Raleigh County Make it Shine Committee
Beaver Creek Clean Up
Community volunteers join Raleigh County Make it Shine in cleaning up the Beaver Creek area along Route 19 in Beaver, WV following flooding
Candidates Pledge to Shine
As the West Virginia Primary Election nears a looming concern exist because of the biannual appearance of the excessive amount of litter attributed to campaign signs. These signs detract from the natural beauty of our area particularly during the spring months when there are many visitors to our area.
Front row from left, John Humphrey, Sally Susman, Paul Flanagan. Second row: Mick Bates, Chris Hall, Randy Mann, Back row: Billy Wayne Bailey, Richard Jarrell, Charlie Houck, Photo - Christopher J. Jackson : Register-Herald
Thank You Candidates for pledging to Make Raleigh County Shine:
Billy Wayne Bailey
Burge Speilman
Chris Hall
John Humphrey
John O’Neal
Linda Sumner
Mick Bates
Paul Flanagan
Randy Mann
Richard Jarrell
Sally Susman
Thank You Charlie Houck, Sherry Hunter and Jeremiah Johnson for your involvement with Raleigh County Make it Shine Committee
Campaign Litter Pledge:
I will, Limit the number of "yard signs" to no more than 250
I will, Display the signs no earlier than 2 weeks prior to beginning of early voting which begins 04/21/10
I will, Install signs only on property where you have the permission of the land owner and not on public property or right of ways
I will, Remove all signs within 1 week of election-day, irrespective of the outcome of your campaign.
The mission of ‘Raleigh County Make it Shine’ is to improve the pride, appearance and marketability of Raleigh County
The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia
April 9, 2010
Candidates Sign Pledges to Reduce Campaign Sign Litter
By Christopher J. Jackson
Register-Herald Reporter
BECKLEY — Raleigh County candidates preparing to campaign in the May primaries signed pledges Thursday in order to reduce excess litter caused by campaign signs.
A number of candidates signed the pledge Thursday at the Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce in a program sponsored by the chamber’s Raleigh County-Make it Shine committee. The program is to improve pride, appearance and the marketability of Raleigh County, BRCCC president Ellen Taylor said.
“Our ultimate goal is to eliminate putting signs where they shouldn’t be put,” she said. “We’re not trying to eliminate signs because people have the right to have signs. We just want to make sure they put them in the right place — where they should — and that they don’t put them out early and take them down when they should.”
Taylor emphasized signs are already out and that the candidates signed the pledge Thursday. So if people see signs out in places they shouldn’t be, she urges people not to get upset and think the candidates didn’t follow their pledge.
The pledge is directed more to the fall, she said, because of the fact that signs are already out.
“They believe in the concept and hopefully in the fall we’ll be able to get out a little bit earlier,” she said.
For more info on Raleigh County Make it Shine contact BRCCC
Arbor Day 2010
Raleigh County Make it Shine, Raleigh County Solid Waste Authority, WV Forestry Service & Curby the Recycling Robot celebrate Arbor Day with a tree planting event at Perry Memorial United Methodist Church Rainbow Nursery School Shady Spring
Sherrie’s Sweep 2009 Makes Raleigh County Shine
The Raleigh County Make it Shine Committee would like to thank all participants for grabbing your sticks, putting on your gloves and filling your orange bags with litter.
Register-Herald Newspaper Staff Salutes Sherrie
Over 1300 community volunteers swept Raleigh County litter during the annual sweep
Click here for complete story from the Register-Herald
2nd Annual Arbor Day Celebration
United Methodist Temple Preschool
One hundred Silky Dogwood Tree seedlings handed out to the preschoolers / A 7’ Serviceberry Tree planted on the church grounds Aspen Corporation
Arbor Day Celebration is a collaborative effort with:
Raleigh County Make It Shine
WV Division of Forestry
Raleigh County Solid Waste Authority
Aspen Corporation
Raleigh County Make it Shine Program
Raleigh County Make it Shine is a cooperative effort among several organizations including:
Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce Business Members
Beckley Renaissance / City of Beckley
Raleigh County Solid Wasted Authority
WV Department of Highways
WV Division of Natural Resources
WV Department of Environmental Protection
Piney Creek Watershed Association
Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department
The Mission of Raleigh County Make it Shine is to increase awareness and motivate the public to help improve the community’s appearance, pride and marketability through the following projects:
First Impressions Program – Conducted and participated in a “First Impressions Assessment” through WV University to assess visitors’ impressions of Beckley as it related to signage, cleanliness, friendliness of people, landscaping, etc. The results of the assessment have led to other projects for the committee.
