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

MEMORANDUM April 17, 2002

RTS 02605

TO: Mayor and Council

FROM: Dave Rudberg, General Manager of Engineering Services

COPIES TO: Judy Rogers, City Manager

Syd Baxter, City Clerk

SUBJECT: KEEP VANCOUVER SPECTACULAR 2002

The purpose of this memo is to provide information on the Keep Vancouver Spectacular campaign and update the Mayor and Council on this year's 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 during the month of May, registered clean-up teams work in their own neighbourhoods 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 about 5500 people in over 60 groups to clean-up 2300 City blocks and dispose of 110 metric tonnes of garbage and recycling.

City's Role

The City's role in this campaign is to promote, register and organize clean-ups, and provide free gloves, garbage bags and special sanitation services. Sanitation services include bins for large loads of garbage or recycling, street cleaning and the services of the Graffiti Busters Van. We also hold orientation workshops for new block captains when required to give them tips on conducting a successful clean-up.

Free Disposal Month, Free Compost and Open House at the Vancouver Landfill

During May, Vancouver residents can dispose of household garbage and bulky items free at the Vancouver Landfill. They can also pick-up a cubic metre of free compost produced from the yard trimmings that they set out for collection during the year. There will be an open house at the Vancouver Landfill on Saturday, May 11, 2002 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

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 2002. 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 has grown, we've gained the support of many civic-minded businesses. Unfortunately for this year, our main corporate sponsor from past years, Granville Island Brewing, is scaling back their participation in KVS as they move on to help sponsor other worthwhile events in the City. Granville Island Brewing has been a staunch supporter of this event for the last 3 years, providing publicity for the event, including running an awareness program for Keep Vancouver Spectacular in Vancouver liquor stores and sharing promotional material costs, as well as hosting the wrap-up celebration.
In 1999, Home Depot donated $13,000 to be used to buy supplies for use during the clean-up events. That money as been used over the years and is now completely exhausted. We are negotiating with Home Depot for additional sponsorship, but they haven't made a decision yet.

For this year, KVS will absorb funding and program shortfalls from the loss of most of Granville Island Brewing's sponsorship and the potential loss of Home Depot's sponsorship through program adjustments and full expenditure of our annual budget. We are actively soliciting further sponsorship, including supporters of the Olympic bid with the help of the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation. We will pursue finding another major sponsor for next year's event.

This year, we have the same three media partners that came on board last year 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.

· KISS-FM radio will air 30 live public service announcements and 2 community cruiser reports soliciting volunteers in April and May.

· CKVU 13 TV will provide a listing for Keep Vancouver Spectacular on their community calendar and some possible air time for the City's KVS promotional video.

Other organizations and companies such as Tourism Vancouver, Concord Pacific Place, Oceans Blue Foundation, the Fairmont Waterfront, Ramada Inn Downtown, Superior Disposal, Try Seventeen (film company) and Stargate SG-1 (film company) have provided sponsorship donations to date.

Keep Vancouver Spectacular Events

Copies of this year's brochure, poster, newspaper ads and public service announcements will be distributed at the Council meeting on April 23, 2002. A special Keep Vancouver Spectacular garbage bag and gloves will also be distributed, and the Mayor and Council areencouraged to participate in one of the clean-up events. You're also invited to attend the Keep Vancouver Spectacular kick-off event and wrap-up celebration.

Scheduled Events To Date

April 27 - Kick Off event in Chinatown

May 3 - Lord Selkirk Elementary School

May 11 - Strathcona Residents

May 11 - Fraser Street from 41^st to 54^th Avenues

May 25 - Victoria Drive from 33^rd to 49^th Avenues

May 25 - Templeton Drive / Williams Street area

May 25 - Cedar Cottage Area

May 26 - Mountain View Group - Fraser Street from 25^th - 33^rd Avenues

June 1 - East 10th Avenue/Fraser Street/Clark Drive area

June 13 - Wrap Up Party at Granville Island Brewery

An up-to-date schedule of events will be maintained on the City web page.

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

RLM/
rlm:refmemo

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