Community Profile
Your town name and state here
(If college campus, business district, military installation, or
neighborhood of a large city, please add that information as
well.)
2013
City, state 2013
1
Instructions for using this template:
The Community Profile is an important summary of your town’s achievements for the previous 12 months and as
such, is part of your history. Use this template to simplify its creation – a required part of your America in Bloom
Entry.
This format, when used by all participants, will provide the judges with a uniform presentation of information with
which to evaluate communities. Using a template will help you determine what you will show your judges when
they are in town.
Please send one copy (electronic) of your Community Profile to each of your judges before they begin their travels. If
you have additional materials such as more photos, newspaper clippings, videos, etc., they can be made available in a
separate binder that you can give to the judges during their visit to your town. The judges may, at their discretion,
take this additional binder with them or ask that it be mailed to their home, or they may simply refer to the additional
binder while in your town and leave it for you.
Please send an electronic copy to the AIB office. You may also want to give a copy to your historical society, library,
chamber of commerce, visitor’s center, and city hall.
How to use this template:

Fill in the requested information on each page. Overwrite the highlighted text with your specific information.

Add photos if you wish. Be sure each photo has a caption. (Remember, when adding photos to compress them
when you’re finished with the document to reduce the file size if you intend to email it.)
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Feel free to change the layout if it helps.
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Maximum page count is 25 pages.
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When finished with the document, delete this instruction page. Also delete the sections shaded in green –
they are for your reference only and are provided as prompts for information to include.

Include a table of contents. If you have used the headings in the template, you can generate it easily using
Word’s table of contents feature.

