Melfort city hall hanged a Communities in Bloom flag as the city enters the national beautifying competition in July. (Facebook/City of Melfort)

By Aaron Schulze

Bloom is Looming

Melfort Spring Clean-Up more important with national competition looming

May 10, 2019 | 4:30 PM

The Spring Clean-Up is a yearly process in the City of Melfort to encourage residents to clean up their yard waste after winter has passed and the snow and ice have melted.

Although this year there’s a little more encouragement from the city to help residents clean their yards, as Melfort is months away from participating in a national beautifying competition.

Melfort Communities in Bloom received five blooms – the highest rating given – by the Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association in September 2018, and will compete on the national level on July 16 and 17.

Brent Lutz, Melfort’s director of development planning and community relations, said the neighbourhood’s’ appearance is an important factor in judging.

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“One of the things they do judge the community on is the appearance of the neighbourhoods,” Lutz told northeastNOW. “We encourage people to maybe go out a little extra this year, make their place look a little extra special and work toward beautifying the community.”

To make cleaning up yard waste easier for residents, the city of Melfort waived sanitary landfill fees from May 10 to 20 for items such as grass, leaves, garden refuse, and tree branches under four feet and bundled. Lutz said Melfort’s waste collection contractor will pick those items up curbside on regular waste collection days for residents.

Lutz said the city attempts to pick dates to host its Spring Clean-Up based on when spring arrives, although it’s always a challenge.

“This year particularly, we had some warmer weather earlier on and some people got an early start, and then the weather took a turn for the colder area,” he said. “In the forecast, it’s looking like we won’t have many evenings in the freezing territory, so people will now be out in their yards and getting ready.”

Melfort’s landfill is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. from Monday through Saturday, but closed on Sunday. Lutz said the landfill will be open on Victoria Day on May 20.

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow