On July 12, Keep Norristown Beautiful in Montgomery County became the 14th Keep America Beautiful affiliate in Pennsylvania. The certification of this new affiliate marked the culmination of a public- private-civic partnership process that began in late 2017.

Keep Norristown Beautiful initiated the affiliate process by conducting Keep America Beautiful’s Community Appearance Index (CAI), which is done to gather data annually by surveying a random, statistical sample of roadways.

Keep Norristown Beautiful based its CAI on different neighborhoods across the city. The annual results will be used to develop a local plan to change attitudes and behaviors regarding litter, recycling, beautification, and related issues.

Brandon Ford, Special Assistant to the Municipal Administrator, serves as Executive Director for the Keep Norristown Beautiful affiliate. 

“We are extremely proud and appreciative of this opportunity to partner with Keep America Beautiful and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful to form KNB as the first local affiliate in Montgomery County. The creation of Keep Norristown Beautiful was guided by the vision of the Municipal Council and positions both Council and the Municipal staff to more effectively collaborate with residents, local businesses, and other organizations to address environmental issues in our community,” said Crandall Jones, Municipal Administrator of Norristown.

“Keep Norristown Beautiful has already hit the ground running with an overwhelmingly successful community-wide clean-up event this past Spring, an equipment sharing program that is in place to connect residents with the tools they need to organize their own neighborhood events, and a planned riparian buffer restoration project with the local Audubon Center, William Penn Foundation, and Norristown Area School District at our Riverfront Park later this summer,” Jones added.

“Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful congratulates and welcomes Keep Norristown Beautiful. By affiliating with Keep America Beautiful, Keep Norristown Beautiful will have access to the tools, resources and program opportunities KAB has to offer,” explained Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. 

Keep Norristown Beautiful is a coalition dedicated to empowering people to make a difference in Norristown through conservation, education, and beautification efforts.

The organization is a program of the Municipality of Norristown, completely funded through a recycling rewards program, and consists of an Executive Director to oversee operations and an advisory board representing Norristown’s Municipal Council, the Norristown Chamber of Commerce, the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove, and other community leaders.

The group’s overall strategic plan for the next three years includes litter control and education, recycling, combating illegal dumping, and community wide cleanup programs.

For more information, visit the Keep Norristown Beautiful webpage or contact Brandon Ford, Executive Director, by sending email to: knb@norristown.org.

For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful website. Click Here to become a member.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates from KPB, Like them on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, Discover them on Pinterest and visit their YouTube Channel.

Also visit the Illegal Dump Free PA website for more ideas on how to clean up communities and keep them clean and KPB’s Electronics Waste website.

(Photo: First Row-- Sue Smith, National Trainer, Keep America Beautiful; Councilwoman Valerie Scott-Cooper; Councilwoman Olivia Brady; Brandon Ford, Executive Director, Keep Norristown Beautiful; Kym Ramsey, President, Norristown Chamber of Commerce; George Nave, Superintendent Norristown Public Works; Second Row-- Carrie Barron, Assistant Director & Communications Manager, John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove; Heidi Pedicone, Director of Programs, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful; and Rashaad Bates, KNB Advisory Board Member.)

NewsClips:

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[Posted: July 27, 2018]

7/30/2018