Meeting Minutes

Participants in the first meeting of 2016

Beautify CNMI meeting
February 1, 2016
Hyatt Chamolian Room

Participants: Vinnie Sablan (Legislature), Tatiana Babauta (MVA), Steve Jang (CARE), Lucy Sablan, Ike Cabrera, N Horiguchi, Walt Goodridge, Jojo Cruz (MINA), Angelo Villagomez (Pew), Aileen Benavente (BECQ), Jose Kaipat (BECQ), Brad Ruszala (CUC), Ed Propst (Legislature), Shelane Borja (CARE), Jill Arenovski (SCC), Jenny Hegland (CARE), Jon Perez (media), Cinta Kaipat, Arnold (media), Frau (media)

Cinta welcomed the group and introduced Angelo.

Angelo showed two movies from 2007:
What is Beautify CNMI?
One Year Anniversary
Cinta followed up with a history of Beautify CNMI and discussion of our values:
Beautify Virus – We must always be growing and sharing the message of our coaltion
We are a coaltion, not an organization – we steamroll bureaucracy
Do it now – if you have to ask if you can do it, the answer is yes
Give from your heart, we’ll take as much or as little as you can give
Everyone’s a member, even if they don’t know it yet

Following the talk, a discussion followed:

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www.BeautifyCNMI.org

About 80% of the discussion was about solid waste
Solid waste management – Vin & Ed & Joe K. & MINA, Jen, Steve were identified as leaders and possible committee chairs. Taken as a whole, solid waste is too big an issues, so we discussed breaking up into sub-committees
-Enforcing Litter laws
-Village Cleanups- canvassing neighborhoods that still have typhoon debris & illegal dumping
-Restructuring price of dumping (tipping fee)
-Recycling, Tires
-Abandoned Structures – don’t have permission to remove debris from abandoned properties. How do we clean this up? What’s beautiful is also safe!

MINA brought up their work with marine debris & litter & plastic
It was mentioned that ocean issues as a whole are also important

Animals were discussed in two terms:
There is still an issue of abandoned and feral issues, and we should talk to Saipan Cares for Animals because they are doing great work. In the past we worked with PAWS and help public education activities and events
Dead animal cleanup – is there a government or a private sector solution to this perennial problem? It is related to the number of stray animals.

Working with the community was an overarching theme for all the discussions
There should an Education & Outreach committee
We should make educaitonal PSAs
Focus should be young kids & the parents

We want to plant trees to replace the ones destroyed by the Typhoon. We are having a tree planting this week.

Historical monuments & buildings – Aya & Ike
We need to talk to HPO
Promote this history

Diving was mentioned as important

Next meeting?
Ed Propst will convene a solid waste meeting in two weeks.
Joe Kaipat will see if we can hold the next general meeting at BECQ in March