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HomeMy WebLinkAboutKMB 01/17/2023KMB Meeting Minutes -17 January 2023 yl,uisfir/J/1. f RECEI,,ED - -' TOWN CLERISSS OFFICE 7013_ FEB 22 A '� 49 "Empowering residents, businesses and f IANSFIELD government to make M, ansfreld agreener, cle iS)SAt HUSETTS. - place to live, work and play." KEEP MANSFIELD BEAUTIFUL COMMITTEE Meeting Minutes Meeting Date: 17 January 2023 ct 6:00 p.m. Location: MBC Room -Mansfield Town Hall Attendees: Jeff Ward (Chair), Pat Colbert, Janice Wivagg, Kelly Kemp, Ana Newell, Martha O'Connell Absent: Michael McCarthy, Mike Healey, Patrick McCue Guest: Kristy Brooks (Waste Reduction & Recycling Committee Member) Welcome & Cali to Order • Meeting called to order at 6:09 p.m. • '' Motion to accept minutes from previous meeting of 13 December 2022. Minutes approved by committee members in attendance. • Purpose of the January meeting is to focus on planning activities for the 2023 programs. Treasurer's Report Note: This report reflects KMB financials as of 13 December 2022 as updates were unavailable due to our treasurer's illness. There is a donation pending deposit ($1,000) from the Mansfield Women of Today Newell will send a thank you note to MWOT after Jeff Ward met with Krystn Haskell and Sylvia Brucker to accept donation. Address for acknowledgement of MWOT donation: Mansfield Women of Today P.O. Box 285 i Mansfield, MA 02048 Jeff Ward and Neil Rhein will temporarily handle KMB financials. $6,632.36 (Funds @ Town Hall) $2,000.00 (FY2023 Grant) $1,751.61 (Funds @ PayPal) $330.97 (Funds 0. Bluestone Bank) Net Total: KMB Meeting Minutes -`17 Jan 2023 Page 1 - 1' Donations / Revenue Mansfield Elks $200.00 Contact for acknowledgement of Elks Lodge 2633 donation from Family Fun Night: Rick Murray (Trustee) Donatkin'Recelved Via PayPal Jennerations $1,000.00 / net$970.12 Note t - Made via two $500.00 donations in PayPal, both on December 6th. Jennerations donated $1,000last year to KMB. Perhaps this double donation of $500.00 was intentional or an accidental double submission. Follow-up needed to confirm. Note 2 - Another note on the PayPal front: Mike McCarthy planned to add the Towds Tax Number / EIN and was trying to get approval for reduced fees from PayPal Note 3 — Jeff Ward will provide Ana Newell with the appropriate contact name to thank Jennerations for donations.. Nip Bottle Stillend Program Wines and More $50.00 West Mansfield Variety $50.00 Expenses Keep Mass Beautiful: $990 (KMB Portion of Shared Storage Unit) Discussion Background of Nip Stipend Program - Local Mansfield liquor store owners proposed and agreed to the option of paying KMB and the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) organizations a $100 monthly stipend (to be split evenly between organizations) that can be used for cleanup and for educational purposes to help promote proper disposal of nip bottles. Payments began in July 2022. KMB received approximately $130041500 in monies from this program in 2022. Committee members noted that there were some NIP disposal containers available outside liquor establishments but questioned their location efficiency, Since Town of Mansfield`does not have dedicated recycle containers, discarded Nip bottles are combined with regular trash disposal. Kristy Brooks will continue to update our KMB committee on any progress made with the town's recycling efforts that may be helpful to recycling of Nip containers. The KMB committee will continue the planning discussion next meeting to set goals for how best to spend the stipend monies received to date. Suggestion was made to reach out to the Mansfield MADDorganization to understand how MADD utilizes their Nip funds for educational purposes. Jeff Ward will reach out to solicitor local MADD contact for Janice Wivagg. Options are also available to reach out to Sally F. (original TM article' sponsor) and Keep MA Beautiful for ideas on how to spend Nip funds for educational purposes. Note: Janice Wivagg will investigate potential opportunities for KMB to utilize Nip funds and report back to committee. Appropriation of Other Donated KMB Monies The committee had a general discussion about appropriation of funds received by organizations and other donors. Question was raised about how best we could ask donors if they want funds donated to specific programs supported by KMB. This item requires further committee discussion. One suggestion was made by Kristy Brooks regarding sponsoring recycle containers that would be used KMB Meeting Minutes -17 Jan 2023 Page 2 KMB Meeting Minutes - 2023 specifically for plastic bottles at town fields such as the soccer fields or Memorial Park. This could be a type of pilot program for future recycle efforts, The recycle receptacles could be placed next to the painted trash barrels at the fields. Follow-up is needed to discuss this option with DPW. Question: How would the plastic bottles be sorted and disposed of by DPW? Janice Wivagg brought up the need for both recycle and cigarette disposal containers at the train station. Josh Reinke had DPW install 2 cigarette receptacles as part of a downtown pilot program at Savannah Nails `public parking and Harry Chase Place parking. Martha O'Connell will follow-up with Josh to inquire container usage. If receptacles are installed at the train station, the DPW would need to empty them adding to their workload. This would need to be discussed with Mr. Dumas and Mr. Reinke. Fundraising Fundraising Letter - The committee members will begin working on edits to the draft letter Jeff provided so it can be sent out in February. In the past, two separate fundraising letters were drafted - one for existing donors and another for new/potential donors. Allegra printed the letters in past years for KMB. Envelopes and postage for the mailings are available at Town Hall. Nancy Griffin was the past contact for obtaining envelopes and postage. Committee members will all pitch in to get the letter edits completed and letters ready for mailing. Donation Database - The donation database needs updates to reflect new businesses in town and those that have left/closed. Jeff Ward reached out to Chris McDermott (Mansfield Economic/Business Development Officer) to acquire a list of the new businesses. There is a list of volunteers and potential donors that were collected during Family Fun Night that may also need to, be updated/included in database, updates. Kelly Kemp is working with Neil Rhein to get the final db updates completed. Committee members will have an opportunity to review the updated donor lists so personal messages can be added to the individual fundraising letters. Personal messages have helped increase donations in the past. In addition, suggestion was made to update/increase donation amounts in the letters (i.e, Gold, Silver, and Bronze). Suggestion was also made to ask sponsors/ donors what programs they would like their monies to support. Discussion of donor recognition opportunities - Committee discussed these potential options for donor recognition: • Window Decals — Provide donor business owners with a window decal to indicate their support of KMB. Need a decal design. • Spring Clean-up Picnic Recognition - Invite sponsors to the spring clean-up picnic in April where a list of donors is displayed on banner or poster. The poster could also be displayed at Family Fun Night. • Donor Tables at Spring Clean-up Picnic — Offer donors opportunity to bring or sponsor a table at the South Common picnic to, promote their business. Ongoine Programs t rearivtansneia luman-up rventsaor wAa Date of Spring Great Mansfield Clean -Up for 2023 —Event will be^held from 9:00-11:00 a.m. on Saturday, 29 April 2023. Picnic to follow at the South Common. Dates for Annual Fall Clean -Up for 2023 =Event will 'beheld from November 1-12 2023. Note for Inventory of Suoulies for February meeting — Add an agenda item to inventory clean-up supplies (bags, gloves, grabbers, vests, etc.). Josh Reinke indicated yellow bags are available to KMB at the DPW East Street facility. Contact Tracey Whalen for the yellow bags. Discussion of ideas for the Spring Great Mansfield Clean-up Event - Committee discussed the following items to improve/facilitate the event:. • Food — Water and food supply is based on the number of event registrants. Consider early April cut- off for on-line registrations to get a more accurate number of potential picnic guests for ordering picnic supplies. Pizza from Cousins was successful. Consider ordering pizza delivery earlier so pizza arrives at 11:00 a.m. at venue. Keep snacks to the popular brands of cookies, chips and pretzels. • Lawn games, etc. Library has large lawn games that can be rented for events. Children's activities could include bubbles, hula hoops, balls, stickers, necklaces. Check the music playlist. • Return clean-up event items at picnic - Ask participants to bring items such as grabbers, unused bags, gloves, etc. back to the South Common after the clean-up. • T-shirts, decals, etc. - Keep generic yellow t-shirts that indicate "Volunteer" on the back