided to use the survey nomination system again this year. Debbie will send a survey listing all eligible board members to the board members asking for nominations. After the deadline, she will contact all nominated members to determine if they want to be placed on the ballot. Those who want to be placed on the ballot will be voted on at the May meeting. Retreat Draft Goals Review: Debbie asked members to review and discuss the board strategies that were distributed first. Debbie asked that discussion on the Tree City USA goal be delayed until she meets with the Community Development Department to discuss a recent meeting that included a discussion about Tree City USA. Members focused on the integration of HCCC into city government mostly.  Edward was interested in championing Goal 2, “Maintain an awareness of HCCC at the City Council level”.  Will was interested in championing Goal 3, “Help establish priorities for enforcement of ordinances impacting HCCC’s mission”. Under the Marketing strategy:  Barb was interested in championing the goal of strategic marketing in conjunction with Economic Development and Marketing.  Edward was interested in “selling” to get the volume of people participating to increase HCCC’s numbers. The champion of each goal will recommend objectives that range from short-term accomplishment to long-term accomplishment, defined as six months, one year, or more than one year. Those objectives will be approved by the board after review and discussion. Jackie recommended having a separate meeting once all the goals from the committees are submitted. Debbie will work to group the marketing goals to make the decision-making process easier. April 11, 2017 Hampton Clean City Commission Minutes Page 1 Future Meeting Locations: Debbie noted that even with several absences, the meeting room was quite full, and asked if the members would like to consider meeting at another location. Community centers were offered as an option, as were Sandy Bottom, City Hall, Kenny Wallace Center, and fire department training rooms. Members agreed that consistency of location is important. They agreed to try City Hall first. Kay will check to see whether the Community Development Conference Room is available for all or most of our meeting dates. Members are asked to note the meeting location in the next meeting announcement. Discussion Items Solid Waste Refuse Toters: Will Kotheimer provided information about the situation regarding stolen trash cans. Although trash can thefts are infrequent, they can present a hardship to the residents whose containers are stolen because they have to pay to replace them. He suggested perhaps City Council might look into allowing a reduced rate if homeowners present proof of police report when reporting a missing container. Many times the trash containers are taken by contractors who “borrow” them without permission for their construction and demolition jobs. Debbie suggested that HCCC educate homeowners regarding requiring their contractors to provide their own containers and reminding homeowners to return their containers to their proper location as quickly as possible after their trash is collected to reduce thefts. Appointed Member Reports Beautification Committee: Debbie reported for Clovis Calloway that the Beautification Committee held its YARDS Contest training on Monday April 10. She asked that each member resolve to nominate a beautiful yard a week in different locations throughout the city so that as many residents as possible can be recognized. Teresa noted that the contest involves more than beauty, but also sustainability measures. Debbie agreed and said the YARDS Judges are trained to evaluate for sustainability, but they need nominated yards to proceed with their task. All that is needed for a YARDS Nomination is an address, and it can be provided via the online YARDS Nomination Form, by email, or by phone. C.H.A.N.G.E. Committee: Edward reported that the committee now has four members, Deena Franklin, Gaylynn Johnson, Antoinette Livingston, and Darius Swift, and will hold its first meeting on April 24. The committee will meet the second and fourth Mondays of each month at LaBodega Hampton. The group will propose a gala dinner and dance as a fund raiser for C.H.A.N.G.E. to the board. Clean & Green Businesses Committee: Barb noted that the minutes from the Clean & Green Committee meeting were in the packet. The Clean Business Breakfast will be April 26 at 8:30am in the Old Point National Bank meeting room. Randy Lyall from Lyall Design Architects has been invited to speak. Lyall Design Architects designed the Old Point National Bank. Dandy Haven Marina will be the Clean Business Award winner for Hampton. The next meeting will be May 2, 3:30pm, HCCC Office. Hampton Community Gardens: Wendy is out of town. Her report