Minutes
KEEP ARKANSAS BEAUTIFUL COMMISSION
Mangan Holcomb Partners
2300 Cottondale Lane, Little Rock, Arkansas 72202
November 14, 2012
Commissioners Present
Thurston Lamb, Chairman Debbie Hoofman, Vice-Chairman
Randy Frazier Georgette Garner
Dianne Hammond JeNelle Lipton
John Pope
Commissioners Absent
Laurie Black
Betty Shaw
Staff Present
Robert Phelps, Brenda Halbert and Elizabeth Philpott
Guests Present
Richard Davies and Gloria Robins, AR Dept. of Parks & Tourism
Kathy Holt, Governor’s Office
Bill Smith, Keep Arkansas Beautiful Foundation
Julie Robbins and Stephanie Slagle, Mangan Holcomb Partners
Betty Barnhardt, Keep Sherwood Beautiful
Meeting Opening
Call to Order/Invocation/Roll Call/Welcome
Thurston Lamb called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m., and Randy Frazier presented the invocation. Brenda Halbert called the roll.
Robert Phelps recognized guests, including Kathy Holt of the Governor’s Office and Richard Davies, Executive Director of ADPT, who offered remarks.
· Kathy Holt stated the 2013 Legislative Session is going to be a tough one. She expressed appreciation to KAB Commissioners for their service.
· Richard Davies added that the Governor’s budget comes out tomorrow, and the department has sent their recommendations, noting there are more needs than money; however, KAB is in good shape.
Action Items
Chairman Lamb called for approval of the agenda, including changes that Laurie Black will not be presenting a KAB Program report; instead, John Pope will report on America Recycles Day.
Debbie Hoofman made a motion, seconded by Randy Frazier, to approve
the amended November 14, 2012, KAB Commission Meeting Agenda.
The motion passed.
KAB Commission Minutes
November 14, 2012 – page 2
Chairman Lamb called for approval of the September 26, 2012, KAB Commission minutes.
Randy Frazier called for revisions to pages 3 and 4, as follows:
· Page 3: Discussion followed regarding the “Report Littering” program, including
Mr. Frazier’s comments about his informal survey . . . Most people had little or no knowledge of the process. One respondent expressed concern that using the 1-800 number would be distracting if they were driving a vehicle.
· Page 4, Unfinished Business, first paragraph: John Pope stated . . . Each KAB Commissioner was contacted to determine their willingness to serve.
John Pope made a motion, seconded by Dianne Hammond, to approve
the Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission minutes of September 26,
2012, as amended. The motion passed.
Mr. Phelps reviewed the KAB Financial Report for the period ending October 31, 2012, reflecting expenditures of 18% or $124,318. A motion followed.
Randy Frazier made a motion, seconded by JeNelle Lipton, to accept the
KAB Financial Report, as presented, for the period ending October 31,
2012. The motion passed.
Program Reports
Executive Director
Robert Phelps highlighted items of his e-mailed report, as follows:
· 2012 Clean & Green KAB Affiliate Symposium held November 1 was well attended. Programs were presented by Bob Horton of Texas, Sustainable Opportunities and Solutions, and Cecile Carson of Texas, Sr. Director of KAB Affiliate Development.
· Keep Fayetteville Beautiful affiliate certification is set for December 6.
· Keep America Beautiful:
1) Keep Arkansas Beautiful 2012 State Affiliate Award Recognition and Affiliate Profile, a synopsis of our work this year, is an addendum. Based on these accomplishments, we will receive our 8th Keep America Beautiful State Affiliate Award at the national conference, a 3rd Diamond level award;
2) Director Phelps serves on the KAB State Leaders Council Executive Committee and national Board of Directors. The November 8 Board meeting was held in conjunction with the Vision for America Dinner, the annual premier fund raising event; state affiliates and individuals can DONATE NOW at www.kab.org;
3) 60th KAB National Conference will be held January 29-31, 2013, in Washington, D.C. Mr. Phelps and Ms. Philpott will attend along with Commissioner representation with self-nomination allowed.
· William A. “Bill” Smith was introduced as the new Executive Director of the KAB Foundation.
· America Recycles Day, officially November 15, 2012, was kicked off by Governor Beebe’s Proclamation November 13 at the State Capitol; Mr. Phelps and Ms. Philpott attended along with ADEQ representatives.
KAB Commission Minutes
November 14, 2012 – page 3
· KAB Commission 2013 meeting calendar will be approved at the January meeting, so it was emphasized that we adopt a meeting time that is amenable to the majority. (After discussion, it was generally agreed that we continue meeting the fourth Wednesday of every other month.)
· Nominations for 2013 officers: Debbie Hoofman has officially notified everyone in writing of her withdrawal as nominee for Chairman; election to be held under Unfinished Business.
