HCCC News, May 4, 2018
GOOD TO DO & KNOW!
Wow! April was SUCH a busy month! Thank you for doing your part in keeping Hampton Clean and Beautiful!
Many thanks to the Adopt-A-Spot participants who turned in reports since April 13th! We’re going to highlight those who turn their reports, so you can see who makes clean happen in Hampton! This doesn’t include the Walk Hampton Clean participants – they’re going to get a newsletter all their own!
Keith Watterton report for Public Works Facilities Management that 10 people cleaned up the Facilities Shop and Warehouse area on April 13, picking up 3 bags of trash and 250 cigarette butts.
Pat Parker had her Phoebus Woman’s Club hat on when she reported that 4 members of the group picked up 5 bags of trash and 175 cigarette butts on Libby Street on April 14. They also found grocery carts in St. John’s Creek that need to be removed!
Marnita Edwards reported for the Hampton Alumnae Chapter Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. They did 3 cleanups, picking up a total of 8 bags of trash and 438 cigarette butts.
Phillip Missick reported that he and Rannisha Williams cleaned Hampton High School on April 14, collecting 2 bags of trash on behalf of the USS Gerald R Ford – Men of 78.
Darius Swift organized a cleanup at Cary Elementary School. The 52 Fourth Graders plus their teachers cleaned up three bags of trash from the left side of the school in less than an hour!
Kristin Schultz, of the Schultz Family, cleaned up the area around Westmoreland, Eastmoreland, Sterling, Fleming, Surry, and Westley on April 30. Included in her bag of trash was 100 cigarette butts!
Cris Ausink, of the Ausink Family, cleaned up twice from April 10 to May 5, picking up 6 bags of trash and 2 cigarette butts in the Tyler/Seldendale Neighborhood.
Charles Sikes reported that the Bellgrade Good Neighbors cleaned up Middle Road and a section of Commander Shepard Boulevard, cleaning up 1.5 bags of trash and 61 cigarette butts.
Justin Stewart reported that the Cub Scouts Pack 151, 23 of them, cleaned up 4 bags of trash and 40 cigarette butts from the Howe Farms Neighborhood. (See photo)
Andrea Berndt reported that the Elizabeth Lake Estates Morning Walkers cleaned up 6 bags of trash and 360 cigarette butts along streets throughout their neighborhood.
Sharon Fladger said the Fladger Family picked up 1 bag of trash and 27 cigarette butts from a section of Woodland Road and Elizabeth Lake drive.
John Moyer reported for the Hampton Citizens Police Academy Alumni Volunteers picked up 5.5 bags of trash and 1,176 cigarette butts from the City Hall area and Thomas Street.
Carol Veneris reported that the Hampton Roads Networking Exchange Club picked up 4 bags of trash and 280 cigarette butts from Bluebird Gap Farm.
The Navy MARMC, League of Conservation Voters, and Hampton Waterways Restoration Project picked up 17 bags of trash and 290 cigarette butts from Nettles Lane. (See photo)
Jack Rezabek reported that he and Corlease Sills cleaned up Machen Elementary School, picking up 4 bags of trash and 179 cigarette butts from the school grounds.
Chris Smith reported that Smith Family of Baker’s Farm cleaned up Semple Farm Road, removing 3 bags of trash and 350 cigarette butts.
The Phoebus High School Key Club (13 members) cleaned up their school, netting 4 bags of trash.
Kimberly Brown reported that the Smok’n Jewl’s MC (formerly Lady X Riders) volunteers cleaned up 12 bags of trash and 36 cigarette butts from Davis Middle School.
Eric Hayes reported that Science Systems & Applications Inc cleaned up the area on Armistead Avenue in front of NASA’s main gate and removed 10 bags of trash and 100 cigarette butts.
Officer Myers reported that 17 volunteers from the Hampton Police Department Training Unit picked up 18 bags of trash and 704 cigarette butts on Bethel Avenue on April 11.
Members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Rho Alpha Chapter, picked up 4 bags of trash from the area of Mallory and Howard Streets.
Never doubt for a minute that the volunteers and groups that participate in the Adopt-A-Spot program are not a dedicated bunch! You might think we’re crazy for the focus on the 4583 cigarette butts, but by number they are the single most littered item. They find their way into our waterways and pollute water at the rate of two gallons per cigarette butt. They’re hard to pick up, and oh so numerous! Please ask your friends, family, and neighbors who smoke to properly dispose of their cigarettes? Thanks!
Did you know that 122 bags of trash is equal to approximately 3,050 pounds of trash – when we say the Adopt-A-Spot participants picked up a ton of trash, we’re actually underestimating their work!
