Aurora focusing on long-coming plan to solve $2 billion capital needs puzzle

EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that large unexpected repair problems could derail budgeted expenses in light of a citywide $3 million annual repair budget. The budget is for city buildings only. The entire annual capital improvement and repairs budget is about $88 million, and does not include city water department and golf budgets.

AURORA | As Aurora continues to grow, so does the strain on its roads, parks, public safety facilities and community spaces.

City officials say years of deferred maintenance, combined with rapid development, have left the city with nearly $2 billion in infrastructure needs that can no longer be postponed.

Now, the city is sorting out a long-term capital-improvement plan called Build Up Aurora, asking residents which investments they think are worth paying for to shape Aurora’s future.

Deputy City Manager Laura Perry said during a recent city council workshop that the city has been working on its long-term strategy, rooted in public input, fiscal discipline and, if necessary, new financing tools, such as possible bond issues. 

“A rising tide doesn’t raise people who don’t have a boat,” Perry said, reading a quote. “We have to build the boat for them. We have to give residents the basic infrastructure to rise with the times.”

City leaders have said they know they cannot complete every project on the list. The $1.9 billion plan is intentionally “unconstrained,” meaning it reflects needs rather than available funding, Perry said. 

The goal is to create a list of priorities and a plan to pay for them.

Over the past month, Aurora has hosted public meetings, surveys and outreach events, and now the Infrastructure Task Force will develop recommendations, including a possible bond proposal for voters to consider.

“What matters most isn’t what we think should be on the ballot,” City Manager Jason Batchelor said to city council members during the Feb. 7 Winter Workshop. “What matters is what voters believe is important enough that they’re willing to invest in it.”

If voters approve some kind of bond issue election, projects would likely be built over the next six to seven years, Batchelor said.

Over the last month, the city held multiple outreach meetings and posted a survey to gather residents’ priorities. In many groups, people said they would be willing to vote for a bond issue to support their top priorities. The next round of outreach meetings and surveys are slated for March and April, but no dates have been set. For updates, go to engageaurora.org/buildupaurora.

Why is there such an expensive infrastructure need?

Aurora is currently facing a dual challenge: building new regional infrastructure to support growth while maintaining what it already owns. With a growing population of more than 400,000 people and areas still expanding, the city needs to improve what projects exist while building new ones. 

The city maintains more than 140 city facilities, 103 developed parks, 10 undeveloped parks, five municipal golf courses, seven recreation or community centers​, five public libraries​, 17 fire stations​, three police districts with two substations​, more than 4,313 miles of roadway lanes, more than 380 traffic signals, 98 bridges or large box culverts, and the Regional Navigation Campus, serving homeless people for the greater Aurora region.

All of these assets must be balanced within a constrained capital budget. Aurora sets aside about $3 million annually for city building repairs. A single major problem costing $1 million can derail other planned improvements.

The city’s entire annual capital budget is about $88 million, which does not include the enterprise funds for Aurora Water and the city’s golf program.

“Most of that $88 million capital budget is dedicated to transportation, primarily street paving,” Aurora spokesperson Joe Rubino said in a statement.

Tools the city has to fund capital spending include: 

• Pay-as-you-go funding covers routine needs such as street paving, playground replacements, and traffic signal maintenance through the annual budget. An average of $3 million a year is spent on these costs.
• Impact fees, assessed on new development, help fund growth-related infrastructure.
• Grants and partnerships, particularly federal transportation funds made available after the 2021 infrastructure law, Perry said, have helped advance design and construction for several projects, but those funds are limited, and rarely cover facilities like fire stations.
• Multi-year financing, include general obligation, or GO bonds, revenue bonds and certificates of participation, or COPs.

GO bonds require voter approval and can be used only for specific projects approved by voters. Revenue bonds, similar to loans, are usually used to finance city-run services, such as utilities, and are repaid from the revenue generated by those services. Certificates of Participation let the city borrow money by using a specific building, such as a new fire station, as collateral, and they don’t require a public vote, Perry said. 

The city is close to its borrowing limit with COPs, officials said. 

“We really are effectively at our limits,” City Manager Jason Batchelor said, echoing Perry. “We probably have a little bit of authority here and there, and some things we can do with COPs. But I will tell you that when you see that larger list, we are not going to make a dent in this on COPs.”

Transportation Infrastructure 10-year capital project needs

Transportation was ranked as a top priority in both the city’s first-ever comprehensive transportation master plan, “Connecting Aurora,” and in broader “Build Up Aurora” engagement, Perry said. 

Concerns the city heard people in Aurora had included safer pedestrian crossings, sidewalk gaps, traffic calming and speed control, road congestion and multimodal access for bikes and transit. 

The estimated cost for all current transportation infrastructure needs is $568.2 million.

Some of the proposed transportation projects in the draft 10-year plan include:

• Peoria and Sand Creek Bridge replacement for $35 million.
• The reconstruction of Alameda Avenue over Interstate 225 for $45 million.
• Multimodal improvements along 13th Avenue and Montview Boulevard for $25 million and $35 million. 
• Widening and upgrading Gun Club Road for $34 million, a Tower Road extension for $71 million and Tower Road widening for $13 million. 
• High-priority missing sidewalks for $6 million, and completing paving of Northwest Aurora alleys for $36 million.
• Investing in intersection upgrades and traffic calming, which includes roundabouts for $15 million, and traffic signal technology, signs and marking maintenance for $8 million.

