2017 School Beautification Grant Winners

(Dalton, GA, September 15, 2017) – Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful is pleased to announce the winners of the third annual School Beautification Grants for 2017. The committee for Beautification and Community Greening established the grant program in celebration of National Planting Day, which took place September 8 and is celebrated thru the end of November.

Public and private schools in the Dalton, GA and Whitfield County were invited to apply for funding to implement a project related to planting native plants and beautifying the community. Each project aims to improve the visual aspects of the facility or provide an educational opportunity related to plants. Beautification grants range from a minimum of $100 to a maximum of $250.

This year the following ten schools were awarded a grant for their National Planting Day project:

1.    Blue Ridge Elementary School: Bringing New Life to Our Garden

2.    Dalton Middle School: Pollinator Garden for Bird Sanctuary

3.    Park Creek School: STEAM Garden Georgia Style

4.    Dalton High School: Renovation Recovery!

5.    Northwest Georgia College and Career Academy and Phoenix High School: School Beautification

6.    Antioch Elementary School: Courtyard Beautification

7.    Morris Innovative High School: First Impressions

8.    Tunnel Hill Elementary: Recreating the LeVerne Damron Reading Garden

9.    Dalton Institute of Esthetics and Cosmetology: Bringing the Beauty from Within to the Surface

10. Roan School: Garden Club Pollinator Project

Projects will be completed by December 1 and each recipient will submit a project summary by December 19 to showcase their work. Visit Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful’s website www.KeepDaltonWhtifieldBeautiful.org or follow them on Facebook to get updates on the progress of these projects.  

National Planting Day is celebrated annually by Keep America Beautiful in the fall as an opportunity to encourage volunteers to plant native species restoring ecological balance to the environment while creating greener, more beautiful communities. Learn more about this event at www.kab.org.

Closed for Labor Day - Landfill, Convenience Centers

Four Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority facilities will be closed on Monday, September 4, 2017, in observance of Labor Day.

Locations include the

• Old Dixie Landfill & Convenience Center,
• McGaughey Chapel Convenience Center,
• Westside Convenience Center, and the
• M.L. King Convenience Center. 

All locations will reopen on Tuesday, September 5, 2017, from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm. 

For more information call the main office at 706-277-2545.

Labor Day Holiday Schedule:

Saturday, September 2, 2017 - All Locations Open - Normal Hours (7:00 am – 3:00 pm)

Monday, September 4, 2017 – All Locations Closed

Tuesday, September 5, 2017 – All Locations Open (7:00 am – 6:00 pm)  (Westside Normally Closed)

Wednesday, September 6, 2017 – Resume Normal Operating Days and Hours (McGaughey Chapel Closed)

America Recycles Day Billboard Contest Announced for Fall 2017

The 8th Annual America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest is underway. Pictured is the winning design for 2016 designed by Madison Powell, an 8th grader from Valley Point Middle School.

The Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority is pleased to announce the 8th Annual America Recycles Day Billboard Contest for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders attending public or private schools participating in the Target Recycling at School program in Whitfield County. 

Students are invited to design a billboard in keeping with the spirit of America Recycles Day, which is celebrated yearly on November 15. The top design out of the three grade levels will be displayed during the month of November on two billboards in Whitfield County.

Schools in Whitfield County eligible to participate include Eastbrook Middle, New Hope Middle, North Whitfield Middle, Valley Point Middle, Westside Middle, Dalton Middle, Northstar School, Crossroads Academy, Christian Heritage School, and Learning Tree School.

During the 2016 contest, Valley Point Middle School 8th grader, Madison Powell, won first place overall. Her design, chosen out of 91entries includes the phrase “I want to be recycled” which was one of the themes of the contest. The artwork is eye catching and very colorful showing an aluminum can that is dreaming of being recycled into a rocket ship traveling in outer space.

(See previous winning billboard designs here.)

Themes for this year are, “I recycle! Do you?” and “I recycle with Recycling Ben!” First, second, and third place prizes will be given in each of the three grade levels. The grand prize is chosen from the three first place winners. 

The Contest Guide with two versions of the official entry form can be downloaded at www.DWSWA.org. The deadline for entries is October 16, 2017. There is no entry fee, however, an official entry form needs to be included with the artwork. Only artwork submitted directly from a school representative will be accepted. Winners will be announced on October 23. 

For more information contact Liz Swafford, Recycling and Education Program Coordinator, at 706-278-5001 or e-mail: lswafford@dwswa.org. To learn more about America Recycles Day visit www.americarecyclesday.org.

Litter Enforcement Workshop To Be Held September 6

Litter Enforcement Training Workshop

September 6, 2017 • Dalton, GA

Register Here

“Successful litter prevention requires a three-pronged approach including community education, eradication and enforcement”, said Sarah Visser, Executive Director of the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation, “Law enforcement officers and members of the judicial system are crucial partners in keeping our communities litter free and economically vibrant.”

The Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation awarded a grant to Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful and several other Georgia affiliates to make communities safer by encouraging the enforcement of Georgia’s Comprehensive Litter Prevention and Abatement Act. “These workshops provide them with the tools and information they need to enforce the law successfully” added Visser.

Open to police officers, sheriff’s departments, code enforcement officials, prosecutors, judges and others charged with enforcing the law, the workshops, hosted by local Keep Georgia Beautiful Affiliates, will connect officials with resources and information to support them in reducing litter. Attendees will learn how aggressive litter enforcement has been used as a deterrent to additional crimes and how to work with the Courts and others to successfully deter littering and illegal dumping.

The workshop for the Northwest Georgia area will be presented by DNR Game and Fish Officer Scott Carroll on Wednesday, September 6 from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm at the Dalton Police Department’s training room at 301 Jones Street. 3 hours of POST credit is available for certified law enforcement officers that complete the workshop in the subjects of Environmental Law Enforcement, Tactics, and Solutions.

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful is hosting the event with special thanks to the Dalton Police Department, and the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority. The workshop is available for free to pre-registered attendees, thanks in part to the grant from the Foundation. Pre-registration is available online at https://kdwb.ticketleap.com/litter2017 until September 5.

2017 School Beautification Grants Available Thru Keep Dalton Whitfield Beautiful

(Dalton, GA, August 1, 2017) – Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful is pleased to announce the availability of School Beautification Grants for Fall 2017. The committee for Beautification and Community Greening has established mini-grants in celebration of National Planting Day. Beautification grants may range from a minimum of $100 to a maximum of $250.

Public and private schools in the Dalton, GA and Whitfield County area are invited to apply for funding that can help implement a project related to planting native plants. A school club, a single classroom, whole grade level or the entire school may organize a project and apply for a grant.

National Planting Day is celebrated annually by Keep America Beautiful in the fall as an opportunity to encourage volunteers to plant native species restoring ecological balance to the environment while creating greener, more beautiful communities. Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful is making these grants available to improve the visual aspects of our community through projects that beautify and clean the environment.

Knowing that children play a very important part in making this happen we want them to reap the benefits by participating in a project for their very own school. Beautification projects could include establishing or supporting a school garden, planting flowers in an outdoor space, or using plants for educational purposes.

Grant applications must be submitted online no later than September 8 at www.KeepDaltonWhitfieldBeautiful.org using the form on the Beautification Grant Application page.  Previous projects from 2015 and 2016 can be seen on the School Beautification Projects Page. 

For questions regarding the form or any aspects of your proposed project call executive director Liz Swafford at 706-278-5001. Grant winners will be announced September 15. Projects must be completed by December 1 and a project summary and photos are to be submitted by December 19.