Keep Rutherford County Beautiful Full Committee Meeting

Keep Rutherford County Beautiful

Full Committee Agenda

March 24th, 2026

Town Hall Conference Room, 12 p.m.

Attendees: Robin Worcester, Amanda Henline, Lindy Abrams, Jerry Stensland, Amber Saint Clair, Elizabeth Toney, Ethan Saraga, George Moyer, Marian Moyer, Clark Poole, Allie Houtz

1. Administrative

   1. NCWorks Internship

      1. Welcome to Ethan!

      2. 500+ hour internship, helping with KRCB and ROC programs

   2. AmeriCorps Project Conserve Position

      1. Applied for a Sustainability Coordinator from September 2026 - July 2027 to support KRCB and clean water initiatives

      2. Increased to $20,000 match, will depend on funding sources

   3. Great to Greatest Grant

      1. Applied for funding to support Greatest American Cleanup events with each town (Rutherfordton, Spindale, Forest City) - pending

   4. Greatest Greening Grant

      1. Applied for funding to support planting efforts at the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge to help with recovery efforts - pending

   5. Cigarette Litter Prevention and Recycling Program

      1. 2025 locations:

         1. Coxe Rd, Gray’s Rd, 221, 221A, Downtown Spindale (2)

      2. 2026 proposed locations:

         1. Norris Park

         2. Kiwanis Park 

         3. Main Street Park

         4. Crestview Park 

         5. Forest City - TBD

         6. Any others?

            1. Robin - Public beach and flowering bridge in Lake Lure

2. Trash Trouts - Jerry

   1. Two locations in progress, estimated installation timeline is May

3. Programs and Events

   1. Spring Litter Sweep

      1. Litter Index - results linked here

         1. Big thank you to George, Robin, Carmen, Kathy, and Ethan!

      2. Top Priority Roads

         1. Plaza Drive

         2. Ferry Road

         3. Painters Gap

         4. Ryan Drive

         5. Cherry Mountain Street

      3. Committee Teams

         1. Team TDA - Coxe Road

         2. Team Moyers - Westbrook and Thompson Road

         3. Team Artifacturing - April 23rd, location TBD

         4. Team ROC - Downtown Spindale and TBRT, April 11th and 22nd

         5. Team RC Library - April 25th

         6. Additional teams mentioned by committee:

            1. Little League - Crestview Park

            2. Kiwani's Club in Lake Lure

            3. Cliffside Cleanup - April 11th, 10am-12pm

   2. RecycleBot Challenge

      1. Judging on April 15th from 12-2pm in Rutherford County Library

         1. Best Overall - Everyone

         2. Fan Favorite - Public

         3. Most Creative (good imagination or original ideas) - Patrick, Mandi, 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 and friends!

         6. Best Use of Paper and/or Textiles - Chimney Rock 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. Green Scholarship

      1. One applicant so far, deadline of April 13th

      2. Judging on April 17th at 1 p.m.

   4. Greatest American Cleanup Events

      1. Town of Rutherfordton on March 21st at 10 a.m.

         1. 52 volunteers

         2. 1000 POUNDS of litter

         3. Purple Martin Greenway, Cleghorn Creek, and multiple roads

         4. Great partnership with the Town of Rutherfordton and First Baptist Church (they brought in over 30 volunteers!)

      2. Town of Spindale on April 11th at 10 a.m.

         1. Partnering with the Town and Democratic Party of Rutherford County

4. Upcoming Schedule

   1. Greatest American Cleanup in Spindale - April 11th at 10 a.m.

   2. RecycleBot Challenge Judging - April 15th at 12 p.m.

   3. Earth Day Extravaganza - April 22nd at 10 a.m.

5. Parting thoughts

   1. Lake Lure Swim for Recovery - seeking volunteer kayakers to help on May 8th: Swim For Recovery: 12 Hours - One Lake - One Community | Lake Lure North Carolina

   2. Hilltop festival outreach - revisit in May

Full Committee Meeting - May 12th at 12 p.m.