Visitors to Brown County gained greater access to hand sanitizer just in time for the first “reopening” weekend.
The Brown County Community Foundation recently set up the Rapid Response Fund to assist with COVID-19 outbreak and recovery.
The Brown County COAD (Community Organizations Active in a Disaster) started discussing the importance of hand sanitizing stations for downtown Nashville at their first meeting, before Gov. Eric Holcomb announced the statewide stay-at-home order. The topic was discussed at many subsequent meetings. Since it wasn’t certain when the the town or county would reopen until Holcomb announced his Back On Track Indiana plan on May 1, no additional personal protective or sanitization equipment had been acquired by the town.
At the May 4 COAD meeting, town council member Nancy Crocker agreed to work on hand sanitizing stations that would match the town’s aesthetic. Her idea was to recruit artists to create unique stations to be placed around town. This idea is still possible, but with a weekend of tourism on the horizon, immediate action was needed, the community foundation reported.
The community foundation had negotiated the rental and weekly service of 15 hand sanitizing stations to be placed around downtown Nashville with a promise of next-day delivery. Some of the units were created overnight to help meet this safety request, in time for weekend tourism activities. They were distributed on May 8.
Each 4-foot-tall station has a 1-foot square footprint and contains four, 32-ounce dispensing pumps.
“We can reopen while encouraging responsible behavior in our community to protect the safety of our guests and residents,” said BCCF CEO Maddison Miller.
“I’m grateful that (town council President) Jane Gore agreed this was a timely and important action to take, that she was willing to work with the BCCF to sign the contracts, and that BCCF is in a position, thanks to our incredible donors, to make this happen,” Miller said.
“We are also grateful for the COAD volunteers, YMCA, and the Access Brown County program for helping with the distribution of the stations at key locations in the town of Nashville.”
The flexible agreement with Rumpke Waste & Recycling Services can be terminated, and the units returned, as soon as Crocker has found artists for more permanent installations.
The BCCF has initially committed to pay for the rental until July 4; then, the town expects to be back to normalcy per the governor’s reopening policy.
The foundation is also exploring other options to help protect those who visit and live in Brown County. To support similar efforts through the Rapid Response Fund, visit browncountygives.org for more information or text TOGETHERBC to 44321.
