Clean City Commission

FULL COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Hampton Clean City Commission April 12, 2022 ~ 3:30pm Board Members Present: Alex Maness, Chair; Ryan Adams, Vice Chair; Barb Abraham; Jackie Cannan; Chris Grady; Grady McLean; Gayle Mooney; Also Present: Councilman Chris Bowman; Angela King, Asst. City Attorney (via Zoom); Linda & Robert Boone; Jim Williams; Cris Ausink; Wendy Iles; Courtney Worrall; C’Faison Harris Absent: April Receveur; Liam Thurkettle Opening Business Welcome and Time Sheet: Alex Maness called the meeting to order, welcoming everyone and asking all to sign in. Protocol was read. Roll Call, Protocol, and Approval of Notes/Minutes: Roll call was conducted; a quorum was present. Barb 1 Abraham indicated that revisions were needed to the February minutes in that she spoke at the Kingsmill Garden Club. She added that statement on page 5 of the February minutes has her listed as the person speaking, and she believed it may have been Wendy Iles. Wendy said that she did make the statement regarding trash bags. Alex made a motion to accept the February minutes with revisions; Gayle Mooney seconded, and the motion carried. Ryan made a motion to accept the March notes with revisions; Alex seconded, and the motion carried. Hampton City Council: Councilman Bowman announced that the City budget is finalized and will go before the May 11 Council meeting. The session will take place at 6:30pm and may also be viewed on FIOS channel 22, the city’s TV station, and will be streamed live on Hampton.Gov. Council members will also be touring the site for the new Mary Jackson Neighborhood Center and the Aquaplex, both expected to be completed very soon. . Hampton City Attorney: No report Hampton Parks, Recreation, & Leisure Services: No report Hampton Public Works: No report Financial Overview: C’Faison stated that financial information was distributed and talked about the expenditures for the Earth Day event. She also announced that the $500 Bee City annual membership fee was paid for by Clean City and Bee City funds were still available in both the G22 and G24 budget line items. She added that Clean City 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. 20220412 received two donations for Bee City from the Peninsula Networking Exchange as a thank you for the presentation Barb provided last month. Linda Boone received a $100 donation from Dandy Haven Marina for Clean City’s Earth Day event. Thank you letters were issued to all donors for their generous contributions. Proposals, Discussion, Voting Items & Updates Board Member Commitment: C’Faison stated that the certified letter sent to Liam Thurkettle on March 14 was returned as undeliverable on April 11. Ryan made a motion to request that Council remove Mr. Thurkettle as a board member due to absenteeism and lack of response. Alex seconded, and the motion carried. Jacky Cannan asked if it’s at all possible to invite prospective applicants to a board meeting before making a recommendation to Council to insure the applicant is still interested in being a part of the organization. Wendy Iles noted that if that could be done, there must be no promises made as to whether persons would actually be appointed. Angela King the board applications that are completed should be an indication of a person’s interest; however, Alex stated that applicants can be in the board bank for months, sometimes years, before being selected to serve. Chris Bowman agreed, stating that it was not uncommon for some applicants to select to be considered for several boards, commissions, and committees. Interest may have dwindles over time or they may have been appointed elsewhere. Alex suggested that the criteria for the board bank be updated, which is an issue for Council to take up. Chris Bowman stated that it is best to first check with Katherine Glass, Clerk of Council, to see how best to address the issue of contacting applicants before recommendation. Ryan stated that he was asked to be on the board by former coordinator Debbie Blanton, as was Wendy. Others said they were encouraged apply through the board bank. Chris Bowman added that he though it a great idea that if members knew of persons they think would be of value to the commission to please ask them to apply through the board bank. 2 2022 Earth Day Celebration: C’Faison talked about updates for the event, thanking the planning committee, PRLS Special Events and Public Works for their support. She added that each board member still needs to submit a 30- second video of what Earth Day means to them, noting that April Receveur and Linda Boone have already made videos, with Linda getting the owner of Dandy Haven Marina to provide one also. Wendy stated that T-shirts would be available for all board members, staff, and event volunteers. Committee & Partner Updates Beautification: Gayle noted that on April 11, judges viewed three yards as part of their training module. Members were encouraged to find out more about the YARDS program and that meetings and judging take place the first Monday of each month, April through September. Members were also asked to nominate yards. So far, there are two yards nominated that will be judged in May. Bee City USA-Hampton: Barb announced the Bee City webinars will feature April Receveur in April, Gayle in May, herself in June, and Debbie Blanton is July. Wendy added that the March webinar was well-attended with attendees from all over, including California, New Zealand, and Australia. On April 13, Gayle and Wendy are planting a pollinator garden at YH Thomas as part of the After School Program Earth Day learning module for students. On April 14, Wendy will have the children make colorful plant markers. 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. 