Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Events Cleanup topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission advances Earth Day cleanup plan; tentatively adds Easter‑egg hunt and clothing drive
Summary
Torrington’s conservation commission refined plans for its Earth Day cleanup and outreach: mailing lists and flyers will be prepared, an Easter‑egg style hunt and volunteer contests were proposed, and a clothing-drive partner (Heartsprings) requested donation dates in late April.
Kim (commission member) told the commission she assembled email and mailing lists of civic organizations, schools and local businesses and has prepared Avery labels and a draft flyer for the Earth Day event. The commission agreed to finalize a flyer and mailing list in March and to send outreach by April.
Nate, who created the draft flyer, and other members discussed imagery and wording. Commission members debated whether the flyer should show a “before” photo of a trash‑strewn area to motivate volunteers; Kim said she planned to visit potential cleanup sites to find appropriate images.
Event features proposed for the cleanup included volunteer contests (largest/most unusual find, most bags collected), an Easter‑egg hunt for children with small prize-filled eggs, a costume contest (“dress in trashiest colors”/trash-themed costumes) and a children’s table with seed-starting activities. The commission suggested soliciting local gift cards and small prizes from grocery stores and retailers to populate eggs and prize categories.
Kim said the city’s Earth Day page is live and that the commission can update the mayor’s social posts after the flyer is finalized. She recommended a mailing to civic organizations in late March or April to recruit groups and volunteer leaders.
The commission also discussed a clothing-donation partner. A representative from Heartsprings (Laurie) proposed hosting a clothing and DVD donation drive on either Saturday, April 19 or Saturday, April 26 to coincide with Earth Day activities; Kim said she would confirm logistics including truck/drop-off location and parking (possible staging near the Cook Park service area) and bring more detail to the next meeting.
Action items recorded: finalize the flyer and mailing list for outreach; confirm the event schedule and volunteer roles at the March meeting; contact local retailers for prize donations; and confirm Heartsprings’ preferred clothing-drive date and logistics before including it on the official flyer.
