URBANA — The Urbana City Council had a packed agenda on Monday.
The council rejected an ordinance to designate the Urbana Civic Center a historic landmark, passed the city’s annual budget, and appointed a new member to represent Ward 5.
No landmark status for Urbana Civic Center as MTD pursues new bus transfer facility
The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD) wants to build a public transit center in Urbana similar to Champaign’s Illinois Terminal.
Karl Gnadt, managing director of the MTD, told the council the facility would be an indoor space with waiting areas, public bathrooms, ticketing services and vending. He said it would also provide central office space for Urbana School District employees.
The MTD has been working with Urbana officials for around 13 years to identify a location for the transfer bus station. Officials previously presented the Urbana Civic Center as a prime location for the project.
The civic center was closed in 2018 and has since deteriorated from a lack of building upkeep. The current city administration already allocated $700,000 to demolish the building this year.
Gnadt said the existing property would not be conducive to some of the MTD’s goals, like accommodating its longer buses or providing waiting space for buses that are running ahead or behind schedule.
“The site works, the building gets in the way,” Gnadt said. “It gets in the way of building office space for District 116, and it gets in the way of us fitting all the buses we need on site, and it has circulation problems for our vehicles.”
Some community members organized to oppose demolition of the former civic center. Phyllis Winters-Williams filed an application to the Urbana Historic Preservation Commission seeking to make the space a historic landmark.
The commission approved the request on June 3 and sent it to the Urbana City Council.
“The findings of fact, and the merits of the application, need to be the basis of this decision,” Williams said. “This properly filed application has been found to have merit, and should be approved.”
If approved, the landmark status would have limited redevelopment on the site and required developers to prioritize preserving the building’s architectural features.
More than a dozen people spoke at Monday’s council meeting to weigh in on the historic landmark request.
Susan Apple with the Preservation and Conservation Association of Champaign County said the civic center should not be demolished, even though she knows the building has deteriorated over the years.
“Its essential form and worth are still there. There is nothing like it in Urbana or Champaign for that matter,” Apple said. “It deserves your thoughtful consideration.”
Sarah Rand is a disabled homeowner in Urbana, and a member of Urbana’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. She has been legally blind and chair-bound for about four years.
She discussed the MTD’s Paratransit service, which offers transit service to individuals with disabilities who may not be able to use fixed-route bus service. It costs two dollars to ride, which requires exact change, or a specific ticket picked up at the Champaign Terminal.
“If that transfer-type station was here and we could access those types of services here in Urbana, I could get those tickets independently,” Rand said. “I urge city council, while I am still able to stand on my feet, that you stand with me to access those services for Urbana.”
The city council ultimately voted 4-to-2 to reject the landmark designation.
Council member Maryalice Wu told residents there is still a lot of work to be done — and said there is no guarantee that the civic center will be demolished.
“So even if we say that this is not a landmark, it does not guarantee that a bus terminal is going to be built there,” she said.
Urbana passes budget for next fiscal year
Officials also passed their annual budget on Monday night.
The proposed budget projects just over $80 million in expenditures and almost $67.5 million in revenues for the city.
Mayor DeShawn Williams said the city expects it will be a balanced budget if its recurring expenses don’t exceed “98.5% of budgeted, recurring revenues.”
The budget includes $700,000 for a new sidewalk on University Avenue east of Maple St. There is also funding allocated for renovations for Urbana city hall and the Urbana Free Library.
The largest expenses for the city are the firefighters and police officers salary, totalling almost $10 million. Immediately following in cost are the fire and police pensions at almost $5 million.
Council members Christopher Evans and Grace Wilken supported two amendments. One would have removed expenses from the police department’s community engagement team and allocated those funds somewhere else. The other amendment would have added fundingfor ADA compliance and snow sidewalk clearing in Urbana.
The council voted down both of those amendments.
This budget takes effect on July 1 and ends June 30, 2027.
New council member for Ward 5
The Urbana City Council also appointed a new member to represent the northeast part of town.
The council voted to make Stephanie Cockrell the new council member for Ward 5.
Cockrell is a licensed social worker and executive director of The Well Experience, a nonprofit that provides wellness resources and support to underserved populations with a focus on women and children.
Cockrell said she plans to listen and serve the city by helping make difficult decisions.
“My experiences have taught me that policies are more than just writing on paper, and that policies are very important because they affect real people, real families, real businesses, real children, and real futures,” she said.
Cockrell’s term goes through April of next year.
The Ward 5 seat was previously held by Chaundra Bishop. She resigned earlier this year and died from complications related to a form of liver cancer.