Clean City Commission

FULL COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Hampton Clean City Commission September 18, 2018 ~ 3:30pm Board Members Present: Will Kotheimer, Chair; Barb Abraham; Wendy Iles; Alex Maness; Also Present: Linda Curtis; Veronica Meade; Jim Williams; Debbie Blanton; C’Faison Harris Opening Business Welcome and Time Sheet: Will Kotheimer opened the meeting, noting the necessity of the change in meeting dates due to the earlier hurricane emergency for Hampton Roads. Roll Call & Protocol: Roll call was conducted with Debbie Blanton announcing that a quorum was not present. Will read the opening statement. Veronica Meade asked that any voting items be moved to the end of the agenda. Approval of August Minutes: No quorum. Will stated that in regard to the Best Practices issue discussed at the August meeting, a Clean City spreadsheet be sent to each of the Green School nominees with Debbie providing an explanation of the criteria and selection process. She noted that she will try to get that information distributed as soon as possible due to her impending vacation. She also asked that members pay close attention to the scoring criteria for the three environmental excellence awards and to submit their selection sheets to C’Faison Harris via email. Will stated that he saw community cleanups listed on the minutes and asked if the Bridge Street area of the Hampton River can be included on the cleanup list. Debbie will add to the listing. City Attorney’s Office: No report 1 City Council: Newly appointed Council Liaison, Linda Curtis, was introduced. Parks, Recreation, & Leisure Services: No report. Public Works: No report. Financial Report: Distributed with agenda packet. New Business None Discussion Items Update on 40th Anniversary Celebration Plans and Committee: Debbie said she sent an earlier email to members regarding possible venue sites and their responses to the informal bidding process, all of which were not promising. Procurement suggested checking availability of the large conference room located at the Rupert Sargent Building – Alex Maness stated that he had a possible contact there and would check with that person about the process for reserving the space. Some issues brought up about the Sargent Building were accessible parking, possibility of this being a litter-free event and if the building had recycling containers, etc. Wendy Iles noted that the rental of recycling containers may be option, but it may come at an expense. C’Faison reminded members that to rent/purchase anything the procurement process must be adhered to. Bids for catering were also submitted, with HCS Food & Nutrition Services providing the best offer and pricing. C’Faison will check on the availability of non-disposable tableware, water pitchers instead of bottled water, the addition of a second beverage other than lemonade, table linens and a gluten-free tray. Wendy stated that the budget for gift bags and promotional items be capped at $1,000. Alex asked if fund-raising/donation boxes at the event were possible; Debbie stated that no further information has been received on that to date. The Hampton Clean City Commission works to improve and enhance the physical environment of Hampton through beautification, solid waste management education, coastal awareness activities, and litter abatement programs; educates citizens; and encourages their participation. As an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful Inc., we share the philosophy that each of us has a responsibility for enhancing our community environment. 20180911 When asked about Adopt-A-Spot award winners, Debbie said that there were only 7 Golden Litterstick winners and 10 Extra Mile winners to date, as compared to 10 and 14, respectively in 2017 and 14 and 10, respectively in 2016. She surmised that the decrease in numbers may be partially due to an aging volunteer population and just overall fatigue. This is an issue that can be addressed by the Litter and Recycling Awareness Committee. Appointed Member Reports Beautification Committee: Barbara Abraham announced that she is currently working on the Bee City USA initiative and will provide more information at the next meeting. Judging for the beautiful yards contest took place on September 8 where three yards were viewed and one winner selected. Fund-Raising Committee: Wendy stated that efforts are continuing to increase fund-raising. A yard sale is planned for November 2, 8am-2pm, at HCCC. Donations will be accepted beginning October 9, and she asked that all donations be pre-priced, cleaned, pressed, and ready to go. For any items not sold, Goodwill will accept. Geoff Tennille will prepare a pricing spreadsheet. Donations needed are clothing for male and female – all sizes, particularly baby and toddler clothing, household goods and small appliances, linens, dishware, cooking utensils, cutlery, toys, and baby items. Rock painting will take place at HCCC on October 1, 1pm-3pm – no charge. An announcement and reminder will be on the agency’s Facebook page. Painting with A Twist will take place December 6 at Peninsula Town Center, beginning at 7pm. Cost of the event is $45. January 24, 2019 is the date for a Murder Mystery Party at the Hampton Women’s Club. More information will be forthcoming for this event. Hampton Community Gardens: Wendy said that the Atlanta gardening event, at which she spoke, was a fantastic opportunity to compare programs with colleagues from other cities/states. She said her presentation was well-received. There are no classes scheduled for September, but a class on Hypertufa (concrete planters, moss, etc.) will take place in October – date to be determined. 