CITY OF VANCOUVER
CITY CLERK'S OFFICE

M E M O R A N D U M

DATE: April 3, 2001 FILE: 3501

TO: Vancouver City Council

FROM: Tarja Tuominen, Meeting Coordinator

SUBJECT: Keep Vancouver Spectacular 2001

Kevin Van Vliet, Engineering Services, will provide a report reference on Keep Vancouver Spectacular 2001.

The attached memorandum, dated March 27, 2001, refers.

Att.

CITY OF VANCOUVER

engineering services
D.H. Rudberg, P.Eng., General Manager
T.R. Timm, P.Eng., Deputy City Engineer

MEMORANDUM April 5, 2001

TO: Mayor and Council

FROM: Dave Rudberg, General Manager of Engineering Services

COPIES TO: Judy Rogers, City Manager

Ulli Watkiss, City Clerk

SUBJECT: KEEP VANCOUVER SPECTACULAR 2001

The purpose of this memo is to provide information for the Mayor and Council on this year's Keep Vancouver Spectacular program.

Background
Keep Vancouver Spectacular is a volunteer driven community clean-up program initiated in 1996 by Tourism Vancouver, the Oceans Blue Foundation and the City of Vancouver. Each year in and around the month of May, registered clean-up teams work in their own communities to remove garbage and graffiti. The program encourages increased stewardship of the public realm, as people of all ages and backgrounds join together in tidying up their streets, lanes and shorelines. It is this desire to maintain a clean and beautiful City and a sense of community that last year prompted more than 5500 people to clean-up over 2000 City blocks.

City's Role
The City's role in this campaign is to register and organize clean-ups, and provide free gloves, garbage bags and special sanitation services. Sanitation services include bins for large loads of garbage, street cleaning and the services of the Graffiti Busters Van. We also hold orientation workshops to give new block captains tips on conducting a successful clean-up. At large-scale clean-up events, the City displays composters and rain barrels, and has recycling and waste reduction brochures available to encourage residents to follow the goals of reducing, reusing and recycling throughout the year.

Free Dump Month
During May, Vancouver residents can dispose of household garbage and bulky items free out at the Vancouver Landfill. They can also pick-up up to a cubic metre of free compost produced from the yard trimmings that they set out for collection during the year.

School Play

Each year, as part of Keep Vancouver Spectacular, the City produces a play about littering, vandalism and graffiti for elementary school children called "Clean-up Your-Act". That play will be performed at 40 elementary schools in April 2001. Some of the 12,000 children who will see the play will also take part in their own clean-ups around their schools.

Corporate Sponsorship
Corporate sponsorship is vital to the success of the program and as the event grows, we have gained the support of many civic-minded businesses. Granville Island Brewing is our main sponsor and they host a wrap-up celebration, along with providing publicity for the event, including running an awareness progam for Keep Vancouver Spectacular in the Liquor Distribution stores in Vancouver.

The Home Depot has donated over $13,000 worth of supplies for use during the clean-up events over the years. Concord Pacific and various film and other companies have provided cash and prize donations. Maple Leaf Disposal provides free container drop-off and pick-up services at large events to augment the sanitation services offered by the City.

This year, three media partners have come on board in return for modest logo placement on our promotional materials and contests.

· The Vancouver Courier is providing 4 quarter-page ads in April to solicit volunteers and 1 half-page ad in June that will thank volunteers. The ads will have a volunteer registration form that can be mailed in, faxed or dropped off, and volunteers that apply in this way will be eligible for a draw on a jacket provided by Granville Island Brewing.

· KISS-FM radio will air 50 - twenty second public service announcements soliciting volunteers in April and May and have their community cruiser at 2 of the clean-up events in May.

· Global TV will provide a listing for Keep Vancouver Spectacular on their community calendar, on-site vehicle support at 2 of the publicity and volunteer events and possible air time for the City's promotional videos.

The three new media partners should help the event grow even more.

Keep Vancouver Spectacular Events
Copies of this year's brochure, poster, newspaper ads and public service announcements, along with a Keep Vancouver Spectacular garbage bag and gloves will be distributed at the Council meeting on April 10, 2001. The Mayor and Council are encouraged to participate in clean-up events. You're also invited to attend the Keep Vancouver Spectacular kick-off event and wrap-up celebration.

Scheduled Events To Date

March 31 - Kerrisdale clean-up - 9:00 am start at Starbucks (Yew Street and 41st Avenue)

April 28 - Collingwood clean-up - 10:00 am start - various locations

April 28 - Kick Off Event - Collingwood - noon at the Joyce Street ALRT Station

May 5 - Mt. Pleasant clean-up (Broadway and Fraser area mainly) - 9:00 am start at Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House

May 5 - Cedar Cottage clean-up (Commercial and 12th area) - 9:00 am start at Cedar Cottage Community Policing Office

May 6 - Mountain View "Block-Out" clean-up (Fraser from 25th to 33rd)

May 12 - West End Neighbours in Action (WENA) clean-up (all of West End)- 10:00 am start at Gordon Neighbourhood House

May 26 - Chinatown

May 26 - Strathcona Residents Association - 9:00 am start at McLean Park

May 27 - Friends of False Creek clean-up (Granville Island shoreline) - 10:00 am start at Rocky Point Marina

June 7 - Wrap-up Celebration for block captains and volunteers - 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, Granville Island Brewing at 1441 Cartwright Street

An up-to-date schedule of events, start times and locations will be maintained on the City web page.

D.H. Rudberg, P.Eng.
General Manager of Engineering Services

RLM/gad
mayandco

* * * * *

(c) 1998 City of Vancouver