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Judges to review Belpre in Bloom

BELPRE – For the fourth year, judges from American in Bloom will be visiting Belpre to review the efforts of the Belpre in Bloom program to beautify and improve the city.

The judges, Katy Moss Warner and Karin Rindal, will be visiting Belpre on July 20 and 21. Belpre is one of 42 towns across America working on local revitalization programs with the hopes of receiving a national award from America in Bloom.

Belpre Auditor Leslie Pittenger, the coordinator of the Belpre in Bloom program, said volunteers have been active in recent weeks to prepare the city for the visiting judges, with mowing, weeding and cleanup projects throughout Belpre. Local civic organizations, schools and other groups have been helping with the projects.

One of Belpre in Bloom’s largest projects this year has involved the hillsides overlooking Civitan Park and Access Park, below Washington Boulevard. Pittenger said it had been growing more difficult and less safe for city crews to mow those areas due to slippage and other problems.

As part of Belpre in Bloom, the city decided this summer to stop mowing those hillside and “naturize” them, she said.

In addition to allowing the grass and other existing plants to grow out, Pittenger said new plants and flowers have been planted to improve the appearance of those areas. The additions are helping stabilize the hillsides in the “no mow” zones, she said.

The city of Belpre also took a step forward in its environmental efforts, Pittenger said. At the end of June, the city’s new curbside recycling program went into effect and she is pleased with the response from Belpre’s residents.

“People are really excited about it,” she said.

Belpre is competing against Tarboro, N.C., Morro Bay, Calif., and Newtown Township, Pa., in the 6000-12,500 population category.

All participants are evaluated in the following areas: overall impression, heritage preservation, environmental efforts, urban forestry, landscapes, floral displays, and community involvement. The judges evaluate these criteria in the residential, commercial, and municipal sectors.

Participants will have the opportunity to receive recognition in the following areas:

* Bloom rating

* Population category winner

* Outstanding achievement award the “best of the best” over all participants in each of the six evaluated criteria

* Special mention for what the judges deem to be an extraordinary project or program.

* Special awards

* Population category winners are invited to participate in international competition via the Communities in Bloom program in Canada.

* Community Champion

* YouTube Video Award

Last October, the Belpre in Bloom program received recommendations and accolades for its 2014 efforts from AIB during the annual America in Bloom Educational Symposium and Awards Program in Philadelphia.

Belpre received a four bloom rating and an outstanding achievement award for community involvement during the 2014 symposium. The outstanding achievement awards go to one participant among all the AIB entrants across all population categories. In addition, Belpre received a special mention for its efforts in historic preservation.

The two judges will spend two days in Belpre, beginning with a luncheon and then touring the community, meeting with volunteers, elected officials and members of the business community, and then developing an extensive written evaluation.

Warner is President Emeritus of the American Horticultural Society (AHS), a national, non-profit, member-based organization with the goal a bold vision of “making America a nation of gardeners, a land of gardens.” She was the director of Disney’s Horticulture and Environmental Initiatives at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida for 24 years. In addition to judging for America in Bloom and international competitions, she is a member of AIB’s Board of Directors.

Rindal’s wide ranging business career in manufacturing and government includes time involved in international trade program evaluation and training in Total Quality Management (TQM) and Malcolm Baldridge Criteria for Performance Excellence.

She currently volunteers at the U.S. Botanic Garden where she has assisted with a broad variety of educational events, including presenting a class on sustainable container gardening. Through her work at the Botanic Garden on the Sustainable Sites InitiativeTM (SITES) she completed the requirements for the New Jersey Environmental Stewardship program.

To date, more than 240 towns and cities from 41 states have participated in the AIB program and more than 20 million people have been touched by it. Awards will be announced on Sept. 26 at AIB’s National Symposium and Awards, held this year in Holland, Mich.

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