Passenger Link – July 2021
Dr. Maxine Wortham Named Chair of GPMTD Board of Trustees
Members of the GPMTD Board of Trustees selected Dr. Maxine Wortham as the new Board Chair at the May 3, 2021 Board Meeting. This is Trustee Wortham’s second term as Board Chair. She first served as Board Chair from May 2016 until May 2018. She most recently served as Treasurer for two terms, and she has also served on the Finance Committee and as Chair of the Program Development Committee.
Wortham succeeds Art Bell, who most recently served two consecutive terms as Board Chair. Bell represented the City of Peoria and he retired from the board in May. Bell was appointed by City of Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis on July 11, 2005, and he served on the GPMTD Board of Trustees for 16 years.
Wortham was named to the GPMTD Board on February 7, 2006 by City of Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis. Wortham had a 35-year career with Peoria School District 150, retiring in 2002. She then worked from 2003 to 2013 as the Director of Education for PCCEO/Peoria Head Start. She has been a volunteer of the Tri-County Urban League for more than 50 years, serving two terms as Board Chair of the local affiliate and two terms on the National Board of Trustees. She also serves as an ordained elder of the Ward Chapel AME Church in Peoria.
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GPMTD Welcomes Jeff Hoerr and Patti Sterling Polk to Board of Trustees
GPMTD recently welcomed Jeff Hoerr and Patti Sterling Polk to the GPMTD Board of Trustees. They attended their first board meeting on Monday, July 12, 2021, since being appointed to the GPMTD Board of Trustees at the June 22, 2021 Peoria City Council meeting. Hoerr and Polk are representing the City of Peoria and they were appointed by Mayor Rita Ali. GPMTD Board Chair Dr. Maxine Wortham appointed Hoerr to serve as Treasurer, and Polk to serve as the Chair of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Committee.
![Jeff Hoerr](https://ridecitylink.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/Jeff-Hoerr.jpg)
![Patti Sterling Polk](https://ridecitylink.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/Patti-Sterling-Polk.jpg)
Hoerr is one of the co-owners of Hoerr Nursery, which is a family owned and operated business that was started by his grandfather in 1926. He has been with the nursery since graduating from the University of Illinois with a degree in Landscape Architecture, and he has been one of the co-owners of the business for 21 years. Hoerr also serves as the Head of Landscape Design for the nursery. In addition, he is an active volunteer of the South Side Christian Academy and with his church. Hoerr, a lifelong resident of Peoria, lives in Peoria with his wife Jada.
Polk is a retired AT&T executive, and she is currently volunteering with the Illinois Public Health Association as a Community Health Worker to help those dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic gain access to resources. Her other work experience includes time spent at the State of Illinois Regional Office of Education, Methodist Medical Center College of Nursing, and Harbor Light Hospice. She is also the national immediate past president of Church Women United and is the Vice President for the Illinois chapter. Polk is a long-time resident of Peoria, and she is the widow of former GPMTD Board Trustee James Polk, who served on the board for more than 12 years.
Both Trustee Hoerr and Trustee Polk’s terms are effective May 1, 2021 to May 1, 2025.
CityLink Transit Center Hosting Unity-Point Health Wellmobile
The Unity-Point Health Wellmobile is hosting a stop at the CityLink Transit Center (407 SW Adams) the 2nd Friday of the month from April-December 2021. These are free health screenings that are open to the public.Please note that the location for the screenings has moved to the Transit Center lobby to allow better access effective on July 9, 2021. The Unity-Point staff and other Wellmobile sponsors will be set up in front of the windows on the Adams Street side of thelobby for the all screenings to take place at the Transit Center for the remainder of 2021.
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The Wellmobile screenings will takeplace at the Transit Center from 8:30-11:30 am the rest of the year on these dates:
- August 13, 2021
- September 10, 2021
- October 8, 2021
- November 12, 2021
The screenings being offered include:
- Blood pressure
- Cholesterol/Blood Glucose*
- Pulse Oximetry
- Spirometry (this screening is currently not being offered due to COVID-19)
*An 8-12 hour fast is required for the Blood Glucose/Cholesterol portion of the screening. The Wellmobile also recommends drinking 16 ounces of water or more before the stop. Please take prescription medication as prescribed.
For more information and for a complete Wellmobile calendar, please visit www.wellmobile.com.
B20 Club Tree Planting Ceremony/Bus Wrap Event
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CityLink and the B20 Club of Illinois hosted a small-scale media event on Friday, April 30, 2021 to celebrate the renewed partnership between the two organizations and Arbor Day. During this event, a tree planting ceremony took place in the front lawn of CityLink’s facilities. The tree planted is an Eastern Redbud, which is a tree native to Illinois. The tree was purchased and planted by the B20 Club of Illinois in partnership with the American Lung Association and the Illinois Soybean Association.
Upon the conclusion of the tree planting ceremony, the event moved to a rear parking lot located at CityLink facilities where the full bus wraps on two CityLink fixed route buses (2210 and 2211) were available to be viewed side-by-side (see photo at left). During this time, representatives from CityLink and the Illinois Soybean Association made brief comments on this renewed partnership. Additional participating sponsors for the bus wraps are Ag-Land FS, Inc., the American Lung Association, the Illinois Soybean Association, and the Tazewell County Farm Bureau.
CityLink first began using B20 bio-diesel fuel in 2009, and after a brief hiatus, is back using it again. CityLink has consumed nearly 5 million gallons of cleaner-burning B20 biodiesel, reducing emissions equivalent to planting an estimated 134,000 trees.
Construction Trailer Arrives at CityLink Facilities
The arrival of the construction trailer on the right at CityLink’s facilities on NE Jefferson is just the beginning of a new exciting chapter for CityLink! It symbolizes the start of the first phase of the major construction/renovation project of the Operations, Maintenance, and Administrative facilities. Construction of a new body shop and paint booth will break ground in the near future!
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