Here’s some food for thought from Keep America Beautiful: “Over 51 billion pieces of litter appear on U.S. roadways each year. Most of it, 46.6 billion pieces (91%), is less than four inches. That’s 6,729 items per mile of roadway.”
Are we saying we need everyone to pick up litter? Yes, kind of… but we’d actually be even happier if people STOPPED littering!
Adopt-A-Spot participants, send photos so we can spice up this weekly report!
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Mercury Boulevard / LaSalle Avenue Interchange Cleanup, April 14, 2018
Many thanks to Downtown Hampton Exchange Club member Janet Tucker for organizing a fantastic cleanup of the Mercury Boulevard / LaSalle Avenue interchange, and to the volunteers who participated! An estimated 20 volunteers cleaned up all the ramps but one in the 1.5 hours planned for the cleanup. They collected 22 bags of trash, tires and other car-related debris, and 2970 cigarette butts from the roadsides.
Thank you Girl Scout Troop 1071, Downtown Hampton Exchange Club members, the Woodley Family, the Battle Family, Peninsula Master Naturalist representatives, VCE Hampton Master Gardener representatives, and the Fort Monroe Community Center Yoga Class members who came to clean up!
Thank you also Public Works staff members Tom Quinn and Harold Wilt, who drove safety trucks behind the volunteers to keep them safe, and to Jason Mitchell, who made the cleanup possible with his coordination.
Hampton residents, and people who travel the interchange, please honor the hard work of these volunteers by NOT LITTERING! Not on the interchange, not anywhere, EVER! We'd all appreciate it greatly! For more information about ongoing cleanup efforts, contact hccc@hampton.gov.
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YARDS Contest Begins! We need some great nominations! When you see a beautiful yard, or if you know of someone who landscapes organically or has a wildlife habitat on their property, please send a nomination via our web link at https://hampton.gov/FormCenter/Hampton-Boards-Commissions--Committees-5/YARDS-Contest-Nomination-Form-53, email at hccc@hampton.gov, or by phone at 727-1130. All we need is the Hampton street address, we’ll take care of the rest. For more information, contact hccc@hampton.gov.
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Phenix Green Team Tour de Trash!
The Phenix Green Team participated in their own Tour de Trash on April 26. Twenty club members and their advisors visited Bethel Landfill and the Hampton Steam Plant. They were amazed at just how much trash there is and also how technological trash disposal is.
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Moton Early Childhood Center Earth Day Celebration!
The staff and students at Moton Early Childhood Center celebrated Earth Day with special activities that included a visit from Rigsby the Raccoon and His Forest Friends, who taught students about the harm litter does. The big event was the annual Recycling Parade and Earth Day Pledge on April 27. Thanks Kathy Dermanis and the rest of the Moton staff for making this event so special for your students!
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Community Collection at Goodwill Center!
On April 28, HCCC partnered with Goodwill, the Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula, and the Phenix Green Team to collect electronics, household goods, clothing, food and monetary donations for food, and plastic bags. People who swung by to donate received reusable bags or reusable litter bags. Thanks so much to the Phenix Green Team members (who also helped move donations from cars to the trailer), Jim Williams, Betsy McAllister, Alexis Tharpe, Dawn Gerbing, Michele Benson, and Roger Fournier for making this event a success!
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Environmental Education Resource Room
On April 30, longtime HCCC volunteer Felicia Holland came over to HCCC and worked her magic on the Environmental Education Resource room! Thanks Felicia!
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Newest Adopt-A-Spot Participants!
Welcome Airmen Committed to Excellence (ACE) and Nubian Beautyz Social Club! Your support of and participation in this environmental endeavor is greatly appreciated by the City of Hampton and its residents. Thank you. You rock!!
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Earth Day Displays
Thank you to Jan Spencer for inviting HCCC to participate in the Creation Care Day event on April 21. Thanks also to Kanisha Haskins for inviting us to participate in the Earth Day Event at Oozlefinch Brewery on Fort Monroe on April 22. The weather was cool for both events, but it was so nice to enjoy Earth Day weekend outdoors and to meet people from all over Hampton!
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Langley Elementary School Recycled Robots
Thank you Langley Elementary School Kindergarteners for lending your Recycled Robots to HCCC! We hope to set them up in City Hall to help celebrate the founding of HCCC on June 28, 1978, which was launched with a trash monster.
COMING THIS WEEK OR NEXT!
VCE Hampton Master Gardener Spring Plant Sale
May 5th at BlueBird Gap Farm, 9 am to 2 pm (Rain date Sunday, May 6th)
FREE ADMISSION
Credit Card (min. $10.00 purchase), Cash or Check Accepted
Bring your own Wagon, Cart, Wheel Barrow for easier shopping.
Holding and Loading Area Provided
E-mail your name to hmptmgplantsale@yahoo.com to be added to their e-mail notification list.
