Regional Appearance Committee
Triangle J Council of Governments' Regional Appearance Committee works in many areas to heighten awareness of the economic, environmental and quality of life benefits generated by good community appearance to individual communities and the region as a whole. The committee:
- produces handbooks, videos and other materials, and conducts workshops and conferences on appearance issues
- applies for grants for individual community projects or educational materials to reach a broader group
- addresses issues such as landscaping, sign ordinances, open space preservation, and downtown revitalization
- provides tree seedlings and young hardwoods for planting throughout Region J
Seedlings are available to schools, community groups and local governments throughout Region J and are provided free of charge, however, seedlings must be planted on public land.
How to Obtain Seedlings and Program Obligations (toggle click to view/close)
- Download the Seedling Request Form, follow the instructions, and fill it out in full. Please limit requests to a maximum of 15 per species. Incomplete forms may NOT be accepted.
- Once the application is approved, the program administrator will contact you to arrange for pickup. Seedlings are available on a first-applied, first-served basis.
- Acceptance of seedlings will obligate the recipient to submit annual project reports to Triangle J for the following two-year period. Failure to meet this requirement will disqualify the group from further eligibility.
Project History (toggle click to view/close)
- May 2005 :: Co-sponsored the CSI: Community Appearance Conference, covering litter laws, crime prevention through environmental design, tree protection and other topics.
- June 2004 :: Co-sponsored Fight the Blight, a regional conference focused on community tools for tackling litter and graffiti.
- 1997-2002 :: Distributed over 5,000 seedlings from the National Tree Trust as part of their Community Tree Planting program. Received 1,000 seedlings for Fall 2002 distribution.
- February 2002 :: co-sponsored TREES: GROWING Value in GREEN Infrastructure workshop, a two-day exploration of how business, government and private citizens can make the most of existing trees.
- October 2001 :: received a Community and Urban Forestry grant from the NC Division of Forest Resources to conduct a tree inventory, planting and benefits analysis using CITYgreen software.
- July 2000 :: co-sponsored regional appearance workshop, with the Wake County Capital Trees Program, teaching participants to use CITYgreen software. This was the largest class taught by American Forests staff.
- November 1999 :: co-sponsored regional appearance workshop, TreeMendous Communities, an educational conference on municipal tree ordinances with the North Carolina Urban Forest Council.
- Spring - Summer 1999 :: sponsored Trees for Champions, a tree planting and celebration project designed to pay tribute to local Special Olympics athletes and all athletes participating in the 1999 Special Olympics World Summer Games, held in the region in July 1999.
- September 1997 - June 1998 :: sponsored Operation Fran Re-Leaf, a project that planted over 3600 trees in an effort to replenish a portion of the tree cover lost to Hurricane Fran in September 1996
- March 1997 :: sponsored conference This Land is Our Land: Strategies for Preserving and Maintaining Open Space
- January 1996 :: sponsored project to plant more than 150 trees at two I-40 interchanges in Johnston County with the NCDOT and the Johnston County Nurserymen's Association
- 1995 :: sponsored regional appearance workshop, The Economics of Aesthetics II, Designing Better Places to Live and Work.
- 1993 :: sponsored regional appearance workshop, The Economics of Aesthetics, featuring the Community Appearance Handbook
- 1993 :: published the "Community Appearance Handbook", which won a national award
- 1992 :: earned award from Governor's Highway Beautification Council
- 1992 :: established the Brian R. Benson Memorial Award for Community Appearance, named in honor of TJCOG's planning director and staff to the regional appearance committee, who was killed in a plane crash. The award is presented for visionary projects with long-term benefit to the community, or policies and programs that improve overall community appearance.
- October 1991 :: sponsored regional appearance workshop, Vision and Reality, focused on shopping center design
- March 1990 :: sponsored regional appearance workshop, The Roadway Through Your Community, featuring Southern Living Executive Editor, Philip Morris
- January 1990 :: published "Building a Regional Image in the Triangle J Region of North Carolina" with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts
- 1989 :: recognized by national Take Pride in America for I-40 planting project expansion and maintenance
- 1988 :: recognized by the NC Take Pride in America program for contribution to natural and cultural resources for video titled "A View to a Better Region," produced in partnership with IBM
- October 1988, sponsored first regional appearance workshop, Conducting an Appearance Commission Project Review: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
- 1987 :: recognized by the state and national Take Pride in America for initiating flower plantings on I-40, in partnership with the NC Department of Transportation and in preparation for the United States Olympic Festival '87; raised $212,000 for plantings
- 1986 :: Established as the Regional Image Task Force
