Summer Kickoff Celebration at Hedge Pop Park
On May 26, 2023, the City of Champaign came together to host a Summer Kickoff Celebration at Hedge Pop Park. The City’s Equity and Engagement Department, with the assistance and support of the Police, Planning, Public Works, and Neighborhood Services Departments were there to make sure this was the best event possible. Multiple Blueprint partners, community organizations, […]
Garden Hills Hedge POP! Park Refresh
The Hedge POP! Park is receiving a refresh ahead of the summer months. Last week, City Staff from the Planning and Development, Neighborhood Services Department and Engineering Division worked with dedicated volunteers from First Followers and about 10 neighborhood kids to spread mulch, place planter boxes, pick up liter and also have some fun! More […]
City Staff Celebrate International Women’s Day
On March 8, 202, International Women’s Day (IWD) was celebrated around the world. This day is a focal point in the women’s rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women. The theme of IWD 2023 was #EmbraceEquity, a campaign to get the world talking about […]
Hedge POP! Park Featured by American Planning Association
The American Planning Association is a not-for-profit professional association for planners and has over 40,000 members. The APA recently took note of the City’s efforts with the Hedge POP! Park and sought to have the effort featured as part of their Equity in Practice series. The blog post features the experience of the City in […]
Halloween on Hedge x Dia de los Muertos a Success
On October 22, 2022, the Planning and Development Department coordinated Halloween on Hedge x Dia de los Muertos, the final programming celebration of the season at Hedge POP! Park. Multiple departments, including Planning and Development, Public Works, Equity and Engagement, Neighborhood Services, Fire, and Police, came together to celebrate the community and all things spooky! […]
Neighborhood Youth Provide Input on Future Park Space for Garden Hills
Staff from Planning and Development, Neighborhood Services, and the Public Works Departments recently visited Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in the Garden Hills Neighborhood to work with the Youth Group. As a continuation from last week’s design session held at Hedge POP! Park, City staff engaged the youth with a “Build Your Own Park” activity, […]
Garden Hills Residents Share Preferences for Permanent Park Space on Hedge Road
Garden Hills residents were invited to the Hedge POP! Park on August 4, 2022, to share their preferences for what should go into the design of a permanent park space at the future Garden Hills Drainage Basin. The area that will be set aside for permanent park space was staked off so residents could understand […]
Green Street Lane Closure (between Second Street and Third Street)
In order to facilitate painting operations at 202 E. Green Street, Beta Projects and Bankier Apartments will close the westbound lane of Green Street between Second Street and Third Street. The closure will begin on Wednesday, July 13, and will end on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. The closure will occur each weekday from 7 a.m. […]
New Mayor Feinen Podcast Discusses the Hedge Pop! Park
Mayor Feinen talks with Senior Planner Lacey Rains Lowe and Neighborhood Relations Manager John Ruffin about what went into getting the Hedge Pop! Park up and running. The temporary park is the pilot project for the Safe Places, Active Spaces initiative, providing an exciting new neighborhood amenity to our Garden Hills neighbors. At the intersection […]
City of Champaign Competes in “Strongest Town 2022 Contest”
The City of Champaign is proud to announce it has been selected as a finalist in the “Strongest Town 2022 Contest.” Strong Towns is a nationally recognized non-profit organization which advocates for communities becoming more financially strong and resilient through smart planning and development approaches. Conducted like a tournament bracket, Champaign will compete against other […]