Estevan had a few things to impress Sheila and Roger Nordick, the Communities in Bloom judges who came from Humboldt to evaluate the Energy City on Monday.
Every year it’s a different set of judges that comes to tour every city or town. But prior to their visits, they research the community and know what to look for.
“The thing that we were really looking forward to was the median that was all redone,” said Roger.
The judges also knew that Estevan received a significant amount of rain in the past few days, so they understood that keeping lawns nice and short would be impossible. Nevertheless, the grass was mentioned as one of the areas that needed more work.
Fortunately, the city had many other areas to impress the judges.
“I liked the parks. The park we went out to was … the Royal Heights (Veterans Memorial) Park, and the new (compound) that they have on the ground and all the different equipment. And I like the fact that there is a washroom in there for kids,” said Sheila.
She also outlined that she liked the new spray park project that the city plans to start building this summer in Centennial Park.
“They are going to incorporate something different, a quiet area for children and adults that are autistic and need a quiet area,” added Sheila.
Rod March, the manager of parks and facilities for the City of Estevan, and Shannon Wanner, who is the horticulturalist for the City of Estevan, were the judges' tour guides. Roger noted that with such leadership from the city, Estevan is “in good hands.”
“They have a lot of experience and lots of forethought. You have to think well ahead to stay modern and well equipped for your citizens. And Royal Heights Park is definitely a prime example of good leadership in the community,” said Roger.
The judges also noticed that there is more work, as it was mentioned to them, in the line of heritage and conservation.
They also had a chance to see some of the new tree carving works, created by Darren Jones to celebrate the Estevan's industries and sports.
Sheila and Roger both carve, so the idea of beautifying the community with these sculptures was dear to them.
“Carving is a great thing, and there is a lot of opportunities,” said Roger, noting that there are always old trees that need to be removed which can become great material for art.
Talking about something that needs to be improved, Roger pointed out that he didn’t see any big problems, but there were lots of little things that will require some work in the future.
There are six categories for the judges, including urban forestry, landscapes, floral arrangements, heritage conversation, environmental awareness and tidiness. They also will do observations and recommendations on these categories. And while working on that part of their reports, they always try to make budget-wise suggestions.
“Through our travels we learn a lot of different things that are going on and we try to incorporate those into our evaluation,” explained Roger. “And I’m always looking at the dollar as well, so we are always looking for good ideas. And there are a lot of good ideas that cost little to nothing.”
Both judges enjoyed their stay in Estevan, saying that people around them were very friendly and informative.
“What I really like to see is that the citizens of Estevan get behind this program. It doesn’t take much to beautify your own yard, and it’s something you should be doing all the time anyway. But it makes the world of difference. Not just to those people, but for the people coming into this community … the whole community and the businesses,” said Roger.
Sheila added that for new gardeners and people who want to know more about how to make their yards look good, the city organizes free workshops and the managers can advise on the schedule.
“That’s one other thing that I noticed in this community. There is a lot more courses and training events (in Estevan) than we sometimes see in other places,” said Roger.
It will take Sheila and Roger about a week to finalize their evaluation, but the results of the entire contest won’t be revealed until October.