rather than including sponsor names. Poster or some type of banner can be designed to include clean-up event sponsor/donor names that can be displayed at the picnic. Decals could be designed and given to business sponsors for window display: • Promote Adopt -a -Street Program - Use the KMB booth at this event to also promote this program. Investigate option to allow residents to sign-up for this program via their phone. Have copy of precinct map available so residents can easily identify streets as well as some type of poster to promote sign- ups for the program. Note 1 i Pat Colbert would work with Karen Reardon on a poster design for Adopt -a -Street: Poster could also be used for Family Fun Night event. Note 2: Kelly Kemp will identify tech contact at Town Hall to work on links and assist with getting technology in place so phone sign-up is a viable option. • Last minute sign-ups for clean-up participation - Establish a firm cut-off date for on-line participant sign-ups — suggestion made was the first week of April. Need to write up procedures for late registrations and post on social media. KMB will need a contact person at South Common the morning of the clean-up event to handout supplies and assign late registrants. Late registrants will need to pick-up supplies and assignments at the South Common on the event day. People with children need to be assigned to safe locations. People with children should not be assigned to the Otis Street ball fields. • Review the Precinct Map — Confirm the list of current precinct leaders. Pat Colbert currently covers precincts 4 and 6 as they include the school area and group assignments. We will need a precinct captain for Precinct 7. Kristy Brooks may be available to take on that role. Discussion of ideas for the Fall Litter Sweep Event - • New banner —Engage Karen Reardon and have a new banner designed to, promote this fall event. Pat Colbert would work with Karen on design. Bay State Envelope usually works on the spring banner and would likely donate one for the fall event. Banner design needs BOS, approval. Kevin Dumas attending KMB meeting on 21 February. Add this banner item to the agenda discussion. • Decals — Window decals could be distributed to any business donors who support this KMB clean-up: event. Minutes -17 Jan 2023 KMB Meetiniz Minutes -17 ianuary-20.23 lower B There are approximately 108 flower barrels that planted in the downtown area beginning mid- April. KMB usually sponsors about 20 of these for aesthetics and orders several extra plants in eases where plants, need replacement due to damage during the season. The pansies are usually planted before the spring clean-up event, weather permitting. Therefore, we need to consider, getting a commitment, for business participation and payment by 1 April. Cost - Pat Colbert indicated that the approximate cost of planting and maintaining each barrel,is $60 for the season. This cost includes two plantings of pansies and begonias from Patrick Lyons Nursery and on -going soil replacement, fertilizing and watering by KMB. In the past, KMB offered a discount when participants sponsored more than one barrel. It is no longer cost effective for KMB to continue this practice and Is members agree we should charge $60 per barrel. Payment accountability - Committee discussed the need for more accountability for participant payments. Some business owners have a past history of not paying for and maintaining their barrels. Pat Colbert believes_ we should not offer the program to the few repeat offenders. Committee agrees that program participants should pay up front for their barrels before they are set-up by DPW. Follow-up reminder on those businesses that do not pay up front could be done by a visit to the business by KMB members or other type of communication. Pat Colbert and Kelly Kemp offered to do business site visits. To make it easier for program participants to pay, we could potentially offer the option of payment through PayPal, This might also help with better payment tracking. " Note 1: A letter needs to be drafted for the business owners that will outline the particulars of the Flower Barrel Program. Letter should be reviewed at next meeting and sent to business owners in March. The website should also be updated with any new program info. Watering and'& decals =`There was a suggestion made to provide aluminum watering cans to program participants to encourage participant barrel watering and help cut down on KMB's need to water barrels. We already ask participants to water barrels