Communities in Bloom judges critique town

By Miriam Ostermann, Associate Editor

While results won’t be available until September, all the prepping, pruning and planting may have been worthwhile. Judges from Communities in Bloom toured the town two weeks ago and were impressed with the Town of Strathmore’s amenities and beautification projects.
Sharon Miller and Bob Cote, two of the judges with Communities in Bloom, met with Strathmore Mayor Pat Fule, Councillors Lorraine Bauer and Denise Peterson, and staff at the town hall on Aug. 2 before heading to Huxted Waste Management for a tour. The group then continued on to see other parts of Strathmore, such as the birth forest, Kinsmen Park, Garden of Eat’n, Centennial Park and Gray Park, and the Strathmore Civic Centre. In the downtown core, the group was met by members of the Western and District Historical Society. The tour ended at the historical CPR demonstration/supply barn – more commonly known as the Klaiber barn.
“I thought the town did an excellent job,” said Rob Pirie, chairman for Strathmore Communities in Bloom. “The town had done a lot of work… and I think they’ve done a very good job of advertising on social media urging residents to pick up garbage and so I thought the town itself made an outstanding effort.”
The judges were impressed with Huxted Waste Management’s proactive approach and green initiatives, they showed interest in the birth forest and the sponsorships from Chinook Credit Union and Eagle Lake Nurseries that contributed to the creation of the project, and they were dazzled with a welcome package the town had organized for their rooms that were provided by Strathmore’s Travelodge. The baskets contained local products from Fieldstone Fruit Wine, Origin Malting & Brewing, Cian’s Mustard, Kranks Gourmet and Sweetsmith Candy Co.
“Overall impression was what a beautiful town,” said Miller, who was unable to comment in detail until the report is released in September.
“We were very impressed. We had an absolutely lovely day with our hosts.”
A visit from the Communities in Bloom judges was a requirement in order for Strathmore to keep its local Communities in Bloom status.
Communities in Bloom is a Canadian non-profit organization with a focus on fostering civic priced, environmental stewardship, and beautification throughout the community, that now has hundreds of communities participating.
This year the provincial awards will be announced at the same time as the National Symposium on Parks and Green Spaces in Strathcona County in September.
“I think they thought it was very impressive,” Pirie said. “Of course they don’t say too much because obviously we have to wait for the results. We would have lost our status with Communities in Bloom, but now we’re back on track. Whether we’re evaluated next year or not will be up to the committee and of course we’ll talk to the town.”
In the meantime, Strathmore’s Communities in Bloom has their eyes set on revitalizing Lambert Park.