The annual Employee Recognition and Safety Luncheon was held in the City of Urbana Fire Department bay this past Friday, October 26, 2018. The staff celebrated with a lunch and beverages. The meal was followed by the acknowledgement of anniversary milestones of the staff. There was not an empty seat in the fire bay. 
The City of Urbana Public Works Department Arbor Division has accepted a donation for $10,000 to plant trees in Urbana.
Mayor Diane Wolfe Marlin said, "Planting trees brings joy to your heart. It's a better investment than the stock market."
“Dr. Holly Rosencranz and Warren Lavey are sponsoring a $10,000 contribution for the planting of 80 street trees in Urbana,” Mike Brunk, the Urbana City Arborist, said “This wonderfully green contribution supports our entire fall tree planting. They also combined efforts with Urbana Rotary and sponsored another 85 trees earlier this spring.”
Of the 303 trees planted in 2018, Rosencranz and Lavey were involved in the sponsorship of 165 trees. Brunk said the trees planted are evenly distributed across town, so the entire City can enjoy the new trees. He also pointed out that there are great benefits to the local ecosphere because of the donations of Rosencranz and Lavey.
The line for people greeting Bill Gray at a retirement reception last Friday wrapped around the room and out the door. People in attendance gave Gray a standing ovation.
“We are grateful for Bill Gray’s tremendous contributions to our community and beyond,” Marlin said. “We will greatly miss his steady hand and unmatched institutional knowledge and expertise. Under his leadership, the City of Urbana has distinguished itself as a leader in sustainability, infrastructure, multi-modal transportation design, operations, urban forestry, and intergovernmental cooperation. We wish Bill and Kathy Gray the very best.”
The celebration had many from the community, family, friends and colleagues all celebrating the career of Gray. "It's time for a new adventure in my life," Gray said. He was awarded with a Mayoral proclamation, a plaque and two street signs made in the Urbana Public Works department, which is an honorary Urbana tradition.
In a mere 60 days VeoRide has upwards of 100,000 rides, according to Ben Thomas of VeoRide. Other cool statistics: 12,400 users, 300 enrolled members, miles-to-date 38,500- this works out to .385 miles per trip. Average ride time is 5 minutes.
Keep enjoying and riding!!
For information on the Urbana Bicycle Master Plan, click here.
Green Street Realty hosted an open house for the public to learn more about the 200 S. Vine Project this past Tuesday, October 23rd at the Urbana City Building, 400 South Vine Street.
A tour of Green Street Realty multifamily properties immediately followed the meeting. There was a great deal of community interest, evidenced by the standing room crowd in the City of Urbana Council Chambers.
The City of Urbana and Green Street Realty have entered into a Letter of Intent for the redevelopment of the 200 block of South Vine Street in Downtown Urbana. The proposed townhome-style development contains 42 two- and three-story units. The townhome units would include a mix of two and three-bedroom floor plans, with some that could be adapted for handicapped accessibility. A number of units also include private garages.
