KCCB holding park cleanup, plans more events for community
By BRITTANY FHOLER
Cove Leader-Press
The Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful Commission met virtually via Zoom Monday evening to discuss future events.
During the meeting, Executive Director Roxanne Flores-Achmad shared information on upcoming events planned, including the joint park cleanup with the Copperas Cove Parks and Recreation Department to be held Saturday, July 11, at City Park beginning at 8 a.m.
The board authorized $150 to go towards the purchase of water bottles, hand sanitizer and patches for Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts who will be volunteering.
Following the cleanup, there will be a dedication event for the six dog waste receptacles purchased using KCCB General Funds at 10:30 at Fester’s House.
There will be a Litter Survey on July 17, where volunteers will go around town and look for areas in the city that need to be picked up. Volunteers and board members will meet at the Solid Waste Transfer Station, located at 2605 S. FM 116, at 8:00 a.m. July 17.
The following morning, KCCB members will converge on City Park again to help beautify the park. Specifically, members and volunteers will begin the process of painting a total of 60 picnic tables in the park. Phase I of this Beautification Project will encompass 20 tables.
Volunteers will meet July 18 at 8 a.m. near Fester’s Stage to begin the process of painting. There will be three people to a table. KCCB is taking signups for the project at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090e48a4a92ca0f94-picnic.
If the first 20 tables are not completed on July 18, the next painting date will be August 1.
The board authorized the use of $500 to cover necessary costs such as paint, to be used if the city is unable to get donations of supplies.
Flores-Achmad said that the city wants the tables painted to coordinate with the newly paitned Fester’s Stage before the Food Truck Festival to be held next month.
KCCB members will work on six planters on Avenue D on September 12. They are looking for other groups or organizations who want to help with the planting. A sign up list will be released on July 31.
On October 24, beginning at 8:00 a.m., KCCB volunteers will plant wildflowers and bluebonnets along Avenue B. Volunteers will receive a bluebonnet seed packet at end of event.
The board also discussed the annual Eco Harvest event, scheduled for October 9-10. With current COVID-19 restrictions, the board needs to look at alternate ways of doing Eco Harvest, Flores-Achmad said. There is also usually an all-day event that Friday, during which CCISD elementary students visit the exhibits. KCCB normally offer pancakes and face painting during the Saturday event, which are two things not possible during the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.
Vendor applications were distributed via email on March 24, and there are two vendors currently signed up.
Flores-Achmad revealed that some of the event’s past vendors are still working from home amid the pandemic and thus uncertain of whether they would be able to participate.
Board members will meet via Zoom on July 20 at 5:30 p.m. to discuss the Eco Harvest more and decide on a theme.
Previous themes include: R2 Recycle Right; Rooting for Our Community; Passport to a Greener World; Be An Environmental Superhero; What’s Your Footprint?; Get Your Green On!; e 2=Empower & Educate; and Building A Sustainable Community.
KCCB typically spends thousands of dollars on this educationsal event, so Flores-Achmad said she wanted to be mindful of the KCCB funds especially with the uncertainty of the event.
She added that she had sent information to schools in April but none can commit as of yet.
“That is my fear is that we don’t want to get vendors in line and then we don’t have any students coming out on that Friday,” Flores-Achmad said. “Our situation is literally day by day, so considering that, I think that we should as a group decide on what we want to do on that July 20 meeting, so that way we’re not wasting funds or people’s time.”
She added that she is aware of Killeen ISD limiting access to groups that normally go into the schools and limiting field trips.
If something similar happens with Copperas Cove ISD, KCCB will have to look into alternatives, which could include moving the event outdoors at City Park.