Public invited to salute Mayor Murray Thursday

Mayor Sue Murray

After eight years of her sharing her time and talent with the people of Greencastle, it's time for residents to say thank you to Mayor Sue Murray.

The accomplishments and achievements of Mayor Murray, whose second and final term will end Dec. 31, will be celebrated with a public reception Thursday, Dec. 17 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Music on the Square, 21 N. Indiana St., Greencastle (the old Goodwill store on the courthouse square).

Everyone is invited to reminisce about the events and accomplishments of the mayor and her staff over her eight years as mayor of Greencastle.

"And Sue has reluctantly agreed to be there," City Attorney Laurie Hardwick said in announcing the event to the December City Council audience.

Hardwick listed a multitude of projects handled during Murray's two mayoral terms, including completion of Percy Julian Drive improvements, Miller School redevelopment, the addition of the Splash Park at Robe-Ann Park, improvements to Edgewood Lake Road, demolition of many of the worst properties in town, the Albin Pond dam improvement project, the city water tank project, completion of People Pathways Phase III (Albin Pond Road) and the additions of Makayla Cancilla Park and a dog park and frisbee golf course at Big Walnut Sports Park (which the city assumed ownership of on Mayor Murray's watch).

And all that's not even mentioning yet the "quagmire of paperwork, headaches and nightmare we call Stellar," Hardwick said.

The $19 million Stellar Community Grant project practically consumed Murray and her staff as they have shepherded various elements of the project over the past five years since Greencastle was announced as one of the first two Stellar recipients in March 2011.

The Stellar project has included work on 26 downtown facades, 25 owner-occupied houses, two municipal parking lots, the downtown drainage system and streetscapes for Anderson, Washington, Indiana and Vine streets.

There also has been a considerable amount of work accomplished on exploring the possibility of a YMCA or community center for Greencastle along with securing a grant to renovate the city fire station and stabilizing the historic Civil War monument at Forest Hill Cemetery.

Serving as Greencastle mayor wasn't her first public service venture. That came in the 1980s when Murray served on the City Plan Commission and Park Board while she was social services director at Putnam County Hospital.

Additionally, she served two terms on the City Council during the Mike Harmless administration, beginning in 1988. Murray was president her last four years on the Council.

Murray has also served on the Board of Works, first as an appointment by Mayor Nancy Michael 20 years ago, and the last eight in her role as mayor.

So Thursday is a "chance to say thank you to Sue for all the hard work she's done," City Attorney Hardwick summarized.

In signing off at her final regular City Council session last week, Mayor Murray choked back emotion to say it's "been an extreme pleasure and humbling experience to serve as mayor the past eight years."