Tia Lyons
Keep El Dorado Beautiful reached out Thursday to city officials for help in getting more citizens involved with efforts to keep the city clean, and the two groups exchanged ideas on how to accomplish that goal.
The groups met just prior to the El Dorado City Council’s regular meeting.
Janis Van Hook, president of KEB, laid out specific tasks for aldermen, including finding at least two people in their wards who can regularly attend KEB meetings and participate in the group’s activities; make door-to-door contact and introduce themselves to constituents in their wards; and hold quarterly ward meetings to act as a conduit for a constant flow of information between KEB and citizens.
“We want thank all of you for the work you’ve done to help us, and we’ve come up with a plan that we think will help us and help y’all,” said Van Hook, who was backed by other KEB members who were sprinkled throughout the audience.
Van Hook asked council members to mine their wards for people who are reliable, interested in neighborhood beautification, and can be a strong influence in helping the community.
“We have made some very good progress and we want to keep this going,” she said.
Alderman Judy Ward said she has had a hard time finding people to serve on KEB, noting that she contacted several people when the group was first formed in 2012.
“I called every woman I know — I didn’t call any men —, but I called every woman I know, and I think a couple of them attended meetings in the beginning, but they dropped out,” Ward said. “It’s very hard to find people who have the time.”
Van Hook said KEB feels door-to-door contact with citizens in each ward will help to encourage more people to get involved and provide them with an opportunity to get to know their aldermen.
“A lot of people don’t know who their city council representative is or what ward they live in. I get a lot of phone calls simply because people don’t know who else to call,” Van Hook said.
KEB members have long said they are not a cleanup crew, but rather a resource to educate citizens and point them toward available resources that will raise their awareness about litter prevention, waste reduction and recycling, and beautification and improvement of public spaces.
For instance, Van Hook said many people still don’t know that if they organize community clean-ups or if individuals simply pick up litter while out for a walk, they can contact KEB to have their efforts credited as community service hours.
The information is kept in KEB files and forwarded to its parent organizations — Keep Arkansas Beautiful and Keep America Beautiful — and is helpful in applying for grants.
“That’s how we stay certified,” Van Hook said.
Additionally, Van Hook said if KEB is notified about community cleanups about two or three weeks in advance, the group can request supplies, such as garbage bags, gloves, T-shirts and safety vests — to distribute to volunteers.
She said such information can be shared with through open communication between aldermen and their constituents.
Van Hook said KEB has organized and participated in community clean-ups and events that promote recycling, but its primary role is to teach citizens how they can plan such activities and sustain them.
Mayor Frank Hash contended that the best way to combat the litter and trash problem in the city is to work with local schools to instill community pride and neighborhood cleanliness in children.
Van Hook and Ward Four aldermen Dianne Hammond and Mary McAdams said the group has researched youth programs — such as art and recycling contests — and tried to work with the El Dorado School District to implement them, but past efforts have fallen through.
Van Hook said the group has a good relationship with Northwest Elementary School, the district’s Environmental Academy.
For the past two years, KEB has partnered with Northwest in the “Paint the Town Purple” campaign, in which students are given purple flowers to take home and plant in conjunction with Earth Day.
Hammond said she is certified to teach waste and litter educational programs for fifth- and sixth-graders.
Hash said he will join the group in scheduling a meeting with district Superintendent Jim Tucker to discuss implementing the youth programs into the school curriculum for the 2016 - 2017 school year.
He also encouraged aldermen to attend KEB’s next regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 15 to continue the discussion.