Town to apply to ‘Communities in Bloom’

After discussing the issue at both its March 8 and March 22 meetings, town council finally agreed during a special meeting last Wednesday to apply to participate in the “Communities in Bloom” program.
This approval was on the condition that the town receive a letter from the Fort Frances Horticultural Society, which approached Mayor Dan Onichuk in the first place to bring the program to his attention, as to their support of the town doing so as well as to commit to having reps sit on a “Communities in Bloom” committee.
The limit the town spends also was set ay $400 (the cost of applying to the program).
But getting to the point where they could agree to go ahead with entering the program on any terms did not come easily.
“I agree with the idea, but I do believe we have to have something in writing,” said Coun. Roy Avis, referring to the fact Mayor Onichuk brought the idea before council after speaking with the local horticultural society, but he did not have a written statement of intention from the group saying they would commit to being part of a committee to oversee the town’s participation in the program.
Coun. Tannis Drysdale volunteered to be involved in the “Communities in Bloom” committee that will be struck, but stressed she wanted to see some sort of plan in writing before making any financial commitment.
But Mayor Onichuk responded that “the plan is part of the process.”
He also questioned how the horticultural society, or the committee to be formed, could know exactly what the town will have to do as a participant if the town hasn’t even taken the first step and applied to the program.
“I don’t want to keep coming back and beating this issue to death. It’s a great, great thing for the community,” Mayor Onichuk stressed.
Todd Hamilton said he thought being a “Communities in Bloom” participant would be “good for the community,” and that he appreciated the mayor taking the reins in getting the initiative going.
But he added council should get signatures from the three members of the horticultural society who will agree to sit on the new committee.
Coun. Neil Kabel noted it’s the municipality, not a club such as the horticultural society, that must apply to be a “Community in Bloom” and this should be considered an action by the town, not a request from a special interest group.
Coun. Rick Wiedenhoeft agreed with Mayor Onichuk, noting the planning process won’t be known until after the town applies to the program.
But he did stress the town should put a cap on the amount of money it’s willing to spend to get involved (this later was determined to be $400—the cost of applying to the “Communities in Bloom” program).
While some councillors voiced concerns that going ahead and applying to “Communities in Bloom” would be setting a precedence in council bypassing proper procedure, Coun. Wiedenhoeft noted council must make a distinction between the mayor coming forward with a directive and a request from an interest group—with the former being the case here.
The idea to participate in the “Communities in Bloom” program came forward at the March 8 council meeting, at which time it was referred to the Administration and Finance executive committee for a recommendation.
It then came back to council March 22, at which time council agreed to table a recommendation from the Administration and Finance executive committee that the town support being involved in the “Communities in Bloom” project in principle, with no financial contribution, until it can be determined if the town could participate in the program as a non-competitive community.
That means the town would not have to pay to host judges here or pay to go away to attend a provincial competition.
It came back to council at the special committee of the whole meeting last Wednesday once it was determined the town, in fact, could participate non-competitively.
“Communities in Bloom” is a Canadian beautification program that provides information and education on—and awards “Bloom Ratings” for achievements in—floral displays, landscapes, urban forestry, community involvement, heritage conservation, environmental awareness, and tidiness for cities and towns across the country.
Participating municipalities can be part of a provincial competition and be rated on a system of “blooms” after being evaluated by a jury. This possibly can lead to participating in a national competition with other communities in the program.
Being rated as a “Community in Bloom” translates into opportunities for provincial, national, and possibly international visibility, increased tourism (and tourist dollars), and increasing civic pride and community involvement, according to information from “Communities in Bloom.”
As well, feedback from the jury and the “Communities in Bloom” network as to what the town may be doing right or wrong in the area of beautification can be used to make improvements.