Mr. Phelps concluded by extending appreciation to Mangan Holcomb Partners for hosting our meeting and providing lunch.
Mr. Pope requested notification of time and place for the Keep Fayetteville Beautiful certification event. He noted that Mayor Jordan’s re-election would be favorable in support of the Keep Fayetteville Beautiful mission and our state program. He also asked to be furnished a list of the Keep America Beautiful Board members.
Volunteer Services Coordinator
Elizabeth Philpott thanked everyone for welcoming her into the Keep Arkansas Beautiful family. She highlighted items of her printed report, as follows:
· Keep America Beautiful webinars and teleconferences:
1) Webinars are a great opportunity to learn as much as possible about KAB programs and events, directing Commissioners to past webinars at www.kab.org;
2) A recent teleconference focused on “Best Communication Practices”, a unique and worthwhile exchange of experiences and ideas from affiliates around the country;
3) Mr. Phelps and Ms. Philpott participated in a teleconference hosted by KAB on their potential role in natural disasters.
· The Great Arkansas Cleanup officially ended October 31:
1) Thank yous have been sent to coordinators, hoping to encourage future involvement;
2) Participation was great; Stephanie Slagle, GAC State Coordinator, will share results.
· America Recycles Day:
1) Governor’s Proclamation held November 13;
2) ADEQ scheduled ARD event at Wooster Elementary November 15; KAB staff will participate.
· KAB Affiliate “Clean & Green” Symposium: Assisted with setup and material.
· UCA Volunteer Fair: Ms. Philpott and Ms. Slagle set up a booth to recruit volunteers for KAB events, resulting in 40 people registering for events and to receive our e-newsletter.
· Social media update:
1) ARD: Facebook challenges;
2) Facebook seminar attended by Ms. Philpott and Ms. Slagle;
3) Ms. Philpott created an Instagram account yesterday with the user name keeparbeautiful. This social media application is used to post photos as a way to network with other users. There are already ten followers.
Marketing Report – Mangan Holcomb Partners
Julie Robbins presented the marketing report (printed report to follow):
· MHP continues to support KAB staff in reaching out to volunteers, including assistance with the UCA Volunteer Fair recently.
KAB Commission Minutes
November 14, 2012 – page 4
· Instagram has been added as the fourth social media site; Ms. Philpott will maintain.
· The new “SHINE” concept for media placement has been reviewed with
Mr. Phelps and will be presented in detail at the January Commission meeting.
· KAB Foundation: MHP continues to offer marketing and communications support as well as office space for the Executive Director.
Stephanie Slagle offered preliminary results of the 2012 Great Arkansas Cleanup campaign, based on approximately 25 percent of wrap-up reports received:
· 71 events.
· 1200 volunteers contributed 6399 hours.
· The campaign also included 1700 participants.
Ms. Slagle stated coordinators are turning in reports earlier this year. The GAC webinars held this year in lieu of community meetings were well received.
KAB Program Reports
KAB Awards & Grants – JeNelle Lipton
Ms. Lipton reviewed all KAB Awards and Grants available to Affiliates and Non-Affiliates, noting applications are closed for 2012. This information can be found at www.kab.org/Awards_Overview and will be updated soon.
KAB program reports continued at 10:25 a.m. after a break.
KAB Corporate Sponsors – Randy Frazier
Mr. Frazier distributed a list and reviewed the levels of corporate sponsorship: Leadership Partners at $1,000,000 and above, i.e., Lowe’s, Philip Morris and Waste Management; Partners at $500,000 to $999,999 such as nestle Waters and PepsiCo; Partners at the $200,000 to $499,999 level, etc. He examined their involvement, including cash and in-kind donations, at the national level and the impact at the local level.
2013 America Recycles Day – John Pope
Mr. Pope presented an ARD update. Last year, eight events were registered. We set a goal of 30 this year with 55 events already scheduled. Social media postings and KAB/MHP staff support have been instrumental in this process. Various groups, schools, libraries, solid waste districts, parks and affiliates are participating, including Eureka Springs, Fayetteville, West Fork, Van Buren, Fort Smith and U of A at Fort Smith, ATU at Ozark, Wooster Elementary, Goodwill, the Clinton Foundation, Kensett, Jonesboro, KAB Affiliates in Pine Bluff, Sherwood and Hot Springs and state parks including Devils Den and White Oak Lake. Nationally, 2,000 events are registered.
KAB Commission Minutes
November 14, 2012 – page 5
Special Reports
Keep Arkansas Beautiful Foundation
Bill Smith began his duties as Executive Director of the KAB Foundation on September 15. He stated the mission of the Foundation is to support the programs and initiatives of the KAB Commission. He presented his vision and goals for the Foundation with focus areas, as follows:
· Reactivate the Litter Free Zone program and increase the number of certified LFZ schools from 28.
