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City preparing for Communities in Bloom

Rod March hopes the city will be looking good when the judges for the Communities in Bloom competition visit Estevan on July 25. The city signed up for Communities in Bloom last year and entered in the entry level category of non-evaluated friends.
Centennial Park
Centennial Park is among those in Estevan looking good this summer.

Rod March hopes the city will be looking good when the judges for the Communities in Bloom competition visit Estevan on July 25.

The city signed up for Communities in Bloom last year and entered in the entry level category of non-evaluated friends. This year Estevan will be part of the evaluated friends division.

As part of evaluated friends, the city will not compete for a bloom rating, but will receive the insight from the judges in six different criteria: tidiness, environmental action, heritage conservation, urban forestry, landscape and floral displays.

Points will be awarded for each criteria, with a grand total of 1,000 points.

“They will come and look at the city, and see how we’re doing in terms of setting that baseline model for ‘This is what you guys have done in the last couple of years in terms of beautification, in terms of looking after your trees, in terms of waste management and how good the parks look,’” said March.

People can help out with Estevan’s entry in Communities in Bloom by keeping their yards and businesses tidy. If they would like to participate with the local Communities in Bloom committee, they are asked to contact Shannon Wanner, who is the city’s parks foreman.

He applauded Wanner for taking the lead on Communities in Bloom with the projects and initiatives this year.

Since 1995, Communities in Bloom has allowed communities to benefit from participating in the program, with economic benefits such as sharing information about best practices. There has also been lower vandalism rates and benefits for tourism, hospitality and retail industries.

Social benefits are increased civic pride and community involvement, improved quality of life and participation from all ages and walks of life in the community. The enhancement of green spaces are beneficial for environmental stewardship.

March believes the parks in the city are looking pretty good, and he stressed that beautification plays an important role in attracting businesses.

“I think the community, from the feedback we’re getting, thinks we’re looking after things,” said March.

The city has been busy with other parks initiatives this summer. The spray parks at Royal Heights Veterans’ Memorial Park and Padwick Park have been very busy, and now the city is looking to add a third splash park at the Trojan Park.

That spray park is expected to be among March’s requests for the 2019 budget.

Originally the third splash park was to be at the Kensington Greens Park, but March said Trojan is a better location.

“To put it into Kensington Greens would have cost a lot more, because I’d have to directionally drill to hit all of the utilities that are required,” said March. “I’d have to lift, by one metre, the elevation grade at Kensington Greens. And then you’re limited to parking.”

Trojan has lots of room, and utilities that are already in place, which will save the city about $35,000. There is ample parking along Heritage Drive, a play structure already in place, and close proximity to the Estevan Shoppers Mall.

But there is work that will take place at Kensington Greens to improve the drainage at the park.

“I am determined to fix up that park and get the drainage working properly. What that entails is digging a 500-metre long ditch, a swale that will be dug down with proper piping and drainage running through it,” said March.

Until the drainage is fixed, it won’t reach its potential as a park due to soil issues.

Numerous other projects are taking place this summer. About 80 trees will be planted at the Pleasantdale Softball Diamonds, thanks to support with the Rotary Club of Estevan’s Foundation. It’s a project that is also tied into Communities in Bloom.

March noted that the softball players have to look into the sun during their evening games because of the facility’s location. The trees will be planted along the fence lines for the outfields.

“In time, maybe 10 years or so, they won’t be looking into the sun when they’re playing ball.”

The process has also started of changing steel flagpoles in the city. One at Centennial Park has already been installed. Poles at Cactus Park will also be changed. March hopes to replace six per year at facilities around the city.

A new liner has been added to the pool at the Hillcrest Play Park, in time for the start of play parks season.

Once the spray park season is over at the end of August, construction will begin on new washroom facilities and the accessible playground structure at Royal Heights.

The city is also expected to wrap up the paving stone project for the medians on Souris Avenue North this year.

Work in the cemetery will be taking place this September, with a new columbarium structure and a pathway into the columbarium, with roman stones and wheelchair accessibility.

A facelift is taking place for the south and the west sides of the Power Dodge Curling Centre as well, and new siding is being added.

Posts have been reinforced and meshing has been installed at the tennis courts.

Planters are being transitioned to self-watering, and have done well even amid the storms the city has received. All irrigation is being shifted to timers, so they won’t be on during the day.

“We’re switching them to better control the application of water on all of the irrigated type 1 properties that we have. That also helps us out in terms of vegetation control, and in terms of mowing.”