Castlegar is now in a class of its own when it comes to Communities in Bloom.
The city recently won the Grand Champion Challenge, which is the top category in the civic beautification competition.
“We’re thrilled,” said longtime local chair Darlene Kalawsky, who collected the award at the recent Communities in Bloom national symposium in Quebec.
She explained that the Grand Champion category pits past winners of population-based, international, and class-of-champions categories against themselves. One other community dropped out, so Castlegar received the award based on accumulated points.
Castlegar has been participating in Communities in Bloom for 22 years and each year puts its best foot (and flowers) forward for visiting judges who evaluate the community based on six criteria.
Kalawsky said the latest judges were particularly impressed with Castlegar’s urban forest. “For example, the city has taken on some new initiatives to evaluate tree health in our community,” she said, adding that they received high marks in other environmental areas as well.
Maintaining parks and recreation facilities is important to the program, as is overall community tidiness. Kalawsky said one judge who had visited the community five years ago and returned this year was surprised and impressed with recent additions like the Confluence building that is home to the Chamber of Commerce and the Kalesnikoff mass timber plant.
Kalawsky said they also brought the judges to see Castlewood Village, which has been a strong supporter of the program and is home to many volunteers. “The people there truly appreciate having a program like this where people can work together to make their community a better place to live,” she said.
What does the local group do for an encore? Perhaps provide more public education, Kalwasky said. While Communities in Bloom does a lot of floral displays, she said they could explain what they are planting and why, and teach residents about ideal types of trees to plant and how to care for them.
The Adopt-a-Road program was also relaunched this year to encourage more residents, businesses, and community groups to help keep Castlegar clean and welcoming.
Kalawsky said the volunteer group’s partnership with the City of Castlegar and its public works staff allows them to compete in the program and maintain a high standard. A core group of 25 volunteers meets monthly and brings in other people for special projects, swelling the total numbers to over 100 in some years. Kalawsky said they are always looking for new people to join.
“That’s kind of the principle that we work on because people now have busy lives and have other things going on,” she said. New Canadians have been joining the program, “and we’re learning from them and they’re learning from us.”
She said while Communities in Bloom volunteers participate because they have a passion for it, recognition does provide encouragement and inspiration. Camaraderie and community-building are just as important as improving Castlegar’s appearance, Kalawsky said.
“If you don’t care about your community, then it really shows,” Kalawsky said. “People who come out and even do little things, it makes a big difference. Castlegar is now known across the country and as being a very prominent community that cares about what’s going on, because when you reach this Grand Champion category they know that you’re doing something right.”
In addition, Castlegar received awards for landscape achievement and best therapeutic garden.
