KMBB looking to relaunch
Apr. 8—Community members are looking to re-establish a program aimed at beautifying Milledgeville and Baldwin County.
The effort known as Keep Milledgeville Baldwin Beautiful (KMBB) has had multiple past lives locally. The most recent iteration fell "dormant" during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to concerned citizen Dr. Jeff Wells, who addressed Baldwin County commissioners at their Tuesday meeting.
"Unfortunately, what did not fall dormant was litter and trash gathered along the roads and highways of Baldwin County," Wells said.
Wells' tone was not accusatory toward county commissioners. He was instead looking for their support in bringing back KMBB.
KMBB is the local affiliate of Keep Georgia Beautiful and Keep America Beautiful, nonprofit organizations that advocate for an end to littering, improved recycling, and beautifying America's public spaces. According to the Keep Georgia Beautiful website, there are approximately 60 county affiliates spread across the state.
More than a decade ago, the local chapter was run by the Development Authority of Milledgeville-Baldwin County before it was handed off to the local Chamber of Commerce's Young Professionals program. A governing board and executive director were put in place to run KMBB before it fell by the wayside during the pandemic. The organization in the past has promoted litter education and recycling campaigns and conducted cleanups along local roadsides as well as in the Oconee River. Wells shared that during one year KMBB volunteers produced more than $50,000 worth of labor while the organization cleaned 40 miles of roadway, removed 120 tires from the Oconee River, and enlisted over 50 community and business partners.
Now Wells and other interested parties, including the Milledgeville-Baldwin County Chamber of Commerce and Visit Milledgeville (formerly known as the Convention & Visitors Bureau), are looking to resurrect the initiative to fight the effects of litter on the community.
"It is something that impacts us all, in all commission districts, in all parts of Milledgeville, and in all sectors of the community — civic, business, spiritual and social," Wells said.
"Our focus is helping the community realize the impact of litter and waste, promoting recycling as an alternative to trash, and the collaborative work of the community in creating beautiful, caring neighborhoods and communities," he added later in his address to commissioners.
Wells' ask of the Baldwin County Commission was thought to be a simple one — just $1,500 to serve as buy-in and financial support of KMBB's efforts to improve the community. There's just one problem. Local government entities are not allowed to donate taxpayer money to nonprofit organizations, both County Commission Chairwoman Emily Davis and County Manager Carlos Tobar told The Union-Recorder. The government can instead pledge its support to the organization's initiatives in other ways, and has. One mentioned by Tobar in his county manager's report Tuesday was delivering trash bags and safety vests to the seven manned fire stations around the county. Residents will be able to pick those supplies up and use them to gather trash in areas they'd like to see cleaned up. Tobar added that the county is applying for a scrap tire abatement reimbursement (STAR) grant where residents would be able to bring their scrap tires to the county road department for safe disposal on a scheduled date.
As for KMBB, the organization is planning to get in front of Milledgeville City Council and local civic clubs in the coming weeks as it looks to create momentum for its mission moving forward. Steps beyond that are to re-establish a governing board and work with Georgia College & State University to create a strategic plan. Both the organization's nonprofit 501c3 status and charter from Keep Georgia Beautiful remain in place.