every other day. We can also provide a window decal to participants. Karen Reardon could design a decal that could be used for business participants who support our KMB programs. Note 2: Ana Newell offered to price out the cost of aluminum watering cans and report back to committee. Note 3: Janice Wivagg reminded the committee that the flags placed in the flower barrels for Memorial Day need replacement. Cost is approximately $2.00 per flag. This flag replacement cost will be a future KMB expense item. Additional Notes for February Meetine Note 4: Committee will need to discuss KMB spending on the "donated" barrels that we provide to make the barrels look uniform throughout the downtown as well as funding to purchase new flower barrels for next -_ season. Note 5: An inventory of the current barrel supply needs to be done as some may need replacement (barrels are plastic and tend to crack with age). Mike Healy can include the new barrel count needed as he takes inventory of other KMB supplies. This new barrel cost will be a future KMB expense item. Note 6: Pat Colbert asked to add an agenda item for the February meeting with Mr. Dumas: Inquire if the DPW can assist with the weekly watering and fertilizing of downtown flower barrels. Trash Can Be Beautiful Program - Painted Barrels Kelly Kemp suggested bringing back the Painted Barrel Event that was held several years ago at the old DPW facility. The town provided paint and other supplies for the event. KMB could use funds donated by the Elks to KMB Meeting Minutes -17 Jan 2023 Page 5' KMB —17 January 202 provide the paint and supplies. Question: Could KMB do something in the March/April'timeftame with DPW - assistance? The event site location would need to be covered in case of inclement weather. Note 1: This event idea was very well received in the past and will be discussed as an agenda item with Kevin Dumas at the February meeting. If a'KMB/town event is not possible at this time, we can seek individual or groups to take barrels as they could be rolled out in spring:' Note 2: At the October 2022 meeting, Pat Colbert indicated that there was one barrel taken by a local artist, but no activity on paint progress has been made to date.XMB currently has 5-6 barrels that can be designed and painted. Martha' O'Connell reached out to Derek Harding at Mansfield HS Art Department to ask if students' would like to paint a few barrels over the winter session. No response to date, but she willfollow-up. " Kristy'Brooks suggested contacting the Art Studio in Foxboro to see* if they might be' interested in taking a " barrel or two to paint. Note - Josh Reinke provided a list of current painted barrel location's for committee review. There are 10 barrels that need to be replaced. ' Adopt -a -Snot Program Ana Newell indicated there are 3 potential AaS sites available for adoption Happy Hollow site on N Main, Mary ponies site near Old Elm St in West Mansfield and the Elks building on N Main. Ana would like the committee to support her idea for contract agreements that would be made between program participants and KMB; this would help ensure good seasonal maintenance of the, sites. Ana worked on the garden design plans for the new West Mansfield Business Sign area at Otis Street with resident, Todd Richardson. She plans to share design with Mr. Dumas for approval. Plants include evergreens, hydrangeas, and native plants and grasses that should thrive after a first year of watering and good maintenance. Wildflower bombs were seeded in fall 2022 near the site as part of a wildflower pilot program and the town posted signage to mark the seeded area. Kathy Harney from Mansfield Shredding indicated she would consider the possibility of Mansfield Shredding adopting an AaS garden. The garden area next to Happy Hollow on North Main Street frequently has trash in, the garden around the bench seating. This may be a site opportunity to utilize the individuals who work at the . Bottle Redemption Center and/or Mansfield Shredding to help keep that site well maintained. Additional notes for follow-up; Ana is on the Board of Mansfield Shredding and will continue adoption discussions with Kathy Harney. • Ana is working on finding a caretaker for Mary Fontes/ A Spiritual Garden near Old Elm St. • >Ana plans to discuss the Elks building site with her Elks contact. • Jeff Ward mentioned a potential triangular site on Fruit Street on the way to the Mansfield Airport that may be a good small site for future adoption. • Kristy Brooks mentioned the site on Hope Street after