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Last Chance for a Rain Barrel Workshop! Saturday, May 12th, 9 - 11am, HCCC Office, 1296 Thomas Street. Learn how and why to make a rain barrel, take yours home, and then make some more! $50 registration fee covers barrel and fittings. Register at https://va-hampton2.civicplus.com/FormCenter/Hampton-Boards-Commissions-Committees-5/Rain-Barrel-Workshop-Registration-127.
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HCCC Full Commission Meeting – Public Invited – May 8: 3:30pm, 1296 Thomas Street. For information, contact hccc@hampton.gov or 727-1130.
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Litter & Recycling Awareness Committee Meeting, May 9: Mama Rosa’s Restaurant, 617 E Mercury Blvd, 11:30am, information at hccc@hampton.gov
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Hampton Waterways Restoration Project Meeting, May 10: Fort Monroe Community Center, 100 Stilwell Drive, 6:30pm, information at causink@hampton.gov
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Central Park WaterWalk Grand Opening, May 12: Air Power Park, 413 W Mercury Blvd. HCCC and Hampton Waterways Restoration Project will be there!
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Oyster Gardening, May 12: Sunset Boating Center Marina, 374 Dandy Haven Road, Noon – 5pm
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Oyster Gardening, May 14: Dandy Haven Marina, 374 Dandy Haven Road, 8:30am
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Clean & Green Workplaces Committee Meeting, May 15, Goodwill Employment Center, Room 235, 1911 Saville Row, 3:30pm, information at hccc@hampton.gov
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School Pride In Action Committee Meeting, May 16, Panera Restaurant, 2170 Coliseum Dr suite h, 4:30pm, information at hccc@hampton.gov
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Water Quality Monitoring, May 18, 1pm, Back River and Elizabeth Lake. Contact Cris at causink@hampton.gov or 727-5811, or Claire Neubert at dcneubert@hotmail.com.
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Big Bethel Road Community Cleanup, April 20, 3pm! Please come out to help us on Friday, May 18, 3pm. The more volunteers we have the more we can clean up! Sign up at hccc@hampton.gov.
COMING THIS MONTH
Cleanup volunteers: The list of extremely littered spots is growing! We really need your help! We’ll be adding some additional community cleanups, but we would welcome your willingness to plan a cleanup at one of these sites:
- Aberdeen Rd Turnaround at Wendy’s on
- Big Bethel Road
- Carver Street
- Freeman Drive (would you believe it needs to be cleaned AGAIN?)
- Guy Street
- Hall Rd ditches
- Hampton Roads Center Parkway at Big Bethel Road
- Hampton Roads Center Parkway at Armstead Avenue
- Harris Creek Rd ditches
- Mercury Blvd at LaSalle Avenue
- Old Buckroe Rd ditches
- Pine Ave
- Quash Street
- River St Park shoreline rocks
- Tucker-Capps wooded area
- Tyler/Settler’s Landing/I-64 at HU Intersection
- Victoria Blvd HRT parking lot on houses side
- Village Drive
If you’re willing to help out: hccc@hampton.gov or 727-1130
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HCCC History! June 28, 2018 will be HCCC’s 40th anniversary, and we’re highlighting volunteers and achievements from the past to the best of our ability. If YOU have photos, stories, experiences, or mementos that you would like to share with us, we’d love them! In the regard to the mementos, please send photos of them. J The following are stories we posted this week, with a little extra information:
HCCC History! YARDS Judges, April 30, 2007.
HCCC History! Bethel High School's Skills USA Adopt-A-Spot team, May 1, 2002 with sponsor/advisor Virginia Owens.
HCCC History! The HCCC Volunteer Recognition Event was held in May 1992. Among those present at the event were Jim Wilson, Superintendent of Parks, Elizabeth Walker, Director of Parks & Recreation, and Bert Carr, Chair of HCCC.
HCCC History! Malvern Neighborhood Association volunteers, Great American Neighborhood Cleanup, May 1, 2004
HCCC History! Willow Oaks Neighborhood Cleanup, May 1, 2004
HCCC History! Mary Peake Center students, Great American Neighborhood Cleanup, May 1, 2004
HCCC History! Tucker-Capps students participated in Pets for Cleaner & Greener Hampton program on May 4, 2011.
HCCC History! The Book Club Etc. Adopt-A-Spot participants, May 4, 2002.
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Share information about our upcoming events!
GOOD TO REMEMBER!
Recycle all your plastic food, beverage, and household containers!! Yay TFC Recycling for including all plastic household containers in their list of recyclables! Take advantage of the opportunity! Yogurt cups – check! Applesauce cups – check! Syrup bottles - check!! Just remember – NO foamed plastic (“styrofoam”)! If you’d like some guidance, visit the Round Robin episode on recycling plastics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbsuPXIFBiQ&list=PL3761D4B106784B15&index=7.
