With spring quickly approaching, the Tri-Cities are preparing for the PRIDE cleanup efforts.

Main Street Director Elizabeth Powell announced at Monday's regular meeting of the Tri-Cities Heritage Development Corporation that she will be working with the Cumberland Elementary School's PRIDE Club and the Hands Across the Mountain organization to pick up trash on the top of Black Mountain later this month.

"This month I've mainly been concentrating on PRIDE," said Powell in her monthly director's report. "My PRIDE cleanup starts on the 27th of this month."

The three cities will also be hosting their own PRIDE cleanup activities this spring. While Cumberland and Lynch have not yet announced their cleanup dates, Benham's cleanup will be April 20-25.

Powell said a white goods buy-back project will not be a part of the spring cleanup as she had hoped, but that project may be included in the fall cleanup if funding is approved.

"I did talk to Carol Cox about the 2003 Community Grant," Powell said. "In that grant, there's nothing in there that's listed for a white goods buyback. ... She said that we could use the money that's allocated in that grant for tipping fees."

According to Powell, each city has an allocation of money that it can use this spring. Cumberland has been allocated $4,500 and Benham and Lynch have each been allocated $3,500.

"I put a call into Carol Cox about the white goods," she said. "I would like to do that for this fall. If we do that this fall, I need to include it in the 2004 Community Grant."

In other business:

-- Powell told the board that a digital camera has been purchased. The board agreed to pay half the cost of the camera, with the Cumberland Tourism paying the other half.

-- Powell said she had talked with representatives from the Lynch Pirates Alumni and Benham Rams Alumni about creating and selling calendars for each of the organizations. She said proceeds would be split 50/50 between the respective alumni organization and the Tri-Cities Main Street program.

-- the board discussed the bylaw revisions. The bylaws revision committee is to convene before the next meeting to work out all the details, then present a recommendation to the board at the next meeting.

-- the next regular meeting will be held April 19.