20220412 Barb asked that she please receive anything involving Bee City activities to her for the Bee City USA annual report.. Clean & Green Workplaces: Jim said a March meeting was not held due to not having a quorum. The Less Than Zero Waste + Refill Shop was this quarter’s Clean Business winner, with Chris Simmonds as the owner. Jim, Barb, Debbie, and Chris Bowman presented the award to Mr. Simmonds on March 2 and provided a video tape of the ceremony which was uploaded to YouTube. He invited all to view it if they hadn’t already done so. Wendy added that QR scan code cards are being done for C&GW, similar to those already being used by Bee City and Litter & Recycling Awareness ???.. Community Gardens: Wendy said that volunteers have worked the past two weekends preparing the gardens for the growing season. Ten cubic yards of compost was also generously donated. She announced that the Today Show reached out to her through ACGA requesting participation in a Guinness Book of World Records for the most gardeners. The event will take place Friday, April 22, 8:30am at the Buckroe Community Garden. Members were invited to participate, but they must have a watering can with them in order to do so. Hampton Waterways Restoration Project: Linda reported there was no quorum at the March 10 meeting, and thought it a good idea to invite more interested parties to attend. On April 14, HWRP will do a cleanup activity at Seldendale after a short discussion – not a meeting – on topics of interest. She added that she stopped by Patrick’s Hardware recently and asked if they would be interested in donating toward the Earth Day event. Cary Patrick, owner, was happy to offer in-kind donations of garden tools, etc., but Linda had 3 no way of transporting. Wendy asked Linda to make a list of things she thought would be suitable and possibly present that to Mr. Patrick. Linda then added that Patrick’s should be considered for a Clean Business Award. C’Faison asked her to use the online nomination form, and then C&GW committee would then review the information and visit the site. Lastly, Linda will check with Betsy McAllister on the progress of the HCS oyster restoration learning module for which an HWRP grant was awarded. Litter & Recycling Awareness: Cris said there was not a quorum at the April meeting. Ryan stated that he is currently trying to coordinate cleanups with the Fire Department precincts, adding that they would like to clean up the areas around the precincts, but also show their appreciation for what the department does by giving them pizzas. He’s also trying to see who would be able to donate pizzas for this cause. If this plan works, he hopes to be able to do the same with the Police Department. He did say that one Fire Chief told him that the cleanups needed to start along Thomas Street. Cris Ausink added that a cleanup was recently done on April 2 that included five volunteers who collected five bags of trash and debris. Wendy asked about the illegal dumping being done at the curve on Guy Street and Albert Simpson Drive, stating that there is always an inordinate amount of trash left there by residents. She asked if an illegal dumping sign could be placed there. Discussion about how and why trash is being dumped there ensued, with the final thought that this is something that can be discussed with Solid Waste. 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. 20220412 Gayle said that she recently attended a meeting of the Northampton Civic League who would like to adopt Kraft Elementary School as an adopt-a-spot. She asked if the school was currently under adoption, and it is not. Cris mentioned that the League formerly adopted Tarrant Middle School but have been inactive at that site for some time. C’Faison advised that the League is certainly welcomed to adopt Kraft and that they only have to complete the online AAS agreement to get started. School Pride in Action: The next meeting will be April 14, 4:15-5pm at HCCC. Wendy noted there are a few schools who will be participating in the Earth Day event. The school recycling bin program is still a work in progress.. Peninsula Master Gardeners: Gayle reported the semi-annual plant sale will be April 30, 9am-1pm at Bluebird Gap Farm Arboretum. Wendy added that folks may want to get there early for the best deals. Peninsula Master Naturalists: Linda submitted a proposal for a Trash Bash event at Bluebird Gap Farm. She stated that Adam Newland of Bluebird Gap has CNU and VIMS students working with him on oyster and shoreline restoration projects, but what is needed are artists and graphic designers. She mentioned the wonderful design done by Keep Norfolk Beautiful of a large mermaid, named Littered Lola (https://www.norfolk.gov/DocumentCenter/View/70604/KNB-April-2022-Newsletter?bidId=), stating that she would like to reach out to them for information on how to get started, monetary support through sponsorship, etc. She also asked if the City could help with signage for the project. Wendy said she could suggests a reputable vendor with Angela adding to be sure all procurement protocol is followed. Wendy also suggested that Linda reach out to the Academies of Hampton since those schools may be able to offer specialized student help. Cris suggested contacting schools that teach C.A.D., like Thomas Nelson Community College. 4 Linda announced that she is studying for her realtor’s license to become part of a family business called Starlight Realty. She will be hosting a get-together for the business on May 7, 1-4pm, at Gosnold’s Hope Park and asked all who would like to attend to email her at lindaboone13@yahoo.com so she may send them an official invitation. HWRP’s next full meeting will be May 12, 6:30-7:30pm at Ft. Monroe Community Center. Staff Reports: Cris conducted a well-attended rain barrel workshop on April 9, with eleven participants. The next workshop will be April 16 at Westhampton Community Center, beginning at 10am – and it’s already booked. She is now working on two dates for May which will be posted very soon. Public Comment: Chris Bowman announced that even though the Hampton VA Medical Center will be closing, this will be a 10-year process, and asked that members be thinking of how the site can be used for sustainability purposes. Meeting adjourned A motion to adjourn was made, seconded, and unanimously carried at 5:02pm. 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. 20220412 Announcements  HWRP Cleanup Activity, April 14, Seldendale, 6:30pm  Rain Barrel Workshop, April 16, contact causink@hampton.gov / 757-727-1158  C&GW Meeting, April 19, HCCC,3:30pm  Earth Day Planning Meeting, April 20, HCCC, 10am  Bee City USA-Hampton Meeting, April 21, HCCC, 1pm  Bee City USA-Hampton Webinar Series – April 21, 7-8pm  Earth Day Celebration Event, April 23, YH Thomas, 10am-3pm – VOLUNTEERS NEEDED, contact hccc@hampton.gov or 757-727-1130 to sign up  Walk Hampton Clean Event, April 1-30, VOLUNTEERS NEEDED, contact causink@hampton.gov / 757-727- 1158  LRAC Meeting, May 5, HCCC, 10am  Full Commission Meeting, May 10, HCCC, 3:30pm 5 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. 20220412