The City of Wetaskiwin has received four blooms — out of a possible five — from Communities in Bloom Canada during their 2021 evaluation of the community.
This was the first year Wetaskiwin participated in the contest since 2012.
“It was a great comeback year, and I hope to do more with this program in the future,” said Tyler Bailer, city aquatics coordinator, who took on the project.
Communities in Bloom evaluates communities in six areas: community appearance, environmental action, heritage conservation, tree management, landscape, and plant and floral displays.
According to a news release from the city, judges from the program were impressed with their initial impressions upon entering Wetaskiwin.
In their evaluation, they cited the self-watering flower containers, the welcome signs (especially the featured Cree syllabics) and the treed boulevards.
“With our dedicated group of volunteers, we created the Gardens We Share program which showcases beautiful yards across Wetaskiwin,” said Bailer. “We showed the Communities In Bloom judges everything that Wetaskiwin has to offer.”
Wetaskiwin was also recognized for its environmental initiatives, such as the plastic bag ban, paperless city council, and the recycling centre.
The judges also complimented the community for the maintenance of green spaces.
The Town of Millet also won an award in the contest, being presented with the “National Outstanding Achievement Award — Community Gardener’s Award” during the virtual awards ceremony in October.
The town was also the 2021 recipient of the “Hope is Growing Social Media campaign - Small Communities Award.”
READ MORE: Town of Millet wins National Outstanding Achievement Award for community gardens
The City of Wetaskiwin will seek to participate in the Communities in Bloom program again in 2022, if there are sufficient volunteers.
Those interested in volunteering to assist with the Communities in Bloom committee can contact Bailer at tyler.bailer@wetaskiwin.ca.
Communities in Bloom is a national not-for-profit organization and community program that seeks to inspire all communities to enhance the quality of life and environment through people and plants to create community pride.
The program operates in hundreds of communities across Canada and internationally. Find out more about the program at communitiesinbloom.ca.