Coshocton’s America in Bloom award results announced

Top honors for the prestigious 2022 America in Bloom National Awards Program were announced at the annual symposium and awards celebration held in St. Louis, Sept. 29 -Oct. 1.

Coshocton, was the winner of the Best Use of Containers in the Landscape Award. Additionally, Coshocton was the winner of the 11,000 – 14,000 Population Category Award. Other communities in this population category were Escanaba, MI; Lawrenceburg, KY; Plover, WI; and Swansea, IL.

Coshocton received special recognition for its Flowers from its Advisors. Leslie Pittenger and Linda Cromer, AIB Advisors, spent two days in the summer touring the community, meeting municipal officials, residents, and volunteers.

All participants were evaluated on seven criteria: community vitality, overall impression, environmental efforts, heritage celebration, urban forestry, landscaped areas, and flowers. America in Bloom is the only national awards program that sends specially trained Advisors to personally visit participants. In addition, each participant receives a detailed written evaluation that can be used as a guide to future improvements.

America in Bloom Executive Director Laura Kunkle, said, “America in Bloom is helping communities of all sizes achieve their potential. Every year our participants raise the bar, and the accomplishments and progress shown by this year’s group is remarkable. These are, without a doubt, some of the best places to live, work, and visit. Congratulations to Coshocton for the excellent work making your community more beautiful and vibrant.”

To date, more than 280 communities from 43 states have participated in the program and more than 22 million people have been touched by it. Registrations for the 2022 national awards program can be submitted until February 28, 2022. Eligible participants include towns, cities, college and university campuses, business districts, military installations, and recognized neighborhoods of large cities.

American in Bloom advisers touring Coshocton Monday and Tuesday

Coshocton has competed in the national floral and landscape competition for nine years

Leonard L. Hayhurst

Coshocton Tribune

Published 5:40 a.m. ET July 23, 2022

America in Bloom judges Jack Clasen and Susie Stratton talk with Anne Cornell, executive director of the Pomerene Center for the Arts, at the artPARK during a previous visit. Advisers, formerly known as judges, will be in town Monday and Tuesday.

Leonard Hayhurst/Tribune

• Advisors from America in Bloom will be in Coshocton Monday and Tuesday touring the local area with representatives from Coshocton in Bloom.

• AIB is a national floral and landscape competition Coshocton has competed in for nine years against community similar in size.

• Categories rated are community vitality, flowers, landscaped areas, urban forestry, environmental efforts, celebrating heritage and overall impression.

• A community celebration with the advisors will be at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Clary Gardens on Chestnut Street.

COSHOCTON — Encouraging local beautification and showcasing what Coshocton has to offer to the world are reasons the city has competed in a national floral and landscaping competition for nine years.

Advisers, formerly known as judges, from America in Bloom will be in Coshocton on Monday and Tuesday. They will visit various areas in a tour formulated by a local steering committee, Coshocton in Bloom, to write evaluations citing strengths and opportunities for improvement. Categories rated include community vitality, flowers, landscaped areas, urban forestry, environmental efforts, celebrating heritage and overall impression.

Stops will include the Coshocton County Court Square, REACT Park, building renovation projects along Main Street, Coshocton County Fairgrounds, Roscoe Village, Clary Gardens and others. A community celebration with the advisers will be at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Clary Gardens, 588 W. Chestnut St.

A stop will also be at the new CIB greenhouses on Denman Avenue, which opened this spring. The greenhouses are being used to grow plants and assemble hanging baskets and pots seen throughout Downtown Coshocton and Roscoe Village.

Coshocton competes in AIB against other communities the same size. Adviser evaluations and awards will be given at a symposium Sept. 29 to Oct. 1 in St. Louis, Missouri. Last year, Coshocton won a special award for best sports complex for Kids America. More than 275 communities from 43 states have participated in AIB to date.

The advisers visiting Coshocton had been here before, Leslie Pittenger and Linda Cromer. Both were instrumental in spearheading the creation of AIB local steering committees in their communities.