· Community engagement areas: Raise funds to support the KAB Affiliates program, Shine Awards, Great Arkansas Cleanup and Great American Cleanup.
· Create an advisory board of 5 individuals; expand operating board from 7 to 25, requesting Commissioners’ recommendations of potential board members from their districts.
· Public awareness will include solicitation via e-mail, Facebook and direct mail.
· The KAB Foundation plans a Silver Anniversary celebration in 2014.
The KAB Foundation has temporary headquarters at the MHP offices with staff support from
Ms. Robbins and Ms. Slagle. Mr. Smith provided contact information, including Foundation website at KABFoundation.com that can also be linked via keeparkansasbeautiful.com.
Mr. Smith reiterated that the main goal of the Foundation is to raise funds in support of community engagement programs of Keep America Beautiful and Keep Arkansas Beautiful.
Business Items
Unfinished Business
Mr. Phelps asked that Mr. Pope restate the nominees for 2013 KAB Commission officers, as presented and accepted at the September meeting, in view of Debbie Hoofman’s official written notice of withdrawal as a candidate for Chairman.
Nominations were restated, as follows: Thurston Lamb, candidate for Chairman;
and Georgette Garner, candidate for Vice-Chairwoman.
There being no nominations from the floor, Chairman Lamb called for a motion:
John Pope made a motion, seconded by Dianne Hammond, to accept
Thurston Lamb as Chairman and Georgette Garner as Vice-Chairwoman
of the 2013 Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission. The motion passed.
New Business
Chairman Lamb requested nominations of Commissioners to attend the Keep America Beautiful 60th Anniversary National Conference. Both Ms. Hammond and Ms. Garner expressed interest in attending. After discussion, Thurston Lamb called for a motion.
KAB Commission Minutes
November 14, 2012 – page 6
Randy Frazier made a motion, seconded by John Pope, to send
Dianne Hammond and Georgette Garner as the official KAB
Commissioner representatives at the Keep America Beautiful
60th Anniversary National Conference. The motion passed.
Information Reports
Commissioners Reports
Congressional District 3
Georgette Garner reported:
· Commended John Pope for his recycling initiatives and getting the Clear Spring School involved; thanked KAB staff for their support.
· “Take Back Drugs” Program in Arkansas:
1) CoVanta, a company in Tulsa, has offered to recycle Arkansas’ collected drugs at no charge; Ms. Garner traveled to Oklahoma and toured their facility;
2) Arkansas collected 6 tons in 2012 with 23 tons since the program began.
John Pope reported:
· America Recycles Day in Arkansas:
1) North Arkansas Community College in Harrison has signed up for an event;
2) November 15 kickoff date: Mr. Pope will be interviewed by a radio station about Fort Smith and Van Buren events; three news articles have been published.
3) League of Women Voters in Fort Smith: He spoke to the group November 13, receiving good news coverage for KAB and Beautify Fort Smith.
· Fort Smith collected one ton of material in the fall cleanup; over the course of two events this year, they have had 300 people collect two tons of material.
· Recycling partnerships that Mr. Pope has proposed to Keep America Beautiful:
1) Lions Club International in recycling glasses;
2) Recycling at Babe Ruth World Series events such as the one in Van Buren.
Commissioner-At-Large
Debbie Hoofman submitted a printed report, elaborating on the following:
· Keep North Little Rock Beautiful: 50 volunteers collected 1,440 pounds of trash during the October 6 AR River shoreline cleanup; a future goal is to clean the entire river from Colorado to the Mississippi River.
· Keep Faulkner County Beautiful: Kim Williams will be sending a report of this year’s activities and 2013 plans. They will participate at the Wooster Elementary ARD event.
· UCA: Ms. Hoofman and Mr. Pope hope to meet with UCA leaders and their Sustainable Committee regarding their recycling program, possibly introducing the “Recycle Mania” initiative. UCA has had an income-based recycling program since 2002, working with HMI out of Fayetteville, that returns $85 per ton; last year they collected $3,192.
· Conway’s annual EcoFest was held September 8. One of the organizers has put
Ms. Hoofman in touch with eco class teachers in Greenbrier that are interested in KAB’s support.
KAB Commission Minutes
November 14, 2012 – page 7
· Arkansas Green Guide, an annual publication of Arkansas Business Publishing, is soliciting nominations for eco-conscious individuals, businesses and communities involved in more sustainable environments. She recommended that KAB Commissioners get involved and go online to nominate.
Congressional District 4
Dianne Hammond reported that the Keep El Dorado Beautiful Affiliate Committee meets at
1:00 p.m. today to complete the KAB Affiliate application that should receive 100% approval when presented to the El Dorado City Council meeting next Thursday.