If you have participated in AIB in the past, be sure to highlight NEW initiatives and programs.
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If you want, you can save the file as a pdf and put it on your town’s website. Also, remember to email it to
your judges at least two weeks before they depart on their judging tour (one of the visiting judges will contact
you after your judging date is scheduled and let you know when they will be leaving). Receiving your
Community Profile Book early helps judges become familiar with your town before judging begins.
DEFINITIONS
Municipal: City hall and other municipal properties, parks and open spaces, roads, roadsides, sidewalks, cemeteries, schools and
sports facilities, empty lots and brownfields, libraries, hospitals, assisted living, churches, universities, and colleges
Business: Commercial and industrial sectors, shopping centers, stores, office buildings, restaurants, mixed use developments,
service stations, railway and bus stations, plant nurseries/garden centers
Residential: Single family residences, condominiums, town houses, planned communities, apartment buildings, gated
communities, manufactured home communities, trailer parks, residential developments, neighborhoods, graduated care facilities
Community Involvement: Volunteer efforts by individuals, clubs, youth groups, church groups, civic organizations, and social
clubs for community enhancement
City, state 2013
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Population Category:
AIB Participation History:
Year
Bloom rating
Special Mention
Criteria or Other Award
Table of Contents
City, state 2013
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Introduction to (Your Town)
Please write a brief overview of your town. 500 words max.
(Optional photo of your town with caption.)
City, state 2013
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2013 MUNICIPAL INFORMATION
Population:
City Website:
City Contact Name:
AIB Committee Chair Contact:
Town Area in Square Miles:
Acres of Active Recreation:
Acres of Passive Recreation:
Do You Have a Volunteer Coordinator?
City, state 2013
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City, state 2013
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Floral Displays – Attracting Attention with Colorful Plants
Judges will be looking at the good use and integration of annuals, perennials, bulbs, and ornamental grasses and the
community’s:
 Flower beds, carpet bedding, containers, baskets, window boxes
 Arrangement, originality, distribution, location, diversity, balance, harmony
 High quality maintenance
Municipal
Leadership and plan of action for floral displays
Concept and design, variety of plantings, overall effect
Maintenance and quality of displays
Design for all seasons
Business
Concept and design, overall effect
Maintenance/quality of floral displays
Residential
Concept and design, overall effect
Maintenance/quality of floral displays
Community Involvement
Volunteer involvement in design, planting, and maintenance of floral displays
Financial and in-kind contributions to floral displays
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Landscaped Areas – Designed Tree, Shrub, Turf, and Perennial Plantings
Judges will be looking at the overall design and suitability for the location and use of
 Native and introduced materials
 Good use of design principles ( balance of plant material and constructed elements, harmony, color, texture,
shape, etc.)
 Tasteful integration of hardscape(s) (such as lamp posts, benches, etc.)
 Lighting, art elements
 High standards of maintenance (no weeds, good mulching practices, clean edges)
 Site rejuvenation and rehabilitation
 Turf and groundcovers.
Municipal
 Overall design and planting of landscape, turf and groundcovers
 Environmental management of sports fields and turf
 Quality of landscape maintenance
 Sustainable management, naturalization and eco-design
Business
 Overall design and planting of landscape
 Environmental management of turf and groundcovers
 Quality of landscape maintenance
Residential
 Overall design and planting of landscape
 Environmental management of turf and groundcovers
 Quality of landscape maintenance
Community Involvement
 Volunteer involvement in funding, planting, and maintenance of landscaped areas
 Participation in future planning (committees, councils, and advisory boards.)
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Urban Forestry
Judges will be looking at your efforts preserving street and parkland trees and:
 Written policies, by-laws and regulations, long and short term plans
 Distribution, variety and suitability of trees
 New plantings, urban tree program, inventory or database, frequency of surveys, scheduled succession plantings
 Qualified personnel or access to trained individual(s) for tree care and maintenance programs
 Preservation of heritage trees and woodlots
Municipal
 Overall plan of action, tree planting programs, variety of species, inventory
 Tree maintenance
 Preservation and restoration of natural areas
 Tree protection/planting regulations and by-laws
Business
 Overall planting program
 Tree maintenance
Residential
 Overall planting program
 Tree maintenance
Community Involvement
 Volunteer involvement in funding, planting, and maintenance of trees
 Volunteer involvement of youth in tree programs (i.e., Arbor Day, etc.)
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Environmental Effort – Sustainable Development and Awareness
Judges will be looking at the your efforts regarding sustainable development
 Policies and by-laws
 Waste reduction, hazardous waste collection (oil, paint, chemicals, used batteries, etc), transfer/recycle
stations, recycling (paper, glass, metal, plastic, electronics, etc), composting, environmental cleanup
activities
 Integrated Pest Management (IPM), rain gardens and rain barrels, youth programs, events such as Earth Day
 Water source and conservation, naturalization, air quality issues, controlled burns, environmentally friendly
transportation
Municipal
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Leadership in environmental initiatives
Effective communication of environmental strategies and initiatives
New programs, improvement and innovation
Business
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Participation in environmental efforts
New programs, improvement and innovation
Residential
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Participation in environmental efforts
New programs, improvement and innovation
Community Involvement
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Volunteer involvement in environmental efforts
Youth participation in environmental activities
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Heritage – Preserving Your Past for Future Generations
Judges will be looking at your efforts preserving:
 Museums, archives, artefacts, history books and interpretative programs, resource availability
 Policies and by-laws
 Preservation and restoration of buildings, homes, churches, cemeteries, heritage sites and/or monuments
 Heritage parks, gardens and trees; interpretive programs; farmers markets, festivals, parades
 Historical society, heritage advisory committee, etc.
Municipal
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Leadership in preservation and restoration initiatives
Legal protection of heritage sites
Resource availability for preservation and restoration
Business
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Conservation, restoration, and rehabilitation of properties
Participation in and support of heritage/cultural activities
Residential
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Conservation, restoration, and rehabilitation of properties
Participation in and support of heritage/cultural activities
Community Involvement
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Volunteer involvement in cultural, historical, and natural heritage activities
Youth involvement in heritage activities
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Overall Impression
Judges will be looking at the tidiness, order and cleanliness of:
 Green spaces
 Medians and boulevard strips, streets, sidewalks, curbs, ditches, road shoulders, scrap yards, unattended and
vacant lots, noxious weeds, lack of weeds, litter, dog fouling, vandalism
 Signage (in good repair, sufficient, etc.), notices/posters, graffiti
 Buildings, garbage receptacles and recyclables disposal
 General maintenance of the hardscape (such as lamp posts, benches, etc.)
Municipal
 Overall cleanliness
 Maintenance of public roads and shoulders
 Condition of public buildings and properties
 Impact of graphic elements - banners, signs, murals, etc.
Business
 Overall cleanliness
 Condition of buildings and properties
Residential
 Overall cleanliness
 Condition of buildings and properties
Community Involvement
 Participation in clean up efforts, adopt-a-spot, annual cleanup days, etc.
 Recognition of volunteer efforts
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Best Idea
In 500 words or less, describe the best idea or best practice your town has implemented this year.
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Map
If practical, insert a map of your town here with the judge’s route highlighted.
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Itinerary
Send your itinerary to the judges and AIB at least 2 weeks before the judges depart on their judging tour. List the
itinerary to be followed with your judges from the moment they arrive to the moment they leave. Add more lines if
needed. Remember to allow time for travel from location to location, for questions, and for surprises. Also be sure to
leave at least 2 hours BEFORE DINNER for the judges to start your evaluation on Day 1 and 3 hours BEFORE
DINNER on Day 2. Allow some time so they can debrief with you before they leave and ask any additional
questions.
Date:
Time:
City, state 2013
Location/Activity/Representative
Duration
F
Related Criteria
L H U E OI
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Contacts
Provide names, affiliation/title, and contact information (address, email, phone numbers) of people the judges will
meet. Add more lines if necessary.
Name/Address
City, state 2013
Affiliation/title
Email
Phone
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