Warrenville vies for national recognition as blooming good city

Emily Larson says she couldn't have planned it better if she tried.

With Warrenville trying to earn bragging rights as one of America's prettiest cites, a judge touring the town on Thursday was able to see the "green" roof at the new Hubble Middle School.

It's an example of something Warrenville wasn't able to show off two years ago - the last time the city competed in the America in Bloom contest, which pits similar-sized towns against each other.

"It was just beautiful," said Larson, adding that the large section of Hubble's rooftop was covered in trays bursting with mostly yellow flowers. "It was like we planted all these flowers and said: 'Bloom. The judges are coming.'"

Darrell Trout, the America In Bloom judge, admitted it was an "impressive" sight. He praised Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 for constructing the energy-efficient and environmentally friendly middle school.

"They are doing a lot of really innovative things," he said.

Whether it's enough to give Warrenville the edge it needs to beat Tipp City and Ironton - the two Ohio towns in Warrenville's population category - won't be known until winners are announced in October.

In the meantime, Trout and a second AIB judge are scheduled to continue their evaluation Friday by touring Warrenville neighborhoods, parks and public buildings.

Communities 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.

"I feel hopeful," said Dorothy Deer, director of AIB Warrenville. "The city looks pretty good."

To help prepare, a dozen volunteers installed concrete planters in the downtown area, planted flower baskets, created gardens with native plants and lined the Warrenville Road bridge with flowers. Last month, about 60 more volunteers participated in a day of planting, weeding and mulching.

Larson, who is the city clerk and a member of the town's AIB committee, said simply doing well in the contest would be another feather in Warrenville's cap.

"It proves that all the efforts from the volunteers are worthwhile," she said. "It makes you feel nice knowing you've done a good job."