Keep Rutherford County Beautiful Full Committee Meeting

Keep Rutherford County Beautiful

Full Committee Agenda

January 13th, 2026

Rutherfordton Town Hall Conference Room, 1 p.m.

Attendees: Dr. Brock Hefflin, Robin Worcester, Lindy Abrams, Jerry Stensland, Amber Saint Clair, Jenna Bailey, Taylor Hardin, Dana Bradley, Allie Houtz

1. Administrative

   1. NCWorks Internship 

      1. 500 hour internship starting in early February, mainly working with KRCB programs

      2. Paid for and supported by NCWorks 

2. Spring 2026 Programs

   1. Green Scholarship

      1. $1200 & $500 scholarships for Rutherford County high school seniors

      2. Timeline

         1. Send out to guidance counselors and McNair by end of January

         2. Due date - April 13th

         3. Judging round one - April 17th, 1-2 p.m. on Zoom

         4. Video submissions for finalists due - April 31st

         5. Judging round two - May 1st, 1-2 p.m. on Zoom

      3. Sponsors

         1. Broad River Water Authority (pending, Jerry reaching out to Maria)

         2. Dr. Brock Hefflin (confirmed!)

      4. Judges

         1. Brock Hefflin, Taylor Hardin, Maria with Broad River Water Authority

   2. RecycleBots Challenge

      1. New partnership with Rutherford County Library and Kidsenses Museum!

         1. Rutherford County Library is providing space for the RecycleBots to be displayed for judging, as well as a makerspace for students to create a RecycleBot

         2. Kidsenses Museum is assisting with school visits and providing a makerspace for students to create a RecycleBot

      2. Timeline

         1. School visits - Feb 23rd - March 6th 

         2. Drop-offs at the library open - March 23rd

         3. Deadline to submit - April 2nd

         4. Fan favorite judging in person and on Facebook - April 8th-14th

         5. Judging Day - April 15th from 12pm-2pm at RC Library, Community Room B

         6. Winners announced - April 22nd (Earth Day)

         7. RecycleBots pick-up deadline - April 31st

      3. Judges

         1. Best Overall - Everyone

         2. Fan Favorite - Public

         3. Most Creative (good imagination or original ideas) - Patrick and/or KidSenses staff

         4. Most Unique (good message, fun, unusual items) - Amber and/or Library staff

         5. Best Use of Plastic and/or Styrofoam - Brock Hefflin and friends!

         6. Best Use of Paper and/or Textiles - Jenna Bailey and/or Artifacturing staff

         7. Roxi's Picks - Taylor and/or TDA staff

         8. Rocki's Picks - Jerry and/or ROC staff

         9. Group Submissions - Lindy Abrams and/or Rutherfordton Town staff

   3. Spring Litter Sweep

      1. Tentatively April 6th-30th (pending NCDOT’s sweep dates)

      2. Flyers and announcement out by early March

      3. Building kits on Fridays (April 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, times TBD)

      4. Finalize details at Litter Committee on Feb 10th

   4. Greatest American Cleanup Events

      1. MLK Day of Service on Monday, Jan 19th at 10 a.m.

         1. Garden workday and rail trail clean-up near ROC office 

         2. Sign up here!

3. Ongoing Programs

   1. Cigarette Litter Prevention Program

      1. 6 receptacles being installed at river accesses and downtown areas

      2. Cigarettes collected and shipped to TerraCycle monthly

      3. Call for volunteer shifts for collection coming soon!

   2. Trash Trouts

      1. 1-2 trash trouts being installed in local streams to collect litter before entering the Broad River

      2. Monthly volunteers needed to empty trash trouts

      3. Potential partnership with local high school environmental groups (like TJCA) for school projects

4. Additional Items

   1. Norris Park Opening Day is on March 7th at 10 a.m.

   2. ROC is hosting a station on watershed education with an enviroscape model

   3. KRCB is hosting a table to share about Spring Litter Sweep, Cigarette Recycling, RecycleBots, and ways community members can get involved

      1. Please let us know if you are available to help with tabling!

5. Upcoming Schedule

6. Litter Committee Meeting – February 10th at 12 p.m. in Rutherford County Library’s Community Room A

Full Committee Meeting – March 10th at 12 p.m. in Rutherfordton Town Hall Conference Room