Communities in Bloom striving to be the best

By Andrea Roberts Times Contributor

Strathmore’s Communities in Bloom is continuing on improving the town in the hopes of coming out on top next year.
Communities in Bloom is a Canadian organization dedicated to fostering civic pride, environment responsibility, beautification and improving quality of life through community participation.
Last year the town was awarded a five-bloom rating when judged by provincial judges.
“You can’t get higher than five blooms,” said Rob Pirie, chair of Strathmore’s Communities in Bloom (CIB).
“We were not the winners in that area, but it was the first time in Strathmore’s history that we have received the five blooms so we are very proud of that.”
In order to receive the five-bloom rating, which shows a score of 82 points and up, Strathmore CIB had to meet a variety of evaluation criteria, including tidiness, heritage conservation, environmental action, urban forestry, landscape and floral displays. Each year communities across the country participate in the national and provincial edition.
A total of 22 communities in Alberta participate in the provincial edition with Strathmore being one of those communities. Despite last year’s high score, there were some areas where the town was lacking.
“This year we are not being judged so we can work on those deficits and improve upon them,” said Pirie. “So next year when we get judged, hopefully we can win it.”
Some of the deficits were in heritage conservation which is why one of the projects this year is the Heritage Tree Project. This initiative focuses on identifying trees in the Strathmore area that are considered to be heritage. Plaques with information will be placed by each tree. So far, Strathmore CIB has identified about a dozen or so trees, some of which are on private property. Pirie said the project encourages civic pride and beautification. He hopes people will recognize how valuable the trees are and how they contribute to our community.
Along with this project, there is the annual planting of the birth forest, which was on its 10th year this spring. Another ongoing project is the continued revitalization of North Lambert Park; the park has historical significance to the town.
Strathmore CIB is also working with the Strathmore and District Chamber of Commerce in the hopes of encouraging business in the area to get more of a buy in for the projects. They also have a close partnership with town council and the administration as the town is the one that undergoes the judging, not the Communities in Bloom group itself. So the town and the organization are continuing to work together to reach their goal of winning next year.
If they manage to reach their goal and become a five-bloom winner, then they will have the chance to be invited to compete in the national edition.