‘Abolutely visionary’ Kamloops projects lauded
Judgment day has arrived and the Tournament Capital is under the critical eyes of Communities in Bloom judges Bob Ivison and Alain Cappelle.
Kamloops is entered in the Communities in Bloom International Challenge and is being judged based on tidiness, environmental action, heritage conservation, winter life, urban forestry landscape and floral displays.
Each of these sections is judged based on municipal, business, residential and community involvement, said Gay Pooler, co-chair of Kamloops’ Communities in Bloom committee.
So far, so good was how the judges described Kamloops on Monday, July 30. They will be in town until Wednesday, Aug. 1.
“Just starting judging today,” Capelle said on Monday while at Tranquille Fresh Farm.
“From what we have seen until now is really from a high, high standard.”
However, the judges echo, it’s not about winning as the real prize is the participation.
“It’s not about winning the prize, it’s about being part of it, being part of Communities in Bloom,” Capelle said.
“If you can win, that’s great and it’s nice to have the plaque on the wall, but I think the benefit is to the community and what they can achieve together,” Ivison added.
Based on what he had seen, Ivison said it appeared as though the municipality, businesses and the rest of the Kamloops community have come together to produce amazing results.
“They do seem to be coming together and really producing what are excellent community facilities,” he said.
Ivison described projects ongoing at Tranquille as being “absolutely visionary.”
The judges left via helicopter from Tranquille Farm to get a bird’s-eye view of Kamloops.
KTW caught up with the judges after they toured Tranquille and checked out the work being done at the Cinnamon Ridge compost site.
“Cinnamon Ridge we’ve just looked at. Again, it’s something that every community’s got to get involved in,” Ivison said.
“That seems to be working there very well. The quality of the material coming out — compost — is excellent and obviously being re-used by the community, both the municipality and the individuals as well.”
The judges have extensive environmental backgrounds.
Ivison, from England, has a background in horticulture and judges for London in Bloom.
Capelle, from Belgium, has more than 25 years of experience as a landscape architect and has competed in various international competitions for local environments management.
Ivison said every community is different, as is the scale of a community’s initiatives.
What judges look for, he said, is how people work together and use their resources.
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