The Town of Langham has been named one of the top three communities (population 1,000 to 2,000) in the province for its efforts to nurture green spaces, promote environmental sustainability, and promote quality of life.
The town was recently recognized by Communities in Bloom (CiB) Saskatchewan in the 2021 Tourist’s Takeaway Category.
The town also received special mention by CiB for Penner Park in its central business district, as well as its immaculate school grounds.
Langham town councillor Carol Osatchoff Epp said the Langham Public Works department, headed by town foreman Stephen Wiebe, deserve a lot of the credit for the award.
“The folks in our public works department worked their buns off through the drought last summer to make sure all the plants got watered faithfully,” said Epp. “In a normal year, we get rain, but this past year it was a real challenge to keep everything looking good.”
Epp also credited Nancy Martin, of Dieter Martin Greenhouse in Langham, with planning and contributing to the array of colourful flowers and plants in strategic locations around the community. The town’s former recreation director was also very involved.
In addition to flowers in the parks and schoolyards, there are about 40 hanging plant pots in the town’s central business core.
Epp said the town is looking to expand the program by encouraging more residents to become involved.
“We have lots of nice yards in town,” said Epp. “It’s time we gave them some recognition. We’re looking at some ideas right now, including perhaps a contest for the winning street.
“The Communities in Bloom award provides some momentum and we’d like to carry that forward.”
According to its website, “Communities in Bloom is a volunteer and partnership-driven organization that uses a multi-tiered competitive evaluation process to foster community strength, involvement and continuous improvement. This is accomplished by nurturing environmental sustainability, enhancements of green spaces, and heritage conservation, in cultural and natural environments encompassing municipal, residential, commercial and institutional spaces.”