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Drop-off Recycling Information – if you live in an apartment or condominium and don’t have recycling provided by your management, or if you have a lot of extra recyclables for some reason, you can use one of Hampton’s three drop-off containers! They’re located at:
- Hampton Yard Waste Site, 100 North Park Lane (just off Big Bethel Rd)
- Briarfield Park, 1540 Briarfield Road
- Gosnold’s Hope Park, 900 Little Back River Road
All these sites accept the same materials that are accepted in the curbside recycling program! Including the cartons and plastics!
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2018 Community Cleanups Schedule
- May 18, 3pm – Big Bethel Road (W Park Lane – Isaac Lane)
- June 15, 3pm – Milford Avenue/Bright Street/Westwood Ave/Shell Road
- July 20, 9am – Lee Street (Armistead to South Armistead)
- August 17, 9am – Darling Stadium
- September 21, 9am – Shell Road (Algonquin to Colonial)
- October 19, 3pm – Shell Road (Pine Ave to Childs Ave)
- November 16, 3pm – Aberdeen Road (Briarfield to Wingfield, including Wingfield)
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Nominate a Clean & Green Workplace for an award!
If you know of a business that fulfills many of the following criteria, nominate them for a Clean & Green Workplaces Award by contacting hccc@hampton.gov:
- Litter-free efforts apparent
- Attractive premises
- Contributions to community, community partnerships, donations, sponsorships
- Recycling and/or waste – reduction efforts
- Urban forestry
- Sustainable landscaped areas that are attractive and beneficial to local wildlife
- Energy conservation practices
- Water conservation practices
- Overall impression of workplace
- Heritage preservation
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If you have some sheets and blankets that are too good to throw away or recycle, but not really good enough to give to a charity, the Peninsula Regional Animal Shelter is the perfect place for them! Drop them at 5843 Jefferson Avenue, Newport News, 8am-5pm 7 days a week, or call 757-933-8900 for information.
ANNOUNCEMENTS!
Looking for Recycling Feedback: What do you need to know to be the best recycler you can be? Email hccc@hampton.gov
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Looking for NEWSLETTER Feedback: What do we need to do to give you a newsletter you can use? Email hccc@hampton.gov
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Looking for nominations for:
PLAN AHEAD FOR MEETINGS!
All HCCC meetings are open to the public, and we welcome your participation!
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May 8: Commission Meeting, Hampton Clean City Commission Office, 1296 Thomas Street, 3:30pm, information at hccc@hampton.gov
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May 9: Litter & Recycling Awareness Committee Meeting, Mama Rosa’s Restaurant, 617 E Mercury Blvd, 11:30am, information at hccc@hampton.gov
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May 10: Hampton Waterways Restoration Project Meeting, Fort Monroe Community Center, 100 Stilwell Drive, 6:30pm, information at causink@hampton.gov
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May 14: YARDS Judges Training (Beautification Committee), Hampton Clean City Commission Office, 1296 Thomas Street, 10am – 3pm, information at hccc@hampton.gov
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May 15: Clean & Green Workplaces Committee Meeting, Goodwill Community Employment Center, 1911 Saville Row, 3:30pm, information at hccc@hampton.gov
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May 16: School Pride In Action Committee Meeting, Panera Restaurant, 2170 Coliseum Dr h, 4:30pm, information at hccc@hampton.gov
LOOKING FOR COMMITTEE MEMBERS!
Hampton Clean City Commission Board – oversees the programs and projects of the Hampton Clean City Commission and focuses on recognizing volunteers, board members are appointed by City Council. Contact hccc@hampton.gov for more information. Fill out a Board Bank application at https://hampton.granicus.com/boards/forms/239/apply/623877?code=34def5d9-e341-4ae1-9448-a571250065f4.
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Beautification Committee – works on a variety of projects including the YARDS Contest, tree tours, beautification projects, and education. Contact hccc@hampton.gov
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Clean & Green Workplaces Committee – works on the quarterly Clean & Green Business Awards, the Virginia Peninsula Clean Business Awards breakfast, and other workplace related projects. Contact hccc@hampton.gov
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Hampton Waterways Restoration Project – works on a variety of clean waterway projects, including shoreline cleanups, water monitoring, and education. Contact causink@hampton.gov
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Litter & Recycling Awareness Committee – works on cleaning up Hampton through special cleanups and the Adopt-A-Spot program, as well as encouraging litter-free events, solid waste education efforts, and trash tours. Contact hccc@hampton.gov
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School Pride In Action Committee – educators (formal and informal) who encourage environmental lessons and activities in the classroom and on the school grounds, as well as emphasizing teacher education. Contact hccc@hampton.gov