2 HCCC Staff Reports Clean & Green Workplaces: Jim Williams said the September meeting was cancelled. He noted that he still had not received a response from Hampton University; Barb Abraham stated that she had given the information to Roger Fournier of Goodwill Resources, but that she had not heard from him either. Jim said the committee is looking into doing a recycling event at Hampton University. Regarding best environmental practices for area schools, Jim suggested that the School Pride in Action committee oversee that. Will asked about the possibility of visiting the Vanguard. Jim stated that Ryan Adams is checking into that, but Will said he would also try to contact them. He wondered just how green they really were when it comes to their processes, manufacturing, etc. Wendy said to ask what they do with their spent grains because they may be used for composting. Jim said he and Megan Ketchum also did a presentation for Community Gardens. Wendy noted that Megan’s presentation and her handouts on composting were wonderful. Jim also visited the Downtown Hampton Child Development Center where he entertained the children with his guitar and percussion instruments. He has been invited back to perform and interact with the children in the Fall, at which time he will also encourage them to be good environmental stewards. A community collection is slated for February 2 at Goodwill Resources on Saville Row. Other ventures being discussed are shredding events, pet adoptions, and a possible partnership with the Health Department in providing flu shots. The Virginia Peninsula Clean Business Forum breakfast will be held on March 7 – venue to be determined. The topic of discussion is Green Funerals. Hampton Waterways Restoration Project: No report. Litter Awareness & Recycling: Debbie announced there will be no meeting in October. The Community Appearance Litter Index will take place October 10, 8am-5pm with a van leaving from HCCC. Space is limited so members are encouraged to register as soon as possible. The Hampton Clean City Commission works to improve and enhance the physical environment of Hampton through beautification, solid waste management education, coastal awareness activities, and litter abatement programs; educates citizens; and encourages their participation. As an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful Inc., we share the philosophy that each of us has a responsibility for enhancing our community environment. 20180911 The next community cleanup will be September14. School Pride in Action: Debbie stated that the next committee meeting will by October 3 at Kecoughtan HS. The School Appearance Litter Index will be October 27. Both Eaton ES and Syms MS will have cleanups and beautification events, with the sailors from the USS GHW Bush lending a hand at Eaton. No final listing has been received for the plastic bag collection contest. Debbie noted that only Spratley GC and Phenix have boxes in place. Virginia Cooperative Extension: No report. Hampton Master Gardeners: The semi-annual plant sale is scheduled for September 29 at Bluebird Gap Farm. Hampton Master Naturalists: No report. Staff Reports: Debbie announced that HCCC had been awarded a $2700 Think Green grant for the purchase of Adopt-A-Spot signs. There will be an acceptance process that will include a presentation and photographs. Will reiterated the need for immediate submission of nominee survey forms. He also noted that while the earlier proposed venue and catering plans for the 40th anniversary may have fallen short of expectations, he is confident the event will still be a success and guests will be appreciative of the effort. Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 4:42pm. Announcements  Community Cleanup – Shell Road, September 14, 3pm  Eaton MS Cleanup, USS Gerald R Ford, , September 25, 9am 3  Triad Senior Citizen Safety Expo, NHCC, September 26, 9am  SPIA Meeting, Kecoughtan HS, October 3, 4pm  Beautification YARD of the YEAR Judging, October 8, 9am  Full Commission Meeting, HCCC, October 9, 3:30pm  Community Appearance Litter Index, HCCC, October 10, 8am  HWRP Meeting, FMCC, October 11, 6pm  C&GW Meeting, Goodwill Resources, October 16, 3:30pm The Hampton Clean City Commission works to improve and enhance the physical environment of Hampton through beautification, solid waste management education, coastal awareness activities, and litter abatement programs; educates citizens; and encourages their participation. As an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful Inc., we share the philosophy that each of us has a responsibility for enhancing our community environment. 20180911