Participant Profile

Participant name and state here

Instructions for using this template:

Please email a pdf version to the AIB office by May 1 at . The office will ensure your team of judges receives a copy prior to their travels to allow them timeto study before judging begins.

Use this template to simplify the creation of your Community Profile book – an important part of your America in Bloom entry. Many participants find that the finished product has many uses: as an economic development tool, addendum to grant applications, an important historic document, and even as a fundraising tool.

Using this template will reduce production costs, keep the final product within AIB guidelines, and provide the judges with a uniform presentation of information.

This profile is an important collation of your achievements for the previous 12 months and as such, is part of your history. Give a copy to the historical society, the library, chamber of commerce, visitor’s center, and city hall.

How to use this template:

  • Fill in the requested information on each page. Overwrite the highlighted text with your specific information.
  • Add photos if you wish. Be sure each photo has a caption. (Remember, when adding photos to compress them to allow the file to be emailed easily.)
  • Feel free to change the layout if it helps.
  • Maximum page count is 25 pages.
  • When finished with the document, delete this instruction page. Also delete the sections shaded in green – they are for your reference only and are provided as prompts for information to include.
  • Include a table of contents. If you have used the headings in the template, you can generate it easily using Word’s table of contents feature.
  • If you want, you can save the file as a pdf and put it on your website. You might also want to email it to your judges several weeks before judging starts.

If you have additional materials such as more photos, newspaper clippings, videos, etc., they can be made available in a separate binder. The judges may, at their discretion, take this additional binder with them or ask that it be mailed to their home, orthey may simply refer to the additional binder while in your town and leave it for you.

  • Include a table of contents. If you have used the headings in the template, you can generate it easily using Word’s table of contents feature.
  • If you have participated in AIB in the past, be sure to highlight NEW initiatives and programs.

DEFINITIONS

Municipal: City hall and other municipal properties, parks and open spaces, roads, roadsides, sidewalks, cemeteries, schools and sports facilities, empty lots and brownfields, libraries, hospitals, assisted living, churches, universities, and colleges

Business: Commercial and industrial sectors, shopping centers, stores, office buildings, restaurants, mixed use developments, service stations, railway and bus stations, plant nurseries/garden centers

Residential: Single family residences, condominiums, town houses, planned communities, apartment buildings, gated communities, manufactured home communities, trailer parks, residential developments, neighborhoods, graduated care facilities

Community Involvement: Volunteer efforts by individuals, clubs, youth groups, church groups, civic organizations, and social clubs for community enhancement

Population Category:

AIB Participation History:

Year / Bloom rating / Special Mention / Outstanding Achievement (Criteria)or Other Award

Table of Contents

Introduction to (Participant)

Please write a brief overview of your town. 500 words max.

(Optional photo with caption.)

2016PARTICIPANT INFORMATION

Population:

Website:

Contact Name:

AIB Committee Chair Contact:

Area in Square Miles:

Acres of Active Recreation:

Acres of Passive Recreation:

Do You Have a Volunteer Coordinator?

City, State 2016 1

Floral Displays – Attracting Attention with Colorful Plants

Judges will be looking at the good use and integration of annuals, perennials, bulbs, and ornamental grasses and the participant’s:

  • Flower beds, carpet bedding, containers, baskets, window boxes
  • Arrangement, originality, distribution, location, diversity, balance, harmony
  • High quality maintenance

Municipal

Leadership and plan of action for floral displays

Concept and design, variety of plantings, overall effect

Maintenance and quality of displays

Design for all seasons

Business

Concept and design, overall effect

Maintenance/quality of floral displays

Residential

Concept and design, overall effect

Maintenance/quality of floral displays

Community Involvement

Volunteer involvement in design, planting, and maintenance of floral displays

Financial and in-kind contributions to floral displays

Landscaped Areas – Designed Tree, Shrub, Turf, and Perennial Plantings

Judges will be looking at the overall design and suitability for the location and use of

  • Native and introduced materials
  • Good use of design principles (balance of plant material and constructed elements, harmony, color, texture, shape, etc.)
  • Tasteful integration of hardscape(s) (such as lamp posts, benches, etc.)
  • Lighting, art elements
  • High standards of maintenance (no weeds, good mulching practices, clean edges)
  • Site rejuvenation and rehabilitation
  • Turf and groundcovers.

Municipal

  • Overall design and planting of landscape, turf and groundcovers
  • Environmental management of sports fields and turf
  • Quality of landscape maintenance
  • Sustainable management, naturalization and eco-design

Business

  • Overall design and planting of landscape
  • Environmental management of turf and groundcovers
  • Quality of landscape maintenance

Residential

  • Overall design and planting of landscape
  • Environmental management of turf and groundcovers
  • Quality of landscape maintenance

Community Involvement

  • Volunteer involvement in funding, planting, and maintenance of landscaped areas
  • Participation in future planning (committees, councils, and advisory boards.)

