Keep Carter County Beautiful’s monthly meeting Wednesday night featured rebranding and future cooperative efforts, moves they said would strengthen their visibility and presence in Carter County as a whole.

Mike McDonald presented an update on the letters he sent out to various fast food chains. KCCB has yet to hear back from some of the chains, but the ones from whom they did hear back said they could not approve the request to add a “Do Not Litter” message on various paper bags and cups in Carter County.

McDonald suggested sending a follow-up letter to the companies who have not yet responded to their letter, while Edward Jordan said the setback should not discourage them.

“We just have to keep trying,” Jordan said.

McDonald also brought forward his design for KCCB’s new logo, which he suggested should be used to create door signs for every restaurant and convenience store in the region, including fast food chains.

“I feel like we do have a problem in Carter County,” McDonald said. “People need to be reminded of the responsibility.”

He said he had not yet reached out to the restaurants and convenience stores in question about the proposal, which led the organization into a discussion about which should come first: spending the money on creating the signs or reaching out to the businesses to see if they would approve of the idea. The design itself is seven inches by six inches.

McDonald said he did not want the logo to be missed by passersby.

“Businesses might not want something like that on their doors,” Ross Garland said.

Ultimately, the organization approved the new logo and asked McDonald to come back next meeting with a report on businesses’ approval of the idea before they would vote on creating the signs.

Director of Elizabethton Parks and Recreation Mike Mains came to the meeting to talk about all the work KCCB has done for the community at large.

Mains talked about recent graffiti issues in Elizabethton and how organizations like KCCB keep citizens informed of these issues.

“I get frustrated because we have great facilities here,” he said. “We enjoy partnering with groups in our community.”

Mains also discussed a variety of upcoming projects Elizabethton Parks and Rec is working on in the near future, including the previously announced Hampton Bike Trails.

“We want to take care of our citizens,” Mains said. “We want to bring people to enjoy our natural resources.”

He said these goals align with KCCB’s mission and said he looks forward to working together with them in the future.

The next KCCB meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 3.