Lettner is a member of Jasper’s CiB Committee. He was in Edmonton, along with a number of other community members, to accept the national award last October. He attributes the municipality’s success in the provincial and national competitions to the “great group of people that are involved.
“I think the committee should be commended, as well as the municipality,” he said.
He also acknowledged the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce who created a local CiB award, which it presented to Patricia Lake Bungalows during the annual Business and Ambassador Awards Gala last October.
CiB is a Canadian non-profit organization committed to fostering civic pride, environmental responsibility and beautification through community involvement. There are provincial, national and international editions of the program that judge communities on eight criteria: tidiness, environmental action, heritage conservation, urban forestry, landscape, turf and ground-covers, floral displays and community involvement.
“What we try to make sure we keep reminding people of is it’s not just the flowers,” said Lettner. Rather, it’s all the above criteria. So when the judges come to town July 29, they will be toured around town to see not only Jasper’s beautiful flowers, but also the history and heritage of the town and the environmental initiatives being undertaken in the community.
For instance, the committee will be highlighting the trees planted along the rail line, the SEED classroom that will soon be in Jasper and the Marilyn Monroe exhibit at the museum, and it will also provide the judges with an opportunity to meet the community during a wine and cheese event at the Robson House.
“The judges have really appreciated that opportunity in the past,” said Lettner, noting that it used to be held in the Old Fire Hall.
This year, Jasper will be judged by Evelyn Alemanni, a writer from Escondido, California, and Steve Preston, a retired municipal employee in the parks and recreation department in Brampton, Ont.
The international competition includes winners from the national competitions, including communities in the United States, Britain, Ireland and Japan. Each are judged in population categories by judges who travel to each of the communities within the category.
To help Jasper make the best impression possible on July 29, Lettner asks that community members tidy up their yards, and alert the committee if there is an area of town that could use some work. He also encourages people to let the committee know if there’s an initiative in town that should be highlighted during the judges’ tour or within the binder the judges receive.
“We want the residents of Jasper to feel they are a part of this,” said Lettner.
The winners of this year’s CiB competition will be announced in Ottawa in the fall.