Leslie Pittenger Submitted By America In Bloom

Pittenger has been an adviser for AIB since 2014 and was former auditor for the City of Belpre. She's a member of the AIB board and past board president. She has served on the national awards program committee and has been the adviser coordinator for five years. Pittenger has completed the Ohio Tree Commission Academy course and is an Ohio Sate University Master Gardener.

Linda Cromer Submitted By America In Bloom

Cromer is from Greendale, Indiana, and owned a floral shop and greenhouse for more than a decade. She also served as a planning commissioner, chairperson of the park board and tree board and housing authority commissioner. She has used her extensive traveling to audit design and horticulture classes at a number of universities while also studying the diversity and individuality of public gardens and the communities where they are located.

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with close to 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.

Planting pride in the community

Coshocton in Bloom greenhouse nears completion, support is needed

Leonard L. Hayhurst

Coshocton Tribune

Published: 5:36 a.m. ET March 20, 2022 Updated: 2:51 p.m. ET March 21, 2022"

Coshocton in Bloom is finishing a greenhouse project on 2.3 acres of land on Denman Avenue. There will be room to add more pods if needed, have outside hoop houses and possibly space for a community garden.

Key Points

• Coshocton in Bloom hopes to have a new greenhouse on Denman Avenue finished by first of April.

• The greenhouse features heaters, fans and a retractable roof for growing of plants and flowers used in hanging baskets and planters.

• CIB might also grow or store flowers for fundraisers and have outside space for hoop houses and community gardens.

• CIB is the local steering committee for the national America in Bloom contest, with judges coming to Coshocton July 23.

COSHOCTON — Although there's still lots to complete, Coshocton in Bloom hopes its new greenhouse will be functional by the first part of April.

The structure is erected, water is hooked up and concrete for the floors were poured last week. Upcoming work includes leveling and seeding the outside, creating a small parking lot, finishing electric wiring, running a gas line and moving in equipment and plants. The greenhouse is on Denman Avenue, site of the former Clary Brothers Florist.

The greenhouse features heaters if it's too cold and fans for its too warm. The roof can also opened and it has sensors to close if it rains or it's too windy.

The greenhouse is one unit, but can easily be divided into two pods with some screening in the middle, said CIB President Tim France. There's room to add at least two more pods in the future if needed. They might also have a community garden and outdoor hoop houses, smaller covered structures for growing.

France said his vision is to start plants on one side and move them as they grow with bigger plants together on the other side. Along with growing, the greenhouse will be used to assemble the hanging baskets and pots one sees throughout Downtown Coshocton and Roscoe Village.

Tim France checks a water spigot at the new Coshocton in Bloom greenhouse on Denman Avenue, where Clary Brothers Florist once stood. CIB hopes to have work completed by the first of April and will be growing plants used in hanging baskets and planters around Coshocton.

CIB maintains 96 hanging baskets and 50 planters with two plants each in downtown and there's another 60 pots in Roscoe Village. France said they usually grow some extra just in case. Plants when pulled for the winter can be stored at the greenhouse as well.

CIB started as the local steering committee for the national America in Bloom floral and landscaping competition. Coshocton has won several awards and received good marks from judges over the years. Judges will be in town the week of July 23.

Future plans and funding

There probably won't be any this year, but France said in the future they might grow plants or buy plants and store them at the greenhouse to sell to the community as fundraisers. France said they also might expand and provide baskets and planters to other areas of the county, like West Lafayette.

"We're not just helping us, we're trying to improve the whole county," he said. "You know this (greenhouse) isn't going away, it's here and we're here to stay."

CIB is still looking for donations for the greenhouse project. France said it's hard to estimate how much they need because of how the cost of materials and labor has skyrocketed. The 2.3 acre property was purchased in May 2021 for $60,000. Concrete work was about $30,000.

The greenhouse features heater, fans and a retractable roof for growing a variety of plants used in hanging baskets and planters in Coshocton

France said community feedback has been strong. Along with monetary donations, CIB is also looking for volunteers to help with planting and growing this spring.

"We don't care the amount, we just want you to support us. You can show your support by contributing," France said. "People think 'oh, the city is taking care of that' or 'they're good they don't need anything,' but we need everybody's help. We need as much help as we can get."