Clean City Commission

FULL COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Hampton Clean City Commission April 13, 2021 ~ 3:30pm Board Members Present: Ryan Adams, Jackie Cannan, Chris Grady, Gayle Mooney, April Receveur Also Present: Barb Abraham (Zoom), Grady McLean (Zoom), Chris Bowman, Tim Drewry, Deputy City Attorney (Zoom), Barry Dobbins, HPRLS Solid Waste (Zoom), Debbie Blanton (Zoom), Jim Williams, Cris Ausink, C’Faison Harris, Wendy Iles (Zoom) Opening Business Welcome and Time Sheet: Ryan Adams welcomed attendees and asked all to sign in. Newly appointed board member April Receveur was introduced and welcomed. Roll Call, Protocol, and Approval of Notes/Minutes: Roll call conducted; a quorum was present. A motion to accept zoom participants made by Chris Grady and seconded by Gayle Mooney. Motion carried. November minutes and March 9 Notes were reviewed. Motion made to accept the minutes and notes as written by Ryan and seconded by Jacky Cannan. Motion carried. 1 City Council: Chris Bowman stated that the budget process has begun and is expected to be approved by May 15. He added that the Mayor’s Forum on Youth Violence has excellent modules and encouraged members to view them. Parks, Recreation & Leisure Services Annual Report: No report Public Works: No report City Attorney’s Office: No report Financial Report: Financial data was distributed. Discussion & Voting Items Status of Volunteer Recognition Event: Status of VA Peninsula Clean Business Forum: Tabled until May 11 meeting Status of YARDS Beautification Contest: Tabled until May 11 meeting 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. 20210413 Status of Schools & Concern About School Reversals of Student- & Staff-led Projects: Tabled until May 11 meeting Committee & Partner Updates Beautification/Bee City USA: Wendy Iles stated that she, Gayle Mooney, Jim Williams and Gaylynn Callahan would be meeting to begin a revamp of the Yards Are Really Distinctive Showplaces (YARDS) contest, making it a more simplified program than in previous years. Training tentatively planned for the end of April and with judging to begin in May. Gayle asked how judges would be selected and Wendy responded that she would ask Hampton Master Gardeners and former contest judges to participate. Barb Abraham announced that Bee City met March 18 to discuss preparation for Pollinator Week at the Buckroe Farmers Market in June. Clean City will be the next site for a pollinator garden with plantings donated and maintained by Bee City members. The next meeting will be April 15, 1pm at HCCC. Clean & Green Workplaces: Jim Williams said a committee meeting will be April 20, 3:30pm at the Goodwill Employment Center and plans for the remainder of this year will be on the agenda. He added that the quarterly Clean Business Breakfast Forums have not been held since February of 2020 due to the pandemic, nor have any Clean Business winners been selected. C’Faison was asked to check partnering locales Newport News, James City County and York County for the input on how to move forward with future forums. Community Gardens: Wendy announced three garden beds have now been claimed and removed from the wait list. There are 89 plots in the three community gardens with the potential to add one more. 2 Wendy is also coordinating the annual American Community Gardens Association convention in Hampton, September 23-26 at the Marina Hotel. She emphasized the need for a legion of volunteers to act as ambassadors, information guides, etc. Sponsors also are desperately needed. Gardening-specific items will be auctioned and there will be many workshops and events for all to enjoy. As of now, the conference was gifted with two VIP passes to the Hampton Regatta. Hampton Waterways Restoration Project: On April 3, 1pm, Cris Ausink scheduled a relaxed meeting for committee members to get together for a cleanup at Outlook Beach. She noted that regular-scheduled meetings are to begin again in May once Ft. Monroe Community Center reopens. Litter and Recycling Awareness: Cris met with the committee on April 1 and discussed scheduling community cleanups and having a table at the Buckroe Farmers Market on May 22, 9am-3pm. The event will be a public outreach emphasizing the 3Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The annual Walk Hampton Clean event will run the entire month of April and currently has 32 sites requested. The Phoebus Clean Sweep Event will take Place April 17 and is coordinated by the Phoebus Community Enhancement Team that already have close to 100 people signed up to participate. Public Works Week begin May 19, and kayak cleanups will run May through October. A community cleanup along King Street and Doolittle Road was held on April 3. A community cleanup is tentative scheduled for the wooded area adjacent to Tucker- Capps ES on May 1. Cris is tentatively planning a “Walk Across Hampton” event. 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. 20210413 A Tour de Trash Express to the NASA Steam Plant took place on April 9, which had 12 participants that included teachers and home-schooled students. This is part of the “Follow the Truck” series where Public Works staff meet with the participants to explain processes. Cris gave kudos to Solid Waste Supervisor Williams Heckstall for his help with the tour. C’Faison also noted that he was instrumental is providing guidance and information to the Florida Institute of Technology MPA students who are working on their capstone project of creating a zero-waste community. Jackie added that more Adopt-S-Spot sponsors are needed, and that the responsibility of cleaning neighborhoods and residential areas should be that of residents. It was suggested to promote announcements for volunteers and community cleanups on the City’s Newsflash or E-News media platforms, with the Next Door platform being another outlet. Cris said she would relay that to the committee. Chris Bowman also suggested partnering with the Neighborhood Offices’ Commissioners and Hampton Police. School Pride in Action: No report. Hampton Master Gardeners: Cris worked with the HMG’s for their Rain Barrel Workshop event on April 9-10 and helped to make 17 rain barrels which was a sellout success. There is a waiting list for more barrels. She also provided an educational component to attendees. Staff Reports: Cris is working with AskHRgreen and Keep Virginia Beautiful on the Great American Cleanup Campaign and has scheduled cleanup activities at five Hampton sites. 3 Meeting adjourned Meeting adjourned at 4:26pm Announcements Earth Day, April 22 Walk Hampton Clean, through April 30, contact causink@hampton.gov - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Bee City USA-Hampton Meeting, April 15, 1pm, HCCC C&GWC Meeting, April 20, Goodwill EC, 4-5pm LARC Community Cleanup, May 1, Tucker Capps, 10am – VOLUNTEERS NEEDED LARC Meeting, May 6, 11:30am, Mama Rosa’s HCCC Full Commission Meeting, May 11, 3:30pm, Hampton History Museum HWRP Meeting, May 13, 6:30pm, site TBD Bee City USA-Hampton Meeting, May 20, 1pm, 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. 20210413