As Keep Carter County Beautiful continues to discuss its goals and how to reach them during 2020, conversations shifted to brainstorming new approaches to better take advantage of the resources they have, and even though they did not have the quorum to make any formal votes this month, they had a lot to discuss.

Chairman Edward Jordan said local organizations, including school boards and government, have been taking notice and establishing relationships with KCCB.

“City Council is very supportive of this group,” Jordan said.

In terms of pursuing another of their main three goals, enforcement, Jordan said a greater push was needed from the community to better enforce the laws already in place.

“It is the law in the community,” he said. “If you have an uncovered load, you will get fined.”

After some phone conversations, he said Tennessee Highway Patrol has been making occasional sweeps throughout the region. This enforcement comes after the county landfill’s own rule change this year that charges their own fines for uncovered loads. The trash that blows off those trucks, the board said, ends up in the environment and causes damage.

As part of the brainstorming process, Jordan said he would reach out to KCCB’s parent organizations, Keep Tennessee Beautiful and Keep America Beautiful, and see what other organizations are doing in their communities.

Coming up with ideas was not the only thing they did, though. The board welcomed Kelli Broussard, who will formally join KCCB once a quorum is present to vote her in.

As part of continuing conversations about the Wayfinding grant, Ross Garland mentioned Unicoi County’s Top 10 Trails Map, and suggested potentially incorporating something similar in their own signage.

“I think that would be wonderful,” Garland said.

The Wayfinding grant has been on the table for several months, as KCCB works to create several different signs promoting the natural beauties of the region and where to find them.

Jordan said as they reach out for more price estimates, they need to incorporate the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s break-away specifications.

Jordan said the recent Milligan Highway cleanup was a success, with 25 bags of garbage total.

“City police wrote seven tickets for speeding,” he said.

KCCB also said they have already received several responses from ETSU students interested in working with them on a more refined social media presence.

The board set tentative dates for their upcoming projects: February 29 for a Tree Planting Day and April 25 for an Earth Day cleanup. Details and confirmation are pending.

KCCB’s next meeting will be Tuesday, March 10, at 5:30 p.m. at the county courthouse.