America in Bloom winners announced

America in Bloom announced the 2010 winners of its community awards during its annual symposium on Oct. 2 in St. Louis. Each participating city was judged on 8 criteria: tidiness, community involvement, environmental awareness, heritage, urban forestry, landscape, floral displays and turf and ground covers across 3 sectors: municipal, residents and volunteers. During the summer AIB judges visited participating towns of similar populations where they spent 2 days touring each location, meeting with municipal officials, residents and volunteers.
Population category winners:
Echo, Ore.: under 2,000
Lewes, Del.: 2,001-4,000
Charles City, Iowa: 4,001-10,000
Tipp City, Ohio: 10,001-15,000
Arroyo Grande, Calif.: 15,001-25,000
Westfield, N.J.: 25,001-50,000
Bloomington, Ind.: 50,001-100,000
Eight criteria awards were presented based on feedback received from the team of judges on outstanding efforts they witnessed during their visits. These awards go to one community among all of the entrant cities across all population categories.
Criteria award winners:
Arroyo Grande, Calif.: Community Involvement Award
Fayetteville, Ark.: Environmental Awareness Award
Bloomington, Ind.: Urban Forestry Award
Rising Sun, Ind.: Tidiness Award
Webster Groves, Mo.: Heritage Preservation Award
Shipshewana, Ind.: Floral Displays Award
Westfield, N.J.: Landscaped Areas Award
Addison, Texas: Turf & Groundcover Areas Award
Also during the awards program, Bob Lund of Arroyo Grande, Calif., was named as the winner of the 2nd annual John R. Holmes III Community Champion Award. The winner must come from a city that has participated in the AIB program. The award recognizes an individual who, in the view of the board of directors, best exemplifies community leadership through actions that reflect the mission of the organization.