Mayor's 2014 Awards for Architectural Excellence: Choosing to honor two of Orinda's newest neighborhoods, Severson thanked the developers of the Wilder and Oak Grove subdivisions "because of the many enhancements that they have done," including the newest ball fields, parks and trails in Orinda. "Every night, I see hundreds of kids under the lights, playing and participating on those fields, and it makes me very proud - not only for the project - but for its involvement in the community," said Scott Goldie as he accepted the award on behalf of Wilder. Dan Carroll accepted the Oak Grove award on behalf of Pulte Homes.
"I started out this year calling it a year of teamwork and collaboration, and so here as we end the year, I would like to highlight in my Awards for Excellence those people who have exemplified that ideal of working together as a team and also being very collaborative." With those words, Sue Severson began her final major action as mayor of the City of Orinda - presenting the annual Orinda Mayor's Awards for Excellence and presiding over the For the Good of the City segment of the Orinda City Council meeting Dec. 2.
Lauding the value of volunteerism, Severson presented the first award of the evening to Dennis Faye. "He's been a member of the Citizens' Infrastructure Oversight Commission since its very inception in 2007," she observed of the former CIOC chair who was traveling and unable to accept the award in person. "He's played a pivotal role in the roads repair ballot measures." Severson also chose to honor the spirit of collaboration with the following awards, as captured by Lamorinda Weekly photographer Ohlen Alexander:
"We are so pleased that you've chosen to honor the Friends of the Joaquin Moraga Adobe tonight when, truly, we wish to honor you, Sue, for all the support and encouragement you have given to us," said former Orinda mayor Bobbie Landers in accepting the Mayor's 2014 Award for Architectural Preservation for FJMA's efforts to save the historic adobe structure near Del Rey Elementary School. "From the very first organizational meeting at my home, you were there with enthusiastic words. We are still blossoming and bringing the towns of Moraga and Lafayette to join Orinda in recognizing the importance of embracing our past as well as moving forward to our future. Someday, we look forward to you being at the ribbon cutting to the Joaquin Moraga Adobe Learning Center and Museum."
"It's so fun for me to be here this evening to introduce to you the 13th student that the Orinda-T†bor Sister Cities Foundation has brought to Orinda from T†bor in the Czech Republic to study at our outstanding Miramonte High School," said Bobbie Landers as she described how visiting students are chosen for the competitive program during the For the Good of the City portion of the meeting. "Each year, I believe, we can't have a better student than we had in previous years, and each year, again, they prove to be terrific." Landers then introduced the 2014 visiting student, Marek Fencl, who thanked the community in a brief address before receiving a city pin from Severson.
Lauding the value of volunteerism, Severson presented the first award of the evening to Dennis Faye. "He's been a member of the Citizens' Infrastructure Oversight Commission since its very inception in 2007," she observed of the former CIOC chair who was traveling and unable to accept the award in person. "He's played a pivotal role in the roads repair ballot measures." Severson also chose to honor the spirit of collaboration with the following awards, as captured by Lamorinda Weekly photographer Ohlen Alexander:
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA