Keep Jackson County Beautiful

The Mission of KJCB is one of education - to provide opportunities for environmental education to students in the Jackson County, Commerce and Jefferson City school systems, as well as adults. KJCB also strives to promote public interest and change of attitude in the general improvement of the environment and to initiate, plan, direct and coordinate programs of litter control. Keep Jackson County Beautiful was officially certified as an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, Inc. and Keep Georgia Beautiful on Aug. 27, 2004 under Executive Director Jamie Penski. In 2005, Luci Crumley took the reins and in May 2006 Susan Trepagnier became the third executive director.

Dwayne Ansley leads the KJCB Board of Directors with other members Bill Ives (Past Chairman), Jack Legg, Dave Rosselle (Secretary), Beth White, Stephanie Smith, Durian Ives, Shawn Watson (Vice-Chairman), Mike Hardy and Susan Russell. 

During a January 2010 Board of Directors Retreat at Hurricane Shoals, members adopted a new Mission Statement:

• To educate and build environmental behaviors and sustain community activities resulting in a more beautiful Jackson County.

and a new Vision Statement:

• Keep Jackson County Beautiful is working to create a sustainable community where litter is a thing of the past, all households and businesses actively participate in recycling, our streets are beautiful, having been carefully planted with flowers and trees and our air and water are clear and clean. Within the next 20 years, every citizen of Jackson County will understand our mission and take the message of environmental protection to heart; each of them joining us every day in protecting and improving our county.

Each August, members of the Keep Jackson County Beautiful Board of Directors conduct the annual Litter Survey. The 2008 Survey found Jackson County with a bit more litter than 2007, but the last few years has brought about a different story. We have more citizens participating in the Adopt-A-Road program, the litter should become less of a problem. We've done a bit of tweaking to our litter survey map taking out the I-85 area. Jackson County has absolutely no control over cleaning. JC right-of-ways has showed less litter the last couple years and the July 2010 survey went right along with that trend. It's strange that Ga. Highway 15 toward Commerce and toward Arcade showed a surprising amount of plastic bottles and bags and other litter scattered about.

Two years ago KJCB and the JC Commissioners began working with the real estate professionals on making sure those signs were picked up on Sunday by 8 p.m. and not placed on the roadsides until after 5 on Fridays. While real estate signs are not such a big problem these days, I don't know how to get the point across that a garage sale is not completed until the signs are removed from their advertising spot. We also have a number of small businesses who dot our highways with the signs throughout the week and I make phone calls at least once a week asking them to pick their signs up. Some don't and their signs (you might as well think of it as money) can be picked up and placed in the landfill. My feeling is if I pick the signs up, after asking a company to do so and they ignore me, their money might as well go to the landfill, although the signs are used quite often for KJCB directions during events.

Each year the board sets new directions and goals for the following year.  (See Goals and Accomplishments page)

So what can you do to take part in KJCB's programs? Participate in an Adopt-A-Road/Highway event. Sadly Georgia DOT is not supporting this program any longer and we are really discouraging anyone from taking miles along state highways due to the cost of signs and break-away sign posts. We do have 34 participants who pick up regularly.

KJCB, SP Recycling and the Jackson County Solid Waste Department sponsors newspaper, office paper and magazine recycling at four drop off centers. Jackson County, Jefferson and Commerce City Schools have jumped on the environmental bandwagon and the public can drop their newspaper, junk mail, colored paper, white paper, carbon-less forms, copy and office paper, phone books, magazines, file folders and index cards, plain and window envelopes, staples and paperclips are okay. There are a few no-nos - no laminated paper, carbon paper, cardboard, wax covered paper, paper with crayon or glue on it and no colored construction paper.

Watch for events throughout the year, our next recycling day is scheduled for October 16, 2010,  at the Jackson County Transfer Station off County Farm Road in Jefferson. We're hosting a Clean Out Your Files Day at the same time. Files you will never need again? We're told by H & R Block - keep your tax records for 7-10 years though. Seems the IRS can come say they don't have records and if you can't prove it, they say you owe. If you have files that need shredding - bring them along and a document services company will take them and shred them in their truck right in front of your eyes.

For more information on KJCB, contact Susan Trepagnier at (706) 708-7198 or strepagnier@jacksoncountygov.com