Judges for the Communities in Bloom competition were in Estevan earlier this week. They viewed parks and other areas that the city has been working on, such as the medians on Souris Avenue North and 13th Avenue.
Five years ago, Estevan likely would have never participated in a competition like Communities in Bloom, which measures a city’s appearance in several different categories. The appearance of the community was, at one time, a common source of concern for local residents. There were frequent complaints with everything from the parks to the lack of trees to the amount of dust in the city.
And while the beautification work is not finished in the city – and it never will be complete – there should be no denying that significant progress has been made.
We’ve had a bit of a helping hand this year when it comes to beautification efforts, thanks to the rain that Estevan received in the final weeks of spring and the first couple weeks of July. The city was looking fairly dry before the rain. Grass was dry and dust was blowing around.
But now the grass is nice and green, and it shows in the appearance of parks and yards.
We received rain, but not too much rain. And the hail storm on June 14 largely skirted city limits.Ìý
It seems that residents and businesses are more willing to take an active role in the appearance of their yards. They’re more willing to take measures to enhance the appearance of their properties. They’ll do more with landscaping efforts.
Yes, the city’s bylaw enforcement officer still receives calls about unsightly properties, but the percentage of properties that look good is growing. (Hopefully people are willing to call in and report a neighbour who has a property that is less than tidy).
Kensington Park Greens is one area that still needs a lot of work. Hopefully the plans that the city has for that park will pay off, because it has been a source of frustration for a long time.
The city’s industrial area is also a sore spot for some residents when it comes to appearance, with those gravel roads and the appearance of some properties.
We still have the ditches that run along each side of Kensington Avenue, and the east entrance is still unappealing.
And some streets could still use some work.
But the number of complaints about Estevan’s appearance are diminishing.
We hope they’ll continue to decline.
We also hope that the judges for Communities in Bloom were impressed with what they saw when they were in Estevan. It might not have been prudent to show what parks and other amenities looked like a few years ago, but those who were in Estevan at the time can vouch for improvements.
A little effort and some money go a long ways in improving Estevan’s appearance.
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