Minutes
KEEP ARKANSAS BEAUTIFUL COMMISSION
Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism
One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
August 24, 2006
Commissioners Present:
Mary Smith, Chairman Gelene MacDowell, Vice-Chairman
Laurie Black Dixie Carlson
Randy Frazier Bill Scruggs
Commissioners Absent:
Thurston Lamb Brenda Williams
Sarah Wruck
Staff Present:
Robert Phelps and Brenda Halbert of Keep Arkansas Beautiful
Guests Present:
Richard Davies, Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism
Phillip Petty, Governor’s Office
Steve Holcomb, Julie Robbins and Mary Burnett of Mangan Holcomb Partners
Teresa Caveness, Great Arkansas Cleanup State Coordinator
Call to Order:
Mary Smith called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m., and Randy Frazier presented the invocation. Brenda Halbert called the roll.
Ms. Smith welcomed guests, including new advisor from the Governor’s Office, Phillip Petty.
Presentation of Minutes:
Ms. Smith called for corrections or additions to the July 26, 2006, KAB Commission Minutes. Randy Frazier stated that his report on page 8 regarding the TV special should state, “19 of 20 warmest years have been ‘since 1980’” (not “in the last 22 years”):
Gelene MacDowell made a motion, seconded by Dixie Carlson, approving
the July 27, 2006, KAB Commission Minutes, as corrected. The motion
passed.
Financial Report:
The KAB Financial Report for the period ending July 31, 2006, was presented, reflecting 2% of the fiscal year budget expended.
KAB Commission Meeting
August 24, 2006 – page 2
Dixie Carlson made a motion, seconded by Gelene MacDowell, approving
the KAB Financial Report for the period ending July 31, 2006. The
motion passed.
Chairman's Remarks:
None.
Executive Director's Report:
Mr. Phelps reported on the following:
· Mr. Phelps is celebrating eight years with Keep Arkansas Beautiful.
· Keep America Beautiful:
1) Mid-Year Affiliate Conference in Asheville, NC, August 2-5, attended by Mr. Phelps along with John Pope of Keep Van Buren Beautiful and Adam Roberts of Hot Springs/Garland County Beautification Commission who will receive training grants;
2) KAB Affiliate status: Sherwood and Jacksonville are completing the process; it is anticipated that they will receive certification this fall and possibly North Little Rock;
3) Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Clean & Beautiful: New Director, Gloria Sumner, is off to a good start, signing up and organizing the Great Arkansas Cleanup;
4) Hot Springs/Garland County Beautification Commission: Adam Roberts has led the way for a cigarette litter prevention program in the city with activities covered by local newspapers and local/state TV;
5) KAB State Leaders Annual Meeting, October 8-10, in South Carolina: Mr. Phelps will be attending and Mr. Frazier will be a facilitator.
· Petit Jean State Park “cigarette litter study”: Report has been sent to Keep America Beautiful; national results will be shared when available.
· 2006 Great American Cleanup – Arkansas: Troy-Bilt chipper/shredder machines will be awarded winners on Monday to Volunteer Luanne Diffin and the Lake Fayetteville Watershed Partnership for the Lake Fayetteville cleanup under the direction of Brian Pugh, Fayetteville Solid Waste.
· 2006 Great Arkansas Cleanup: Mr. Phelps gave a brief history of how the campaign has evolved from a half-day event begun by Carl Garner (former KAB Commissioner) as a lake cleanup thirty-three years ago, sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to the present day format of being inclusive to all communities and organizations. He asked Teresa Caveness, State Coordinator, to review this year’s plan, as follows:
1) Regional coordinator meetings held this year; the final meeting will be this afternoon
in Little Rock at the Martin Luther King Heritage Center;
2) 41 counties have signed up (distributed reports of participating counties by county and congressional district);
3) Kickoff September 9 with events through November (distributed schedule of events);
4) Advertising and promotion will be handled by Mangan Holcomb; coordinators attending regional meetings have been entered in a drawing to win free local news advertising.
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August 24, 2006 – page 3
· “Report littering” hotline: 10,000 violation calls have been received to date; relayed incident of caller not thinking a cigarette butt was litter, stating she had not littered other items, and would voluntarily clean up one mile in front of her house for a month.
· Newspaper articles: Shared a Letter to the Editor, “Trucks keep Arkansas ‘lovely’”, from Arkansas Democrat Gazette regarding uncovered loads, quoting, “I couldn’t help but be impressed about how zealous our Legislature is about keeping Arkansas clean and lovely.” (Mr. Phelps commented that this has been a legislative issue at every session.)