Walkable Communities Workshop – Conducted a Walkable Communities Workshop designed to address the concerns and solutions to developing safe and appealing pedestrian friendly communities.
County-Wide Litter Index – Conduct frequent county-wide litter indexes to assess areas and study trends in areas of the county that need attention. Indexes are showing that marked improvements in the decrease of litter are being made through litter awareness and education campaigns.
Abandoned Building Index – Conduct frequent county-wide abandoned building indexes to determine the locations of structures in violation of codes and share information with the county Abandoned Building Authority.
Grant Application – Applied for and received a $10,000 grant for the purchase of a night vision camera to be used specifically to report night time open dump violators.
Backpack Blowers – Applied for and received a grant to purchase “Backpack Blowers” to be used to blow cinders from sidewalks and road sides after being distributed along roadways during the winter months. An agreement with City of Beckley Public Works allows for coordination with the street sweeper to remove the blown cinders from the roadways following the blowing from the sidewalks and roadsides.
Spring Litter Clean-Up Program – Area businesses and citizen volunteers have joined forces to volunteer in numerous (27 to date) spring litter clean-up projects currently resulting in more than 30,000 pounds of litter being removed from Raleigh County roadways, green-space and streams.
Fall Litter Clean-Up Programs - Area businesses and citizen volunteers have joined forces to volunteer in three major fall county-wide litter clean-up projects with approximately 600 volunteers participating in each campaign.
Creek & Steam Sweeps – Conducted to date four creek and stream sweeps throughout the county to remove litter and open dumps sites from along creek beds and stream waters.
Lobbying – Lobbied for the demolition and removal of the old Vocational Building in Beckley to make space available for a new urban park.
Thornhill Courts Project – Worked in cooperation with Beckely-Raleigh Chamber of Commerce partners; Beckley Area Foundation, Raleigh County Schools, City of Beckley, Beaver Coal Company, and other members to develop plans for a new urban park “Thornhill Courts” to be constructed on the site of the demolished Vocational Building. Work on the project continues with completion expected Fall 2008.
Anti Litter Awareness Brochure – Produced and Distribute brochures throughout the county to assist in educating the public of the problems and solutions for litter in our area.
Education and Public Awareness – Worked to increase public awareness through the media and participation in community events. All media outlets are contacted to cover all Raleigh County Make it Shine activity to help spread the word on anti-litter education to everyone.
Cease-Fire Cigarette Butt Receptacle Purchase Program – Purchased and sold 180 to date to area businesses to help in the elimination of the number one littered item, cigarette butts.
Arbor Day Celebrations – Conduct annual Arbor Day activities and tree plantings with area Make it Shine partners
Beautification Awards – Award Beautification Awards to area businesses and individuals for efforts in beautifying and maintaining their property in Raleigh County.
Future Planning:
Launch a major anti-litter campaign in 2008 to increase public awareness of litter
Continue to sell Cease-Fire Cigarette Butt Receptacles to area businesses at low cost
Complete Thornhill Courts Project
Organize Litter Sweeps and Clean-ups throughout the county
Identify potential Green-space property
Continue Litter and Abandon Building Assessments
Set up a dedicated phone line for reporting litter violators in our area
Raleigh County Make it Shine Committee
Committee Chairs
Sherrie Hunter
Raleigh County Solid Waste Authority
Jeremiah Johnson
Beckley Sanitary Board
Committee
Carol Calvert
Heavenly Ham, Beckley
Dawn Dayton
Register-Herald / Beckley Newspapers
Phyllis Farley
WVDEP
Robin Fernandez
Garden Club
Chris Hall
TSG Consulting, LLC / Beyond Marketing
Charlie Houck
City National Bank
Richard Jarrell
Chick Fil A Galleria Plaza
Susan Landis
Beckley Area Foundation
Linda Lugar
United Way SWV
Ed Mason
Aspen Corporation
Jill Moorefield
Beckley Renaissance
Linda Ramsey
Beckley Woman's Club
Pat Reed
Raleigh County Commission / Pat Reed Insurance
Jeannie Richmond
Interior Concepts
Tara Shleser Beckley Sanitary Board
To join Raleigh County Make it Shine contact BRCCC
|