West Lafayette In Bloom Evaluation
Judges Jack Clasen and Ed Rhinehart from America in Bloom arrived in West Lafayette on Friday, June 27th. They were welcomed by Mayor John Dennis and met members of the Coordinating Committee over lunch. A walk along the Wabash River, a tour of the city recycling center, and a drive around Purdue preceded the community reception at Lilly Nature Center. Over 100 citizens came out to welcome the judges and tell them about beautification in West Lafayette. Back on the road and a quick stop at Kampen Golf Course gave Ed and Jack a look at the filtration system and the environmental protection for the wetlands. The northern boundary of the city was explored before returning to Bruno's for dinner.
Saturday was a busy day, focusing on West Lafayette heritage during the morning. A stop at Fire Station #1 was made complete by a fire dispatch with firemen sliding down the pole and running to the fire truck. The WL Library featured an exhibit of city history and links to Samara, the Frank Lloyd Wright house. "Sheriff" Carl Griffin welcomed the judges to New Chauncey, where they heard about the neighborhood association, viewed the daylily plantings and visited Beautification Winners. During the day, the team saw every one of the 30 plus homes honored with the beautification award since its inception, and each was marked with a large pink ribbon.
Most of the neighborhoods south of Sagamore Parkway were toured before a picnic lunch at Happy Hollow Park. Guests at the lunch included members of the Park Board, Tree Fund, the Parks Foundation and Curt Ashendel, the Bike-Pedestrian Committee. After lunch, the tour went north to the Sagamore West business district, and then stopped to meet the Residents Landscaping Committee at Westminster Village. After touring that facility, the judges went to Operation Medicine Cabinet, a medicine recycling project sponsored by the Go-Greener Commission. The new Cumberland Gardens were visited before returning to the van and hitting the road for the last stop....the Avondale Neighborhood's beautification efforts along Cumberland Avenue. The judges were driven through the subdivisions north of Sagamore Parkway, before returning to their hotel.
The Committee enjoyed meeting them, hearing about their experiences in their Ohio hometowns, and getting advice about new ventures in community gardens. We are looking forward to the Symposium in Columbus, OH at which we will learn about the judging results as well as participate in sessions featuring the eight criteria.