Clean City Commission

FULL COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Hampton Clean City Commission March 12, 2019 ~ 3:30pm Board Members Present: Barb Abraham; Ryan Adams; Jackie Cannan;; Will Kotheimer; Alex Maness; Gayle Mooney, Jamie Osso Also Present: Linda Curtis; George Curran; Jim Williams; Sally Fitzgerald; Melany Libby; Cris Ausink; Debbie Blanton Opening Business Welcome and Time Sheet: Ryan Adams opened the meeting. Roll Call & Protocol: Roll call was conducted and Ryan announced that a quorum was present. Approval of February Minutes: Minutes from the February meeting were approved. Motion to accept minutes as written offered by Barb Abraham, seconded by Gayle Mooney. Motion approved. City Council: Linda Curtis will check on the status of the empty seat on the Commission. City Attorney’s Office: No report Parks, Recreation & Leisure Services: No report. Financial Report: Question arose regarding the C.H.A.N.G.E. grant monies and if they may be used for other purposes. Debbie Blanton responded that any change would need to benefit secondary or post-secondary youth that could be accomplished through 1 supporting programs, litter stick purchases, or funding gardens. She will ask secondary School Pride In Action coordinators what areas they need support. Ideas and Projects from February Minutes None New Business Debbie ran through a list of upcoming projects and events, and asked for all hands on deck to help. Please see attached list. Discussion Items Training for Members and Committees: Debbie is looking for ideas for providing training needed for Commission members at all levels. A subcommittee was appointed to work with her to present a slate of ideas at an upcoming meeting. Volunteers are Will Kotheimer, Ryan, Barb, Alex Maness, Gayle, and Jim Williams. Among ideas discussed were safety, how the city works, how committees work, and Keep America Beautiful. Will thought the training provided at the December retreat when he was first appointed was very useful. Debbie will contact the members and arrange an information exchange/meeting. Walk Hampton Clean: The annual citywide event is slated for April 20-27, a timeframe that includes Earth Day. Cris Ausink needs volunteers to clean sites of their choosing. The sign-up link is open and ready to use. Suggestions for increasing participation included asking the City Manager to encourage employee participation and asking the Schools Superintendent to encourage school participation. Will will send a contact list for the Neighborhood Watch to Cris. Appointed Member Reports Bee City USA: Barb announced that the next Bee City USA meeting will be March 22. The Master Gardeners have pledged to pay the first membership fee and BCUSA has been approved as a volunteer project for Master Gardeners. Letters of support have been received from Countryside Gardens and the Hampton After School Programs. The draft resolution was generally approved by the Hampton City Attorney’s Office, but a more detailed plan is needed to send to Hampton City Council. Debbie will provide a copy of the letters of support to board members. 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. 20190312  Beautification Committee: Debbie reported that the YARDS Committee met and made changes in regards to the program, including reverting back to three winners per month with a lower acceptable score for winning. Will suggested putting a self-evaluation form on the web page. Fund-Raising Committee: No report. Still waiting for online donation capability. Hampton Community Gardens: (reported by email) Wendy Iles stated that the March 9 Seed Swap was a great success, along with the Master Gardener class and soil blocking demo. There were four new gardener orientations in the past week and only two plots re left at Buckroe and Phoebus, and five plots at N. Phoebus. The next event is the Work Day at all the gardens on March 23. There will be a composting class, 10am, at Buckroe, followed by gardeners and volunteers going to all three gardens to cleanup and get them ready for planting. All volunteers are welcome who want to come out the day of or if they want to schedule working on the gardens, contact Wendy. Standing Committee Reports Clean & Green Workplaces: Jim Williams reported that the First Quarter Virginia Peninsula Clean Business Forum Breakfast was the best attended in years. The topic of Green Burials was very well received, and presenter Tim Smith of R. Hayden Smith Family Funeral Home Services was an excellent speaker. Greg Enterline of Waste Management received the Hampton Clean Business Quarterly Award. Hampton Waterways Restoration Project: George Curran announced that the next meeting will be March 14 at Fort Monroe Community Center. Greta Hawkins and Quincy Daniel of Public Works will discuss their roles and responsibilities. Litter and Recycling Awareness: Debbie reported that members are signing up for individual Walk Hampton Clean sites as well as moving the Community Cleanup at Briarfield Park to April 26 to coincide with the event. Old Buckroe is targeted for a cleanup, especially around the 1200 to 1300 blocks, with the problem being that area residents are not putting trash in bags. Safety signs will be needed for this cleanup. Master Gardeners: Melany Libby reported that the Master Gardener plant sale will be May 4 at Bluebird Gap Farm. Master Naturalists: Melany noted that the Master Naturalists are collecting plastic bags under a Trex program to get plastic benches 2 for various public locations. School Pride in Action: Debbie reported that the committee met in February. Virginia Cooperative Extension: No report. Staff Reports Cris stated that a cleanup will take place at Hampton Lake on Saturday, March 14, 10am, behind the Home Depot store on N. Armistead. Debbie recognized Melany and Sally Fitzgerald for the help in preparing the ‘Check Out and Clean Up’ supplies for the library program. She also mentioned that AskHRgreen is looking into getting “No Plastic Bags” stickers for recycling containers, a measure enthusiastically greeted by members. Announcements  HCCC Full Commission Meeting, HCCC, March 12, 3:30pm  HWRP Meeting, March14, 6:30pm  Community Cleanup, March 15, 3pm, Nettles Lane  Clean & Green Workplaces Meeting, March 19, 3:30pm  Litter & Recycling Awareness Meeting, March 7, 11:30am  Litter & Recycling Awareness Meeting, April 4, 11:30am  Tour de Trash, April 5, 9am, HCCC  YARDS Judging Training, April 8, 8:30am, HCCC  Full Commission Meeting, April 9, 3:30pm, HCCC 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. 20190312