I like this color version better than the monochrome one. I like the way the green of the grass and the color on the fence sort of "frame" the monochrome of the fence shadow and sidewalk. The colors all around the photo emphasize the gray of the shadow and sidewalk.
I also like them both and kind of split between the two. For the sake of the theme the b/w version may work better. My eye was quicker to catch the shadow and it's leading line . In the color version the grass in the top left corner looks a bit over exposed and that's caused a little detour. And other than the green grass, there's not much interest in the color in the color version but, it is more welcoming and I can more easily identify where I am. I also noticed the crop is little different for both. I think you did the right thing by not cropped it as tight as the b/w version.
edit:
Ok, after taking a while. I've warmed up to the color version a whole lot. At a quick glance I liked the b/w, niether was a clear winner. But the color version is more inviting. I wonder what the rest of the team thinks.
