POINT PLEASANT — Fresh off the success of their first year participating in America in Bloom, local volunteers eagerly are preparing for judging in this year’s competition.

According to Jerrie Howard, president of Point Pleasant in Bloom, volunteers have met a few times this year and some projects already are being organized. In addition, she said committee members are beginning to plan fundraisers and other events to help raise money for the non-profit organization.

Howard will continue serving as president for the 2009 installment of the local chapter. She will be joined by Cary Supple, vice president; Leigh Ann Gardner, treasurer; and Vicki Reynolds, secretary. There also are several volunteers who will chair each of the individual committees.

In 2008, the City of Point Pleasant was the first municipality in West Virginia to compete in America in Bloom, a grassroots-level community beautification contest. Judges visited the area in June for an intensive two-day evaluation period, during which the city was judged on floral displays, environmental awareness, landscaped areas, tidiness, urban forestry, heritage preservation, turf and groundcovers and community involvement.

The volunteers’ efforts paid off, and in October the group received special mention in the heritage preservation category during the Seventh Annual America in Bloom Awards Gala.

Howard said their goal is to do even better in 2009.

“We got ‘three blooms’ last year,” she said of the award process. “I want at least ‘four blooms’ this year. That’s a big job, but we’re going to try to do that.”

To achieve an additional “bloom” in the awards, Howard said the local chapter must improve in each of the eight categories based upon judges’ remarks last year. In addition, those improvements must fall into each of the three divisions: public, private and commercial.

She encouraged local homeowners and businesses to begin thinking about possible ways to spruce up their properties, adding that a specific note of concern for the judges was that many homes did not have enough foundation landscape, including trees and shrubs. Howard added that donations are welcome to help the group pay for some projects, including installing a new sign in the northern part of the city.

She said judging dates for this year’s contest will be announced in May.

According to a news release, America in Bloom has been committed to the national agenda of improving the quality of life in America for the past eight years.

The program encourages, challenges and offers support for each town to organize, sponsor and pull together volunteers to work together with the main goal of keeping their hometown vibrant. It also helps unite groups when they realize that former participating cities have reaped numerous economic benefits as well.

Participating cities and towns engage in a friendly competition against those of similar population size. Communities are evaluated by specially trained judges who visit each participating city. Participants have ranged in size from the smallest, Echo, Ore., with a population of 650, to Chicago, Ill., with more than 2.7 million residents.

Members of Point Pleasant in Bloom will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17 at Trinity United Methodist Church. New volunteers are welcome. For more information, visit www.americainbloom.org or call Howard at 304-675-2319.