Warrenville hoping to be in full bloom for contest

If you think it's tough getting your house ready for company, imagine what Dorothy Deer is going through.

She and a dozen volunteers are spearheading efforts to prepare Warrenville for a visit from two judges who will determine whether the community gets certified as one of America's prettiest cites.

For the third time in four years, Warrenville is vying for national recognition in the America in Bloom competition, which pits similar-sized communities against each other.

The two judges will be in the city June 24 and 25 to see how it stacks up against Tipp City and Ironton - the two Ohio towns in Warrenville's population category.

"We hope we're ready more than anything," Deer said Wednesday. "We're anxious to have them come. They were here a couple of years ago and we did some upgrades since then in the hope of getting a better score."

Cities are judged on their floral displays, environmental awareness, tidiness, heritage preservation, community involvement, urban forestry, landscapes and turf and ground covers.

Warrenville previously competed in the contest in 2007 and 2008, but has never won its population category of 10,001 to 15,000. The city's highest "bloom rating" was three out of five.

"We're hoping to get a four," Deer said.

To help prepare, Warrenville's local AIB group installed concrete planters in the downtown area, planted flower baskets, created gardens with native plants and lined the Warrenville Road bridge with flowers.

Deer said the group received significant help last month when 60 volunteers participated in a day of planting, weeding and mulching. Business owners and residents also are doing their part by taking care of their lawns and gardens.

"It is a competition, but it is an incentive for cities to improve the way they look," Deer said. "This is about beautifying Warrenville."

So even if Warrenville doesn't come out on top when the winners are announced in October, everyone in town at least gets to enjoy the benefits of all the improvements, she said.

Laura Kunkle, executive director of the America in Bloom organization, said that's why competition is important to the communities that participate.

"When these eight criteria are done well, the community looks more beautiful," Kunkle said, "and beautiful communities have higher property values, improved tourism, business development and a sense of pride."