Taking in the weekend Communities in Bloom (CiB) Awards & Conference in Sooke was a very interesting experience, says 100 Mile House CiB committee member Angela Cole.
“We were surrounded by some very proactive people.
“CiB was a very rewarding experience, and for our first time participating, I was quite proud of our result.”
100 Mile House received three out of five blooms, which is quite good, Cole says, especially when other first-time communities only received one bloom. Centennial Park was granted a first-year award for ‘Naturally Beautiful’.”
In addition to their rating, each CiB participant received a comprehensive report prepared by qualified judges, she adds. This report reviews the particular features and projects in each of the criteria areas the community has undertaken and presented, and offers constructive comments and suggestions for the following year.
“The whole process is not just flowers; it’s also about how we keep our streets clean, our water systems, our parks and so much more,” says Cole.
Kevin Dicken, District of 100 Mile House operations supervisor and CiB member, says the local committee received a lot of good feedback from the judges.
“The CiB committee members will be getting together to go over the report and put together a presentation to the council.”
Besides reviewing the recommendations, the committee will look at different ways to approach CiB, Dicken says, possibly adding new elements.
When the committee members have the presentation ready, Dicken will be able to further expand on the plans.
CiB member Tom Bachynski says he didn’t realize the extent that CiB delves into the community.
“It’s not just flower; it’s the whole blooming town.”
Noting it seemed like a long wait for the results, he says the CiB judges were in town in July.
Special accolades should go to Dicken and his crew who went the full distance to get the town in shape, says Bachynski.
He adds Cole kept the committee members on track, “which is not an easy task,” and there were many people who stepped in and helped out.
“Our community should be very proud of what they accomplished. It’s a great start and we have some great ideas for next year.”
However, Bachynski says the recent vandalism of the wooden bridges in Centennial Park should not have happened.
“We have to come together as a community and stop this senseless damage to property. The park is truly one of our greatest assets, and I would like to see the bridges rebuilt before the snow flies.”