“It always becomes a cost-benefit analysis on federalization,” Perry said. “To federalize a project, it tends to cost 30% more, and it takes you a little bit longer to implement it, because there’s all, there’s tape, there’s administrative requirements, there’s bidding requirements, reporting requirements, so there’s a little bit more that goes into that, but we’re consistently assessing all of our projects for federal funding opportunities to make sure that our squeezing the infrastructure funding limit as tight as we can get as much juice out of it.”

Parks, Recreation and Open Space 10-year capital project needs

The community also expressed strong support for improvements to parks and recreation, Perry said. 

Some of the proposed parks, recreation and open space projects in the draft 10-year plan include:

• Renovating the Aurora Center for Active Adults for $5 million. 
• Upgrades at the Aurora Reservoir, including renovations and expansion for $30 million.
• Expanding the existing Sports Park for $20 million, construction for master planned parks for $28 million and the construction of a new sports complex, which is yet to be determined. 
• Renovation of aging neighborhood parks for $28 million and community parks for $60 million.
• Construction of a new recreation center in northeast Aurora for $50 million.
• Improvements at the Plains Conservation Center for $35 million, and recreation center facility improvements for $3.5 million. 

The recreation center proposal comes after the closure of the Beck Recreation Center, which created a service gap in the northeast, Perry said. A feasibility study is underway to assess programming needs and location options.

The overall estimated cost for parks, recreation and open space capital needs is $259.5 million. 

Libraries, Arts and Culture 10-Year capital project needs

Aurora’s library and cultural services master plans revealed strong demand for modernized, flexible community spaces, Perry said. 

Residents asked the city for comfortable furniture, updated interiors, more electrical outlets and access to technology, expanded and improved teen, community and family spaces, and better restrooms and lighting. 

Some of the proposed libraries, arts and culture projects in the draft 10-year plan include:

• Creating an outdoor courtyard for the Aurora Fox for $2.8 million and renovating the lobby for $2 million.
• Expanding the Bicentennial Arts Center for $820,000.
• The Meadowood Gym and lobby conversion for $4.8 million. 
• Studying long-term options for the Aurora History Museum
• Renovations at Central Library for $2.7 million, Hoffman Heights $1.3 million, Tallyn’s Reach Library Remodel for $1.4 million and Mission Viejo libraries for $800,000.
• Branch facility upgrades systemwide for $10.9 million.
• A new northeast Aurora Library for $18 million.

The overall estimated cost for libraries, arts and culture capital improvement needs is $57.1 million. 

Public Safety 10-Year capital project needs

Public safety was also another top priority in community surveys, Perry said. Residents frequently mentioned concerns about emergency response times, facility upgrades and coverage across the city.

Aurora recently completed a public safety facilities master plan that evaluated the condition of police and fire stations, operational needs, and future population growth.

Some of the public safety projects in the draft 10-year plan include:

Fire department improvements

• Construction of Fire Station 19 near Smoky Hill Road and Powhaton Road to serve the growing Southshore area for $22.3 million.
• Rebuilding or remodeling several aging fire stations, such as Station 2 for $6.1 million, Station 3 for $6.7 million and Fire Station 8 land acquisition and a new station for $17.7 million.
• Upgrades to fire station roofs, kitchens, concrete and mechanical systems for $5 million.
  

Police department projects

• A new district police station in northeast Aurora to support growing neighborhoods there for $46.4 million. 
• Renovations to existing district stations for $5 million and Aurora 911 Tallyn’s Reach facility improvements for $1 million.
• A public safety training complex, potentially expanding the city’s existing training campus for both police and fire departments for $221.5 million.
• APD Headquarters Replacement for $240.5 million, an APD Special Operations building and land acquisition for $83.7 million and Real-Time Operations Center, Phase 1 and land acquisition for $119.7 million
• A city-owned impound lot and support buildings for $59 million. 

The overall estimated cost for public safety capital needs is more than $882.7 million. 

Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said that infrastructure plays a direct role in emergency response, and additional facilities will be necessary as the city continues to expand. His plan includes a centralized evidence facility that replaces the current system, in which evidence is stored across four buildings.

The decentralized system creates security and liability risks, Chamberlain said. 

Additional proposals include a special operations building for SWAT, canine units and investigators, a real-time operations center integrating emergency dispatch, traffic management and emergency response systems and a potential city-owned impound lot, which could improve accountability and reduce reliance on third-party operators, according to City Attorney Pete Schulte.

Other City Facilities 10-Year Capital Project Needs

The capital plan also includes improvements to:

• The municipal courthouse, including new security and surveillance systems for $2.3 million, Aurora Municipal Court facility improvements for 3.1 million and Aurora Detention Center facility improvements for $2.1 million.
• ADA city facilities improvements, animal shelter improvements and Aurora Regional Navigation Campus Capital Renewal are to be determined. 
• Southeast Aurora Maintenance Campus (Phase II Expansion) for $80 million, Central facilities expansion for $36 million and Central facilities rehabilitation for $23 million.
• Public works maintenance yards and snow-plow facilities expansion for $23 million and rehabilitation for $9.3 million.
• The aging Aurora Municipal Center has about $42 million in identified repair needs.

The overall estimated cost for other facilities’ capital needs is more than $231.3 million.