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Article printed in Denton Record-Chronicle
February 2002
KEEP DENTON BEAUTIFUL, INC. 101

The Denton Record-Chronicle has graciously afforded Keep Denton Beautiful, Inc. the opportunity to educate the community on quality of life issues that impact our daily lives in Denton. This is the first column of what is to be a regular monthly column printed the second Friday of each month. And we at KDB are honored to do it!

KDB is a citizen-driven, volunteer organization with official 501(C)(3) status. As an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful and Keep Texas Beautiful, KDB is mandated to focus on three areas:

  • litter reduction,
  • beautification and community improvement, and
  • decreasing the impact of solid waste on the community.
FEBRUARY'S LITTER TIPS:

Residents: Place trash at the curb the evening before or the morning of your solid waste pick-up service. Trash should be in tightly tied bags, not open boxes. Trash that sits out at the curb 24 hours a day, seven days a week is usually broken into by animals or hit by vehicles. The trash is then scattered throughout the neighborhood by the wind.

Businesses: A major source of litter is dumpsters. City ordinance requires all trash be securely bagged for disposal. If all trash were tightly secured in a bag before being placed in dumpsters, no loose trash would fly from dumpsters during servicing, thereby, creating a much cleaner Denton.


In June 2000, the Keep Denton Board of Directors voted to become a stand-alone 501(C)(3). A legal request was made to the City of Denton to dissolve the advisory board aspect (City Council appointments) of the Organization. The request was granted.

Now, KDB is an all volunteer, non-profit with a 13-member Board of Directors, hundreds of members, and thousands of volunteers across the community.

The non-profit does maintain an affiliation with the City of Denton. KDB's office staff (Lancine Bentley, Program Manager; Teresa Salazar, Volunteer Coordinator; and Sherrill Campbell, Administrative Secretary) are Parks and Recreation employees. Our roles are to assist KDB, Inc. in achieving its mission through the facilitation and coordination of its programs, projects, and events.

The mission of KDB is 'to empower the community to create a cleaner, more beautiful Denton through volunteerism and education.'

KDB, Inc. is not part of the City's annual budget and operates solely on funds from memberships, sponsorships, grants, a utility bill check-off item, and financial and in-kind contributions.

Some Recent Accomplishments:
  • Wrote and secured a $104,983 grant from the North Central Texas Council of Governments that established the Environmental Crimes Unit in Denton.
  • Developed a 'Memorandum of Understanding' between the Texas Department of Transportation and the City of Denton to increase the number of mowing cycles from 3 to 5 and litter pick-ups from 7 to 9 on I-35E in Denton.
  • Presented a 'Recycling Resolution' to the City Council that launched the city's Recycling Task Force. The Solid Waste Department and the Task Force are working to implement a residential curbside recycling program in Denton.
  • Collaborated with the Parks and Recreation Department to secure $27,644 from the Texas Department of Transportation to fund the irrigation system and the landscape plantings for the Downtown Square Renovation Project.
  • Awarded $10,000 from Texas Forest Service to establish a 10,000 sf container tree nursery at the Water Reclamation Plant utilizing unused effluent water from Pecan Creek.
  • Worked with TWU's Visual Arts and Media program to create the CAN IT! anti-littering campaign targeting 16-24 year olds.
  • Worked with the Parks and Recreation Department to develop a 'Litter-Free Event' policy for community events in Denton parks.
  • Created the 'Litter-Free' event guideline packet for event coordinators.
  • Collaborated with UNT students, faculty and staff to develop the 'UNT Clean and Green' program. The program focuses on litter reduction strategies and beautification efforts.
  • Distributed approximately 900 trees at the 4th Annual Tree GiveAway.
  • Contributed $3,200 to DISD and private school classrooms through our Environmental Projects Grants and Awards Program.
  • Collaborated with the Police Department to develop a Graffiti Abatement Program for removal of graffiti on public property.
  • Partnered with the Parks and Recreation Department and Water Utilities, to establish a 'Water Smart Landscape Project' at the corner of Bell and Robertson.
  • Instituted 'Neighborwoods,' a street tree planting program to reforest private property. In 11/01, planted 100 trees in the yards of citizens in SE Denton.
  • Contributed to the Carroll Boulevard Median Project--$3,000 and the Hercules Median Project--$2,500.

UPCOMING EVENT:
9th Annual Denton Redbud Festival, Saturday, March 9th from 9:00AM to 3:00PM at the Civic Center and Civic Center Park. The event begins at 8:30AM with a 5K and 1K.

This Arbor Day event is a Home and Garden Show with environmental exhibits, children's activities, food vendors, and family entertainment. Due to KDB's efforts, Denton will be honored for the 11th year by the National Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City USA recipient.

If you would like more information about KDB or volunteer opportunities, call 349-7770 or go online at www.kdb.org.

Lancine Bentley is the Program Manager for Keep Denton Beautiful, Inc. She was the recipient of the 1998 Outstanding Woman of the Year award from the Mayor's Commission on the Status of Women in Fort Worth. She can be reached at (940) 349-7770 or at lancine.bentley@cityofdenton.com.