Vicksburg’s recently formed beautification committee has taken a step toward credibility through the city’s affiliation with Keep America Beautiful.
The committee members received the recognition Thursday after a two-hour training session at the Community Development Division offices in the old Carnegie Library Building on South Street.
“Vicksburg is the 36th affiliate in the State of Mississippi,” said Sue Smith, special projects director for Keep America Beautiful. “It will make them eligible for grants and to participate in other programs like America Recycles Day, and the Great American Cleanup.”
Community Development Director Victor Gray-Lewis said Vicksburg had previously been a member of Keep America Beautiful, but let its affiliation lapse. He said locally, the committee will not change its name, but will be listed on the Keep America Beautiful records as “Vicksburg Beautification Committee dba/Keep Vicksburg Beautiful.”
“What we’ve actually done is renewed our affiliation,” he said. “The training session was the last step.”
The program, committee member Barry Payne said, gave the members an overview of the Keep America Beautiful program, its history, growth and information on the national, state and local affiliations.
“They showed us what Keep America Beautiful can do for its affiliates.”
Committee member Mary Lynn Thomas called the program “most informative.”
This was the first time she had heard about the program, “and it gave a good synopsis of what Keep America Beautiful is all about and what it expected of its members” she said. “I was impressed.
“The program was most informative. I believe it will provide the beautification committee with a wealth of information that will be helpful to us as we go about our mission.”
Member Andrew Dawson agreed with Thomas’ assessment, adding, “I’m excited.”
“I think the Keep America Beautiful program is going to be of value,” Payne said. “It will provide some grant opportunities for cleanup and recycling programs and it has programs that will be useful in the approach to changing the culture (about littering) and education for the community.”
Gray-Lewis said the city’s affiliation with Keep America Beautiful would compliment work the city is already doing to clean the city.
“We have the Community Development Division, which deals with (building) code enforcement, the community service department that has people working off fines by cleaning the city, and public works with Jeff Richardson, our landscape director, taking care of the landscaping and keeping the city green,” he said.
Keep America Beautiful is a national nonprofit organization that works with local and state volunteers to make their communities better places to live.
The Board of Mayor and aldermen appointed the nine-member beautification committee July 24 to develop programs to improve and clean the city and develop a pilot recycling program.
Gray-Lewis is committee chairman, and two other city department heads, Richardson and community service director Robert Hubbard are also on the committee.
Residents named to the committee were Andrew Dawson, the manager of Bazinsky House and Re/Max Excellence and a building restoration company; former teacher and Vicksburg Warren School District trustee Zelmarine Murphy; S.J. Tuminello, architect and owner of the historic home Floweree; former city right of way supervisor Ray Banks; master gardener Barry Payne; and Mary Lynn Thomas, gardener and an office associate with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.