PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date:February 2, 2015
Contact:Andy Kenyon, Interim Director of Parks and Recreation,
; Steve Zwiep, Parks Supervisor, , at 616.928.2450
Subject:Holland Enters America in Bloom Competition for Fifth Year
The City of Holland and the Holland in Bloom Committee are pleased to announce Holland’s entry into the 2015 America in Bloom Competition for the fifth consecutive year!
Holland has achieved considerable success in the America in Bloom competition, receiving a 5-out-of-5-bloom rating and winning the top award in its population category during each of the previous four years, as well as winning an Outstanding Achievement Award in one of the six criteria categories in each of its four years of participation (2011, 2012, 2013,and 2014). Holland was also awarded the YouTube video award in 2014. These consecutive awards have placed us in an America in Bloom “Circle of Champions”.
An exciting change is taking place in the America in Bloom program for 2015, as AIB will begin a new judging category called the “Champions” category for those communities who have achieved the “Circle of Champions” designation.According to Steve Zwiep, City Parks Superintendent and Chair of the Holland in Bloom Committee, “The Circle of Champions currently includes more than a dozen cities like Holland, who have won a combination of three or more population and/or criteria awards, and these multiple award winners will compete against each other.This opens up a whole new opportunity for Holland!”. The “Champions” contestants will still be able to qualify for the Outstanding Achievement Awards, Special Awards, the YouTube Video Award, the Community Champion Award, and the Photography Contest Awards. Judges will use the same evaluation grid and provide recommendations for improvement.
Although the awards are an affirmation of the pride we have in our community, participation signifies the community’s strong desire to always seek ways to improve beautification efforts. The City of Holland seeks to continually find ways to make the community a welcoming and vibrant place, and to integrate beautification, historic preservation, and environmental efforts into the fabric of the community. Zwiep noted, “Through the judging process, valuable input is received from judges who are experts in their field, and the evaluation provides new ideas that can be pursued, and new opportunities to create a pleasing and attractive environment for residents, businesses, and institutions”.
Holland will also be the host community for the America in Bloom National Symposium, to be held September 24-26, 2015.