America in Bloom Judges Tour Kent

City officials spent a whirlwind two days showing off the city of Kent to two judges from America in Bloom, a non-profit that awards communities for high quality of life as determined by numerous criteria.  

The judges spent Thursday and Friday visiting with city officials and local business and community leaders touring a variety of places across the city.

The organization bestows “bloom” ratings and awards after reviewing criteria during their visits that include floral displays, landscaped areas, urban forestry, community involvement, environmental efforts. heritage preservation, and overall impression, according to America in Bloom’s website.

Bridget Susel, Kent’s Community Development Department director, and Kent City Manager Dave Ruller met the two judges Thursday and started their visit with a review of the downtown redevelopment that included changes to its tree canopy in addition to the more than $100 million in new construction.

The visit expanded to include stops at both the Davey Resource Group offices downtown and the Davey Tree Expert Co. headquarters on North Mantua Street with meetings at the new Smithers Oasis greenhouse expansion and time spent at the Kent Historical Society.

“So they saw quite a bit,” Susel said. “They looked at everything, they really did. Anything that showed community engagement, historic preservation and floral and urban forestry was key.”

Part of their visit Friday included a tour of the Kent State University campus, where Kent Mayor Jerry Fiala showed the two judges around. Fiala said he believed the judges were impressed with all they saw in Kent and the city stands a strong chance of earning an award.

“I think Kent has a very good shot,” he said.

Susel said she expects to learn in August from officials at America in Bloom if the city has earned an award or the organization’s certification as a community “in bloom.”

“Not everyone is approved,” she said. “It’s a way of highlighting and showcasing Kent.”