ST. PAUL – Communities in Bloom judges will be in St. Paul July 25 to July 27 taking stock of the community and seeing how the town ranks against other communities competing in this year’s national competition.
Final preparations are underway to make sure St. Paul is putting its best foot forward and those involved in organizing the annual competition locally are hoping residents will do their part to ensure the town is shipshape.
This is the second time St. Paul has competed at the national level, according to Penny Fox of the St. Paul Communities in Bloom committee. The first time was in 2022.
In 2018, St. Paul achieved the highest level possible in the provincial Communities in Bloom competition when it was awarded five blooms. The competition challenges communities to continually develop and improve, especially in their efforts to promote environmental sustainability, enhance green spaces, and promote heritage conservation in its cultural and natural environments at the municipal, residential, commercial, and institutional levels. It is these same areas that national judges will be examining during their time here later this month.
St. Paul is participating in the 30th Edition of Communities in Bloom in the National Population category, along with Devon AB; Capreol, ON and North Bay, ON.
The community will be rated from 1 to 5 Blooms, based on the scoring obtained. Also, they will aim to obtain bronze, silver or gold levels in their 5-Bloom rating.
Communities in Bloom committee volunteers will meet with the judges for a supper at the St. Paul Museum on the evening of July 25 and later tour the Barn RR104 – an event venue and flower farm in the County of St. Paul.
Fox said July 26 will be a full day for the judges beginning with a welcome from Mayor Maureen Miller before they begin their tour of the community which will include stops at the Community Gardens, Lagasse Park, Farmer’s Market at Portage College, the Wastewater Treatment Plant, Vertical Roots, a garden visit at Sunnyside Manor and winding up with supper at Twisted Fork in St. Paul’s downtown core.
“We will have lunch at the park (Lagasse) and we specifically asked them to come on a Friday so we could show them the Friday Farmer’s Market at Portage College and Portage also has art, so we will also look at the art while we are there. The wastewater treatment plant we have seen before but it is fascinating.”
The colour orange is the theme for Communities in Bloom nationally this year.
“They will be driving around the community to check out not just commercial but also residential to see that the town looks good,” Fox said. “They are looking to see that people are saving water because part of it is conservation and recycling – that whole environment area. It’s not just beauty. It’s history and environment as well. They will be looking to see how many people are catching their water in water barrels and that kind of thing. Are there recycle bins around – that kind of stuff.”
Everyone does play a role in the success of the community in this national competition because simple things like picking up garbage along the streets and boulevards can go a long way towards making a good impression.
During their time in the community, the judges will be working their way through a check list of items, and evaluating the community based on how they think it scores on everything from green spaces to civic pride.
“The big benefit in participating in this is you have two judges that come into your community with a completely fresh set of eyes,” Fox explained. They are not related to anybody. They don’t know anybody. They come because they have a set of skills – they are horticulturalists, or they’re professional gardens or past recreation managers. They are volunteers and they are offering to share their set of skills with the communities that want to be proud of themselves.”
Based on their checklist, the judges grade the community on the number of blooms to be awarded. The more bloom received, the higher the score. They also provide recommendations on areas that could be improved upon. The community will be rated from 1 to 5 blooms, based on the scoring obtained. Also, bronze, silver or gold levels are recognized in the five-bloom rating.
“We really do take seriously what they say and we put their recommendations to work,” Fox said.
