Aurora City Council on Monday unanimously approved a contract with Perrin Asphalt for the city’s 2023 road paving program.
The $1.18 million contract includes paving the police department parking lot, Timber Lane, Devorah Drive, the east section of East Homestead Drive, the north section of Walden Drive, the west section of Lena Drive, Surfside Circle and Court, the northbound lanes of Squires Road, Bounty Road, the east section of Lake Avenue, Bartlett Road, Rainbow’s End, and the west section of Lloyd Avenue.
The contract stipulates that Perrin will use low-emission asphalt, which utilizes recycled materials and a bio-based rejuvenator. The final product is comparable to virgin material while lowering carbon emissions, the contract states.
All work is scheduled to be completed by July 4.
In other news from council’s April 10 meeting:
– Council also unanimously approved two contracts with Matt Winters Excavating to replace pedestrian bridges over streams at Paddock River Preserve and Bretschneider Park. The Paddock River Preserve bridge contract is valued at $281,709; the Bretschneider Park bridge contract is worth $208,149.
Paddock River Preserve is located at a former golf course in the city, and Bretschneider Park is on East Pioneer Trail. Both bridges have been closed since a 2021 inspection by Osborne Engineering deemed them unsafe, Mayor Ann Womer Benjamin said.
– To ensure that water meters are accurate, council unanimously approved a three-year, $150,000-a-year contract with Everett J. Prescott, Inc. The contract is effective through 2025. The funds will cover new meters and parts.
– The city will also spend $93,150 for a new portable diesel generator to power the Sherwood Lift Station during power outages. The Sherwood Lift Station is currently being serviced by a temporary generator.
Aurora has 13 lift stations, each of which is outfitted by backup generators, city Service Director Harry Stark said. The Sherwood Lift Station, located just south of the city’s Hawthorn development at the end of Sherwood Drive, is especially important because it is the last lift station before the city’s treatment facility.
Should it fail, there could well be sewage backups, he said.
– Council also unanimously approved a conditional zoning certificate for MJ Property Group to install a climate-controlled storage facility at 1340 Page Road, in the city’s I-1 Manufacturing, Processing and Wholesaling District.
– A house used for Aurora Parks and Recreation Department offices is in for an upgrade after council unanimously approved a $34,380 contract for JBL Roofing & Construction to renovate the exterior of 325 Townline Road. The contract includes $10,600 for a new roof and $23,780 for other exterior improvements.
The house is on property the city acquired in 2002 and which has since been developed into Hartman Park, replete with ball and soccer fields, Womer Benjamin said.
– Council unanimously approved increasing the city’s Subdivision Tree Planting Fund by $40,020 thanks to a developer’s contribution. The funds will be available for spring planting.
– Council continues to consider confirming Womer Benjamin’s reappointment of Marge Bjerragaard as a member of PARTA’s Board of Trustees for a three-year term ending June 30, 2026.
Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.