· Commission notes:
1) TR-1 mileage reimbursement was increased from 39 cents to 42 cents on 8/15/2006;
2) Next meeting October 26; no September meeting.
· America In Bloom Symposium & Awards Program: Sarah Wruck will represent KAB at the national conference in Eureka Springs, September 28-30.
· Upcoming meetings to attend:
1) Arkansas Recycling Coalition Board retreat at Mountain Harbor near Hot Springs;
2) The National Urban & Community Forestry Advisory Council (reports to the Secretary of Interior) meets in Little Rock the week of October 16.
· Biennium budget hearing October 31, shortly after KAB meeting October 26.
· KAB website (www.keeparkansasbeautiful.com): Set to go live this afternoon or tomorrow; this should be a tremendous resource in our mission to keep Arkansas clean and beautiful.
· Advertising contract: Explained process of selecting an advertising agency, stating it takes about eight months for the bid and selection process, so with the new fiscal year coming up in about ten months, it would be timely to review the process at this time. He also presented a history of that process to date, as follows:
1) At the KAB Commission in July 26, 2001, a motion was passed that Mangan Holcomb Agency be issued a contract beginning August 17, 2001, to run through
June 30, 2003;
2) At the same meeting in July, 2001, a motion was made and passed to establish a policy not to automatically extend an agency contract beyond the third contract period without a review process;
3) Mangan Holcomb Partners:
a) July 1, 2003 – June 30, 2005 first contract period under the new policy (after bid process and selection of finalists was completed, it was elected to stop the review with three top finalists and continue with the current agency; two of those agencies are no longer in business);
b) July 1, 2005 – June 30, 2007, second contract period, renewed by KAB Commission in January, 2005, without going through the entire competitive bid and selection process;
c) July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2009, would be the third contract period.
In summary, Mr. Phelps stated a decision needs to be made if the Commission wants to start the competitive bid process today or approve the current vendor for two more years before the competitive bid process would be required again.
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August 24, 2006 – page 4
Ms. Smith asked if Mr. Phelps was pleased with the current advertising agency. She said the bottom line is whether or not the agency has done a good job and if the Commission wants to change agencies.
Ms. MacDowell asked if the MHP representatives would mind leaving the room during the discussion. Mr. Davies mentioned that it was not a requirement except for personnel issues, however, Mr. Holcomb said they would be happy to do that.
Gelene MacDowell made a motion, seconded by Dixie Carlson,
that we change the policy because we have no reason to change
advertising agencies, because Mangan Holcomb Partners does
a marvelous job.
Lengthy discussion followed regarding pros and cons of keeping the policy established by the Commission regarding three contract periods for ad agencies and the bidding process. General discussion followed with the consensus that Mangan Holcomb Partners has done an excellent job.
Mr. Davies recommended that Mr. Phelps study the current purchasing law, because there is something new about selection of advertising agencies, suggesting he consult with Cathy Coston, ADPT Purchasing Manager. Mr. Davies also suggested that the KAB Director meet with the advertising agency for an annual evaluation and file a written report.
Randy Frazier made a substitute motion, seconded by Gelene
MacDowell, that we continue the advertising contract with Mangan
Holcomb Partners Advertising Agency, leaving the KAB Commission
advertising policy in place, and require that the Director of Keep
Arkansas Beautiful meet with the President of the advertising
agency for an annual evaluation, retaining a written evaluation
report in the KAB file. The motion was approved unanimously.
Mangan Holcomb Partners representatives returned to the room with applause by those present. Mr. Phelps asked that Ms. Halbert read the approved motion. Ms. Smith added that the KAB Commission and staff appreciate all that Mangan Holcomb Partners has done, that there was no adverse discussion about them or their work during their absence, and we look forward to the future of the Commission and how things can best be accomplished with MHP support.
Mr. Holcomb expressed his gratitude for the relationship Mangan Holcomb Partners has shared with the Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission and Staff for the past eight years and looks forward to the future.
Mr. Phelps concluded his report by sharing thank you notes from former Commissioner Phyllis Jones and KAB staff member, Brenda Halbert. He also stated that the Volunteer Services Coordinator job description will be revised and the position filled before the end of the fiscal year.
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August 24, 2006 – page 5
Advisory Reports:
Richard Davies reported on the following:
· Reminded Mr. Phelps to check with Ms. Coston regarding advertising contract renewals.