was included in the agenda package. Standing Committee and Other Reports Hampton Waterways Restoration Project: Claire reported that the committee visited the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Brock Environmental Center on March 23 and 24 and found it a fascinating tour. Claire and Jim Williams, who were among those who toured the facility, both highly recommend it to others. The Water Wishes Exhibit opened at the Hampton Performing and Creative Arts Center, 300 Butler Farm Road, on Monday, April 10 and will run through April 30. HWRP is holding a reception on Thursday, April 13, from 6:30pm – 7:15pm, to highlight the interactive exhibit. Claire encouraged everyone to visit the exhibit at some point throughout the month, as it is suitable and interesting for people of all ages. She noted that Hugo Morrison and Claire Geary have been extremely supportive and creative in putting the exhibit together, and she wanted everyone to know that she appreciated their efforts immensely. Oyster gardening will begin in June; contact Claire if you’re interested. One oyster gardening site is Dandy Haven Marina, so participants can see the Hampton Clean City Commission Clean & Green Business Award winner. Sunset Marina is also hosting an oyster garden. The first Kayak Cleanup will be held in conjunction with Clean the Bay Day on June 3 at Billy Woods Canal. It will be followed by a picnic. Sign up through Cris. The May 11 HWRP meeting will be held at Fort Monroe Community Center. Claire mentioned that discussions about rising sea levels are taking place throughout Hampton in a process called the Dutch Dialogues. Also, Old Dominion University and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation are holding a meeting about climate change on April 25 at the Ted Constant Center in Norfolk. She also thanked Teresa Schmidt for Council’s actions to institute littering penalties and noted to Kay that she was happy about the increased water access. Litter Awareness Committee: Pat Parker was not present, but Debbie reported that the committee is working on establishing goals. The Adopt-A-Spot statistics for March were included in the packet. Total Cleanups: 40 Total Volunteers: 212 Total Hours: 321 Total Bags: 146 Total Cigarette Butts: 11,153 April 11, 2017 Hampton Clean City Commission Minutes Page 2 School Pride In Action: Sally Lewis was not present, but Debbie reported that the group would meet on April 12 to continue their discussion on their goals and current activities. Debbie noted that Gaylynn Johnson and Megan Tierney are training in the use of Project WET and Project WILD curricula, and that the committee is planning summer training, so they may be invited to present that training. Virginia Cooperative Extension: Gaylynn Johnson was not present, due to training. Master Gardener: Nancy reported that the Master Gardeners are partnering with Countryside Gardens to provide free training on April 22. Norfolk Botanical Gardens is providing training as well. Hampton Community Gardens and the Master Gardeners are providing blueberry production training at the Buckroe Community Garden on April 29. Hampton Grows is holding a plant sale April 22-23. The Master Gardener plant sale is May 6. Master Naturalist: Claire noted that another class of Master Naturalists has begun training. The Williamsburg Botanical Garden will provide a class on the best perennials for the area on April 15. Staff Reports: Cris reminded members to sign up for Walk Hampton Clean. Debbie asked for volunteers for Creation Care Day at the Fox Hill United Methodist Church on April 29. Public Comment There was no public comment. Announcements  School Pride in Action Meeting, Apr 12, HCCC 4:15pm  Hampton Waterways Restoration Project Meeting, Apr 13, HPAC, 6:30pm  International Children’s Festival Litter-Free Event, Apr 15  Moton Early Childhood Center Recycling Parade, Apr 21, 2pm – Members invited  Community Cleanup, Apr 21, Milford/Bright/Shell, 3pm  Walk Hampton Clean, Apr 21-23, city-wide event  Earth Day, Apr 22  HCCC Project/Program Proposals Due, Apr 25  1st Qtr VA Peninsula Clean Business Forum, Old Point National Bank, 6th Fl, Apr 26, 8:30am  Creation Care Day Exhibit, Fox Hill Central UMC, Apr 29, 9am-3pm, NEED VOLUNTEERS  Clean & Green Businesses Committee Meeting, HCCC, May 2, 3:30pm  Litter & Recycling Awareness Meeting, Mama Rosa’s, May 4, 11:30am  YARDS Judging, HCCC, May 8, 8:30am  Full Commission Meeting, HCCC, May 9, 3:30pm  Family Learning Project Display, VASC, May 9, 6pm-8pm  Hampton Waterways Restoration Project Meeting, May 11, FCCC, 6:30pm  Hampton Waterways Restoration Project Cleanup, Buckroe Beach, May 13, 7:30am  Rain Barrel Workshop, HCCC, May 13, 9am  Remarkable Trees Tour – JBLE-Langley, May 13, 9am-Noon April 11, 2017 Hampton Clean City Commission Minutes Page 3