Urban Forestry

Judges will be looking at your efforts preserving street and parkland trees and:

  • Written policies, by-laws and regulations, long and short term plans
  • Distribution, variety and suitability oftrees
  • New plantings, urban tree program, inventory or database, frequency of surveys, scheduled succession plantings
  • Qualified personnel or access to trained individual(s) for tree care and maintenance programs
  • Preservation of heritage trees and woodlots

Municipal

  • Overall plan of action, tree planting programs, variety of species, inventory
  • Tree maintenance
  • Preservation and restoration of natural areas
  • Tree protection/planting regulations and by-laws

Business

  • Overall planting program
  • Tree maintenance

Residential

  • Overall planting program
  • Tree maintenance

Community Involvement

  • Volunteer involvement in funding, planting, and maintenance of trees
  • Volunteer involvement of youth in tree programs (i.e., Arbor Day, etc.)

Environmental Effort – Sustainable Development and Awareness

Judges will be looking at the your efforts regarding sustainable development

  • Policies and by-laws
  • Waste reduction, hazardous waste collection (oil, paint, chemicals, used batteries, etc), transfer/recycle stations, recycling (paper, glass, metal, plastic, electronics, etc), composting, environmental cleanup activities
  • Integrated Pest Management (IPM), rain gardens and rain barrels, youth programs, events such as Earth Day
  • Water source and conservation, naturalization, air quality issues, controlled burns, environmentally friendly transportation

Municipal

  • Leadership in environmental initiatives
  • Effective communication of environmental strategies and initiatives
  • New programs, improvement and innovation

Business

  • Participation in environmental efforts
  • New programs, improvement and innovation

Residential

  • Participation in environmental efforts
  • New programs, improvement and innovation

Community Involvement

  • Volunteer involvement in environmental efforts
  • Youth participation in environmental activities

Heritage – Preserving Your Past for Future Generations

Judges will be looking at your efforts preserving:

  • Museums, archives,artefacts, history books and interpretative programs, resource availability
  • Policies and by-laws
  • Preservation and restoration of buildings, homes, churches, cemeteries, heritage sites and/or monuments
  • Heritage parks, gardens and trees; interpretive programs; farmers markets, festivals, parades
  • Historical society, heritage advisory committee, etc.

Municipal

  • Leadership in preservation and restoration initiatives
  • Legal protection of heritage sites
  • Resource availability for preservation and restoration

Business

  • Conservation, restoration, and rehabilitation of properties
  • Participation in and support of heritage/cultural activities

Residential

  • Conservation, restoration, and rehabilitation of properties
  • Participation in and support of heritage/cultural activities

Community Involvement

  • Volunteer involvement in cultural, historical, and natural heritage activities
  • Youth involvement in heritage activities

Overall Impression

Judges will be looking at thetidiness, order and cleanliness of:

  • Green spaces
  • Medians and boulevard strips, streets, sidewalks, curbs, ditches, road shoulders, scrap yards, unattended and vacant lots, noxious weeds, lack of weeds,litter, dog fouling, vandalism
  • Signage (in good repair, sufficient, etc.),notices/posters, graffiti
  • Buildings, garbage receptacles and recyclables disposal
  • General maintenance of the hardscape (such as lamp posts, benches, etc.)

Municipal

  • Overall cleanliness
  • Maintenance of public roads and shoulders
  • Condition of public buildings and properties
  • Impact of graphic elements - banners, signs, murals, etc.

Business

  • Overall cleanliness
  • Condition of buildings and properties

Residential

  • Overall cleanliness
  • Condition of buildings and properties

Community Involvement

  • Participation in clean up efforts, adopt-a-spot, annual cleanup days, etc.
  • Recognition of volunteer efforts

Best Idea

In 500 words or less, describe the best idea or best practice your town has implemented this year.

Include at least one photo.Map

If practical, insert a map of your town here with the judge’s route highlighted.

Itinerary

Send your itinerary to the judges and AIB at least 2 weeks before the judges depart on their judging tour. List the itinerary to be followed with your judges from the moment they arrive to the moment they leave. Add more lines if needed. Remember to allow time for travel from location to location, for questions, and for surprises. Also be sure to leave at least 2 hours BEFORE DINNERfor the judges to start your evaluation on Day 1 and 3 hours BEFORE DINNERon Day 2. Allow some time so they can debrief with you before they leave and ask/answer any additional questions.

Date: / Location/Activity/Representative / Duration
Time:

Contacts

Provide names,affiliation/title, and contact information (address, email, phone numbers)of people the judges will meet. Add more lines if necessary.

Name/Address / Affiliation/title / Email / Phone

City, State 2016 1