· 2008-2009 ADPT budget in review: Legislative committees meet in October; however, new Governor will be elected in November and he will take office along with some new legislators in January, 2007, so recommendations from October are not set in stone:
1) One issue facing KAB is a request for more grant money;
2) Presentation will be made in November regarding a revised pay grade and classification plan for state employees; this proposal will be based in great part on the OPM survey completed by employees last year as well as review by a panel of experts – ADPT representatives include Gloria Robins, Mac Balkman, David Flake, Larry Cargile and Wendy Richter. (Mr. Phelps added that Mr. Singleton’s survey evaluation of his job would be one of the guides used in developing the new job description for that position.)
Mangan Holcomb Partners:
Mary Burnett reported on promotional and advertising for the 2006 Great Arkansas Cleanup, stating we are fortunate to have more resources this year. Plans include the following:
· Advertising: Includes NCSA and paid TV and radio; approximately 20 outboard boards in predominant GAC areas; the Litter Man will be on TV; cable TV will be statewide; radio message will include a more direct message including “do something”.
· Promotional items include temporary tattoos, koozies, pop-up leaf bags, yard signs and posters; it was noted that the yard signs can be used every year and can be customized.
Mr. Phelps noted that, in addition to free trash bags from Glad Manufacturing, coordinators will be provided gloves, hand sanitizer, an informational CD, and static clings and stickers from the “Litter Man” GAC logo from last year.
Mr. Davies requested that the entire packet be sent to Dan Flowers of AR State Highway & Transportation Department. Mr. Phelps stated that the Highway Department is one of our major partners along with Wal-Mart, and they would receive all materials.
Congressional District Reports:
Congressional District 4:
Laurie Black reported on the following:
· AR Federation of Garden Clubs:
1) Attended Mid-Year Board meeting in August and distributed KAB material;
2) Northwest District (Wal-Mart connection) and Northeast District: sent requested KAB supplies to share with their membership as well;
3) Southeast District meeting with state representation will be held October 26 in Lake Village, thus necessitating her absence from the October KAB Commission meeting.
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August 24, 2006 – page 6
· EAST Lab of Dumas: Met with representative regarding GAC participation and will follow through with form from Ms. Caveness.
· KAB billboard off Mississippi River bridge: Very impressive; working on getting more billboard space free.
· Great American Cleanup – Arkansas: Kudos to Robert and Brenda for great event coverage in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Congressional District 1:
Dixie Carlson reported she distributed KAB promotional material in a speech to her church group. She will need more litter clings and KAB stickers when the Republican Headquarters opens in about six days.
Congressional District 2:
Randy Frazier reported:
· August 2-5: Attended International Leadership Alumni Conference in Manhattan, KS; pitched the 2007 conference in Little Rock to be chaired by Mr. Frazier with a theme of “Global Warming, Choices at the Crossroad”:
1) Clinton School of Public Service and Heifer International are supporters of the project;
2) Field trip will include Stuttgart’s biodiesel plant that manufactures “patriot” fuels, as well as other agricultural entities in that area.
· August 9 meeting in Booneville: Arkansas Climate Awareness Project (ARCAP) – series of symposiums around the state; also, visited Bumpers Plant Resource Center.
· Alternative “patriot” fuels:
1) Brazil is processing sugar cane into ethanol, but it is expensive; they have been working for several years on fuel independency, so they don’t have to deal with Middle Eastern countries.
2) Stuttgart farming community is working on less expensive fuel derived from switch grass.
· August 10-12: Attended most of economic development conference for AG budding leaders in the state; Richard Davies presented.
· Global economy shifting: For every $1 earned by the average American, the Japanese worker earns 68 cents, Mexican 23 cents, Chinese 3 cents; he quoted from author Thomas Friedman who tells his children, finish your homework, because there are children in China and India “starving for your job”.
· Keep Little Rock Beautiful: Expressed his appreciation to Julie Robbins for donating her time and expertise to the Public Relations/Advertising Committee of that organization.
Congressional District 3:
Bill Scruggs reported that the Scenic Highway 14 Association (he is President) and the National Parks Service will be sponsoring a Great Arkansas Cleanup event on approximately 20 miles of the Lower Buffalo River. “Wild Bill’s Outfitters” along with at least one other business will be
KAB Commission Meeting
August 24, 2006 – page 7
offering the use of free canoes to participants. The event is scheduled for Saturday, November 7, beginning at 8:00 a.m. In addition to promotional items provided by GAC/KAB, the National Parks Service has donated a pavilion to hold a picnic for volunteers; the inactive “Friends of the Buffalo” organization has provided funds for food.