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Five Blooms for Kent

District earns top award from Communities in Bloom program

The District of Kent has once again earned Five Blooms from the prestigious Communities in Bloom program, with a slightly higher score than last year.

The Five Bloom Award was handed out at the Communities in Bloom's Provincial Conference in Kamloops on Oct. 5, and Mayor John Van Laerhoven was on hand to receive it.

Each year, communities throughout the province can elect to participate in the program. Judges then visit each community and are led around to various events and sites of significance. This year, the District of Kent featured its UV Disinfection System, and the system was given special recognition by the judges.

The system uses UV rays to sterilize the pathogens left in waste water, eliminating the need for a chlorine system. The judges commended district staff member Steve Nuttall and his crew.

"It is so good to see that Steve continues to seek new and innovative ways to deal with sewage," the judges wrote.

The judges, Rea Smith and Trisha McCarthy, were also impressed by the innovation shown by local hazelnut farmers fighting blight, the berry breeding program at Ag Canada, and Neal Tebrinke's state of the art computerized equipment at his chicken farm.

The judges also gave the district some pointers in their long evaluation form. They include providing recycling bins in the streets, updating the paint at crosswalks and curbs, and starting a 'tidy street' recognition program.

Van Laerhoven said CIB is "a very positive program," that the community can be proud of participating in. He encouraged residents to take the time to read the report.

The full report and recommendations are viewable within the Oct. 15 council meeting agenda, online at www.district.kent.bc.ca.

 



Jessica Peters

About the Author: Jessica Peters

I began my career in 1999, covering communities across the Fraser Valley ever since.
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