Rte. 106 near the Chocolate Factory where the road bears to left. It is constantly filled with trash. Suggestion was made that we post the"Litter Free Zone" signs in this area as soon as weather permits. Mike Healey needs to check the condition of "Litter Free Zone" signs as we may need replacements. Another option maybe to plant some flower bombs in the area. Follow-up on the pilot site at School and Otis Streets in spring is needed to see how well the flower bomb'seeding has progressed. Adopt -a -Street The committee discussed the program link to the town's updated website. KMB's link was not working properly and committee members were encouraged to go on the website and recommend any changes. Efforts for the promotion of this program will be done in April at the Mansfield Great Spring Clean-up Event Minutes -17 Jan 2023 Page 6 KMB Meeting Minutes -17 and at Family Fun Night. See information included in other KMB program notes for more details of ideas the committee suggested for program promotion. Kelly Kemp will continue working on the program's links to our social media platforms to facilitate participant engagement. "We Noticed" Kelly Kemp updated the recognition photo for Trattoria Romano on KMB's social media. Suggestion was made to solicit nominations from residents via social media and update the wording on how this program works. KMB would need to collect info on the business nominated and have participants rate the business site in areas such as curbside beauty and grounds or building beauty. More committee follow-up discussion on this idea; is needed. There was also a brief discussion on creating a KMB newsletter with a focus on specific program activities. More committee follow-up discussion on this idea is needed. This is an ad hoc monthly program that will startup again during the month of January 2023 as School Street and Hope Street toward the Chocolate Factory site need clean-up. People should be able to sign-up to participate via KMB's social media sites. This program is ideal for students who require service hours. Important to include the fact that young children must be accompanied by an adult to participate in the program. Note: Kelly Kemp will continue work on adding this program to the KMB website and direct emails to Pat Colbert or other KMB contacts as needed. Additional Projects/ Initiatives • On/Off Rampsg —No discussion to report. • Ado tp a-Hiphway - No new discussion to report on Rte. 140 clean-ups. • "No Litter Zone" Shats - No new activity to report. Mike Healy needs to inventory current condition of signs and order replacements so signs can be deployed as soon as weather permits. Miscellaneous Discussion Items On-line Social Media Strategy Kelly Kemp has been working tirelessly on defining and updating our KMB social media strategy. This is an area that sorely needed attention and the committee is most grateful to Kelly for her dedication and efforts. Kelly has been focused on setting up an on -going communication program and continues to work closely with Neil Rhein on a smooth transition. She has provided several links on the KMB website to other program pages (i.e. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter). She updated the KMB website and provided a fresh look as a vehicle for KMB to promote our programs and communicate with sponsors. Her initial plan is to update some program pages annually and others quarterly or as needed to support our program events. The committee will add this topic as a discussion item to our agendas going forward to capture Kelly's updates. KMB Meeting Minutes -17 Jan 2023 Page 7 KMB Meeting Minutes -17 January 2023 GrantAnolication from Ston & Shoji No new discussion. Janice Wivagg submitted a grant application for KMB to Stop &',Shop in late October. There has been no response on our grant application from the company to date. Mike Healey will follow-up with his contacts at Stop & Shop to find an internal contact for the program. Uncoming KMB Meeting Dates for 2023 • Tuesday, Feb.21 st: Guest Kevin Dumas • Tuesday, March 21st • Tuesday, April 18th • Tuesday, May 16th • Tuesday, June' 13th Annual Reuort for 2022 Jeff Ward is working on a draft copy of the annual report which is due end January. He needs updated images and welcomes any feedback from Committee members. He will send Neil Rhein a draft copy for feedback as well Meeting Adiournment Next Meeting Date; 21 February 2023 @ 7:00 p.m. Meetine Adiourned: 9:00 p.m. Minutes approved on:'�_ Secretary signature: KMB Meeting Minutes -17 Jan 2023 Page 8