News

Area gets report card on beauty efforts

Jack Clasen explains an evaluation of the community by America In Bloom.

By Bill Moss, Published: November 7, 2014

Hendersonville narrowly missed a major national award for its downtown streetscape improvements and the community did receive a "special mention" for its landscaping overall from a national community beautification program.

America in Bloom judges visited Hendersonville, Flat Rock, Laurel Park and Mills River last June. The judges evaluate the community based on its flower displays, landscaping, trees, environmental efforts, heritage preservation and overall impression, make recommendations and write nominations for national awards.
Presenting a report card  to local leaders on Friday morning, America in Bloom judge Jack Clasen said he and co-judge Linda Cromer were disappointed that the national AIB committee chose another city for the commercial streetscape award.
"I've been doing this for 13 years and I'm usually very level-headed. I'm very calm," he said. "I understand how difficult it is (to judge). But I was actually very upset that you did not win that special award for commercial streetscape for Main Street in Hendersonville. Linda and I both felt that the Main Street renovation is first class."
Clasen said he felt so strongly about the award that "a bit of a shakeup" resulted.
Clasen gave the report card at the City Operations Center in a session attended by the mayors of Hendersonville, Laurel Park and Flat Rock, Henderson County America in Bloom Committee members, the Tourism Development Authority and city and county officials.
The judges loved the 220 hanging baskets that line Main, King and Church streets but recommended "hot colors" instead of purples and pinks that "recede into the background."
Clasen returned several times to the theme, saying that because it is a tourism destination, Hendersonville needs "to have these as good as anywhere." The town should plant more yellow and other colors that pop and consider "punching up" the purple by mixing it with white. The judges were "perplexed" by the use of grass in some baskets and recommended pruning the fuller side of baskets that become imbalanced.
A committee launched the local America In Bloom effort last spring with funding from the municipalities. The committee plans to invite AIB judges back for a second evaluation next summer after working on improvements.
In other evaluation and recommendations, the judges said:

• The committee's community report was too wordy. In some places it contained unnecessary detail and in others it needed more. Volunteerism could have been described in more detail.
• The Visitor Center is an important asset that could be better tied to the Main Street theme with planters and bright flowers.
• Parks were neatly mowed but lacked flowerbeds, shrubs and trees. The county should look for "opportunities at Jackson Park to soften the view of the bleachers at ballfields with shrubs at the end or behind the bleachers."
• The judges praised Flat Rock, Laurel Park and Hendersonville for their heritage preservation efforts and recommended house tours and walking tours to raise the profile of the historic assets.
• Although the "entire county was neat and tidy" with little litter, "sign pollution" on main thoroughfares and the weeds behind the old Four Seasons Cinema detracted from the appeal. The judges recommended that local leaders consider an ordinance to control visual or light pollution "before it becomes an issue."
• For its next evaluation, the local committee should make sure that knowledgeable people are available to answer questions. Specifically, Clasen said the judges wanted to know about the city Tree Board's programs and wanted to speak to the horticulturist in charge of the Main Street hangning baskets.
• The AIM Committee could encourage churches to expand and enhance their landscaping efforts and recognize them publicly.
• Laurel Park needs to combat the English ivy creeping up its roadside trees.
• Main Street in Hendersonville has done a good job with the tree canopy, nearing the goal of 50 percent coverage recommended by the International Society of Arboriculture. "Main Street will approach this goal, which is rarely achieved in an urban setting — bravo!"
• The AIB Committee should eliminate the winery stop from the judges' tour and condense the apple orchard presentation. "I love learning about it. I loved it," Clasen said. "But for this program it would have been better to show us one for 10 or 15 minutes and then move on to something else."

In the future, the towns should expand their landscaping, tree plantings and flowerbeds outside the main destinations as much as possible.

"There's a lot more to the municipality than Main Street," he said. "We're looking at the wide swath. We're not just saying we're going to judge Main Street. We're looking at the entire municipality."

To improve its score next year, Clasen recommended the towns "focus on any improvements you make — if for example you plant some flowers. That's what impresses the judges, where you made improvements. There was no recommendations but (judges will react) because you caught the spirit."