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St. Charles Takes Home Top Honors in America in Bloom Competition

St. Charles Wins its Population Category and Overall Impression

St. Charles was named the winning community in the 25,000 to 50,000 population category from America in Bloom National Awards program. Judges also gave St. Charles the Outstanding Achievement Award for Overall Impression, among the 40 communities that entered from across the nation. The awards were handed out at the organization’s annual symposium Oct. 7, 2017.

The award was presented at the Oct. 16, 2017 City Council meeting.

This is the third year St. Charles has entered the competition. This year’s wins earned St. Charles a spot in the Circle of Champions, which include communities that have earned a combination of any three awards in the population category or for outstanding achievements.

St. Charles scored 904.50 out of a possible 1,000 points, earning the coveted ‘5 Blooms’ rating. St. Charles Landscaped Areas also received a nod from the judges, having scored in the top three for the Outstanding Achievement Award in that category.

From July 13-14, 2017, two program judges visited St. Charles and toured floral displays, landscaped areas and environmental project sites. The judges also reviewed St. Charles’ heritage preservation and urban forestry efforts, in addition to noting community involvement and overall community impression.

The judges were extremely impressed with the level of community participation and the collaborative effort of several of our community groups. Thank you to the hundreds of community volunteers and businesses, the St. Charles Park District, Pottawatomie Garden Club, Downtown St. Charles Partnership, School District, and City staff for their hard work.

An Excerpt from the judges’ report:

“Whether one is a resident, just ‘passing through’ or arriving at their vacation destination, St. Charles exudes a warm and open atmosphere. This warmth embraces everyone and is just one catalyst encouraging community participation.”

Park District's Pam Otto Receives National AIB Community Champion Award

To top things off for the St. Charles in Bloom Committee, committee member Pam Otto from the St. Charles Park District was named the recipient of the 2017 America in Bloom Community Champion Award. This award is presented to the AIB volunteer who "has demonstrated an outstanding vision and selfless commitment to moving the community forward."

For more information about America in Bloom, visit www.americainbloom.org.

 

updated Jun 21, 2021