Absent: Mark Brown, Neal Denton, Kim Hansard, Mary Lou Horner, Jan Hutchison, Edythe McNabb, Garrett Wagley, Jenny Raines and Lori Tucker

Staff: Cortney Piper and Tom Salter

Call to Order
The meeting was called to order by Martha Dooley at 12:15. There was a quorum for this meeting.

Approval of the Minutes
Martha asked board members to review the minutes from the March 2004 board meeting. Mark made a motion to approve the minutes, Tim seconded the motion.

President’s Report – Martha Dooley
Martha announced the nominating committee would meet on April 14^th for lunch at Riverside.

Tom explained a national initiative by Keep America Beautiful that could involve Knoxville if funded. Special law enforcement funds could be earmarked for community cleanup programs linked to crime reduction effects. Letters must be written to Frist and Duncan. Scott stated on behalf of the board that we should write whatever letters are needed.

Martha reported that KKB will provide support services for three officer of the year plantings at the Knox County Detention Facility. This will take place on April 21.

Executive Director’s Report – Tom Salter

Monthly Financial Statement
Tom presented the financial statements for March 2004. Two months of litter grant reimbursements were received. KKB is doing well on income and expenses relative to last year and as expected.

• The Chamber Partnership meeting with Mike Edwards took place in March, details reported last meeting.

• Tom was interviewed by Harold Byrd and his son on the Knoxville Homebuilder's Association radio program on the Horne Radio Network. It was a 90 minute Saturday morning show. We had some very good calls and covered controlling trash on home construction sites.

• Tom did photo documentation of a Halls B&P litter cleanup on Maynardville Highway.

• Staff provided litter cleanup supplies to more than 50 groups in March - some deliveries, some picked up at the office.

• KKB had an information table at the County Neighborhood Summit. KKB was mentioned by session leaders at least twice as a good resource for neighborhoods.

• GAC™ kickoff was a huge success, many VIP's and neighborhood people attended. WATE and WBIR both aired the story several times and Citadel covered the story in news programs on 990TALK and 100.3 The River. Kara Webb of Enterprise Rent-A-Car was noticed by the KAB national office on our website - Enterprise is a new national sponsor of GAC™.

• The GAC™ radio promotion featuring Mayors Haslam and Ragsdale began running. We have had significant feedback on these ads - including groups responding to volunteer and general positive comments.

• GAC™ articles have appeared in the News Sentinel, the Journal, South Knox Times, Halls Shopper, the UT Daily Beacon and other publications.

• Participants in the GAC™ Greek Challenge have been interviewed live on West 105.3 and 100.3 The River.

• Cortney conducted a 30 minute general interview about GAC™ with Eddie Roy of Journal Broadcasting which aired on several of their stations.

• KKB had a booth at the Women's Expo for three days - thousands saw the booth and several hundred talked or picked up material.

• The GAC™ issue of CLEANNOTES was mailed to more than 2,000 and special mailings were sent to neighborhood groups and businesses.

• Website visits: 1,436 web site visits in March 2004.

Beautification

• A major article appeared in the News Sentinel (thanks to Terry Faulkner) about the Bearden/Lyons View beautification project and KKB's role.

• KKB wrote and submitted a proposal to the State Urban Forestry Program for $5,000 funding for the South Knox Beautification Committee tree planting project at South Doyle Middle School.

• No specific waste reduction activities, but KKB will have a role in make Earthfest a litter-free event by having a major presence on the site and managing the trash and recycling containers.

Awards & Recognition

• KKB made 11 entries to its online "weblog" including 33 color pictures and made reference to more than 90 people and organizations we worked with in March.

• KKB has been asked by Keep America Beautiful to participate in a pilot program in 4 cities to formally link neighborhood cleanup activities to crime reduction. This is in the very early stages and we must make some legislative contact to help this along. Tom met with Sam Anderson to get support for the idea.

Membership

• We received at least $250 in new membership contributions.

• We submitted our annual budget request to the City of Knoxville on time.

• Tom attended a press conference at House Mountain to kick off State Natural Areas Week. He spoke with TDEC Commissioner Betsy Child at some length about litter issues.

• Cortney has been working with a number of community groups on a long-term care solution for at least five historical and/or abandoned cemeteries in Knox County.

• Cortney has been working to develop a clean business program model for KKB.

• The second phase of the marketing radio marketing campaign is still in the works, but the slogan and radio ads are still under development.

Great American Cleanup™
Tim reported that the events are going as planned. Cassandra said her daughter's youth group will do a cleanup. The Mayor's radio promotion was a huge success. The Earthfest posters will be displayed at KKB's Earthfest booth for public judging on the 24^th. The Trash Bash & picnic is set for May 1^st at Volunteer Landing.

Special Projects
Tom gave an Emporium update - we still have not been given a lease and the move in is set for some time in May. No more details now.

Unfinished Business
There was no unfinished business.

New Business
Scott Frith reported there will be a cleanup along Maynardville Highway this Saturday beginning at the H.S. parking lot.

There was a discussion about the need for a "tarp law" awareness event at the county convenience centers. The board urged caution in confronting citizens but agreed more awareness is needed. Staff will look at possible solutions.

• Earthfest 2004, KKB Booth, Poster Contest Judging, 10 am to 10 pm, April 24^th, World's Fair Park

• Great American Cleanup™ volunteer appreciation picnic, Volunteer Landing, Saturday, May 1, 11 am to 1 pm

• Next regular board meeting, May 6, 12 noon, Candy Factory, upstairs

Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 1:05.