Niverville’s Communities in Bloom (NCIB) committee has created another long list of town beautification initiatives for this spring and summer. Some items on their to-do list are continuations of past projects, while new ones will take root this year.

Three new Heritage Reflections signs will appear along Main Street, continuing the theme of providing historical pictures and stories for residents and visitors alike. Many of these signs are already in place, including along the fence at the Niverville Elementary School as well as on buildings facing the railway tracks for travellers entering town from the west.

NCIB hopes to access funding this year for the creation of a 64-foot metal heritage wall to replace the deteriorating wood fence running alongside the Niverville Credit Union parking lot. The heritage wall will have six panels, each one depicting different periods in Niverville’s history, including a focus on the immigrant pioneers who first settled here.

As well, the committee is making plans to work with the Mennonite Landing Committee on the creation of a historical point of interest at the location of the original well near the Red River.

Planting and enhancing gardens around the community is also on the spring agenda. Shirley Hoult says the committee will continue their work in the Fifth Avenue Estates development, where a number of gardens had been suffering from neglect. One such point of interest is at the amphitheatre near the play park. The existing shrubs there will be cleaned up and replaced with ornamental grasses and native plants.

“At the Fifth Avenue Estates entrance last year, we transplanted some of the rose [bushes] and added soil and mulch,” says Hoult. “[We] planted day lilies, French irises, and a tree to improve the appearance. This year we will see how those plantings have done before adding more.”

The beautification work will continue into Hespeler Park, where a variety of native plants will be introduced around the timber frame structure that acts as a welcome to visitors near the lagoon remediation site. This area has recently been transformed into a native wildlife habitat.

By late July, Hoult says they will be hosting a Niverville garden tour, drawing plant lovers from Winnipeg and surrounding area. It’s for anyone, she says, with an interest in small community initiatives and gardening.

She adds that you can’t have a true appreciation for natural beauty without considering our environmental impact. To address this, a number of green initiatives are underway.

“Environmental action is a part of the Manitoba Communities in Bloom program and has been identified as an area for potential improvement,” Hoult says. “In an attempt to build awareness on this, we’ve created a survey to be completed by business [owners] to better understand where they are at in environmental [initiatives] and if and where we can provide assistance to them to improve as a business community.”

As well, the NCIB hopes to work together with town council and local businesses on an initiative that will see the reduction and eventual elimination of plastic bags in town. Single-use plastic bags have become a pervasive problem impacting the health of our planet.

At NCIB’s request, the town is also taking on a number of new beautification initiatives.

“We have ordered supplies and NCIB will be using volunteers to help clean off graffiti throughout town,” says Eric King, Niverville’s chief administrative officer.

The town will also consider improved lighting at the cenotaph, located at the Heritage Cemetery on Main Street.

While much of the fundraising is already in place for NCIB’s 2019 initiatives, Hoult welcomes donations from residents or business owners towards any specific project.