Keep El Dorado Beautiful looks ahead to 2019 projects

Keep El Dorado Beautiful is closing out 2018 by discussing how it will begin 2019.

The group is planning several projects next year to continue its mission of educating local citizens on how to keep El Dorado litter-free and about recycling and beautification.

This year, KEB launched the first successful quarterly cleanup campaign.

With cash incentives — thanks to Clean Harbors — awarded to groups who participated, KEB called on El Dorado City Council members and residents in each of the city’s four wards to coordinate community cleanups in their respective wards.

Janis Van Hook, president of KEB, said the group is considering several “first-of-theyear” projects that will target the city’s younger residents.

Van Hook said the group is moving forward with ideas to present to students in the El Dorado School District.

For years, KEB has worked with Northwest Elementary School on an annual beautification project called “Plant the Town Purple,” in which low-maintenance, purple plants are distributed to students and faculty members to plant in their yards.

Now, the group is looking to augment its partnership with El Dorado public schools with plans to distribute litter bags to third- and fourth-graders and host a poster/art contest for all students within the school district.

Mary McAdams, a member of KEB and the El Dorado City Council, has scouted out prices for litter bags, and the group is working to lock in a price with a local business.

“It’s a really good price. We will finalize the price and we’re waiting on a count for third and fourth graders at each elementary school,” Van Hook said. “We want to educate our children in the school system about littering and recycling. We’re going to start off with litter bags.”

“We’re not sure yet how we’re going to go about handing out the bags. We’ll talk to the school board to make it conducive for them and the best way to handle it,” she said.

KEB is also nailing down the details for a student poster contest.

Van Hook said the group is considering a theme, prizes and a deadline for the contest and working to assemble a team of judges who are not affiliated with KEB or the school district.

She said KEB is also bouncing around project ideas for older students in middle, junior high and high schools.

To expand its reach into the community, KEB is planning to initiate a Yard of the Month award.

Using an ongoing program by the Union County Master Gardeners as inspiration, KEB will be on the lookout for well manicured and landscaped yards to pitch Yard of the Month signs.

Van Hook said KEB may seek help from the Arkansas Student Leadership Initiative group at El Dorado High School to come up with a design for the signs. ASLI has been one of the most staunch supporters of KEB’s community cleanup efforts.

Working with students and creating the Yard of the Month award are ideas that were previously introduced to KEB by Mayor Frank Hash.

In other business, KEB is still working to establish its 501c3, nonprofit status.

The move is part of an effort to drum up more support from local businesses and industries.