In a “state of the city” address on March 16, Aurora Mayor Ann Womer Benjamin touted a litany of accomplishments over the past eight years under her administration, balancing land preservation and development while imposing no new taxes.
She also announced the creation of new public space and access to the Geauga Lake area for recreational purposes. Womer Benjamin declined to provide specifics because negotiations are ongoing.
“As I have been told on more than one occasion, the best way to control how land is used is for the city to own it ourselves,” she said at a formal gathering at The Bertram Inn & Conference Center.
Under her leadership, Aurora has purchased more than 200 acres of land and opened three new parks with hiking paths, athletic fields and the Ebenezer Sheldon Deed House, named for one of Aurora’s founders.
Since 2016, the city has created an outdoor recreation facility at Hartman Park, renovated tennis courts and opened a splash pad, Womer Benjamin said.
“We will continue to purchase land in the city to preserve green space, control development and provide connectivity opportunities,” Womer Benjamin promised. “Last year we purchased 83 acres on Page Road, land adjacent to Sunny Lake, which could have turned into another housing development.”
Instead, the land will remain green space set aside for everybody’s enjoyment.
A city-wide moratorium on new development will end this summer, when Planning, Zoning, and Building Director Denise Januska will provide “zoning and density recommendations to protect our community from overgrowth and the negative impacts that can come from it,” Womer Benjamin said.
But the city is also growing. They have invested almost $62 million in infrastructure and capital improvements, including 2.5 miles of sidewalks, four new water lines to replace century-old pipes, stormwater and wastewater upgrades, and 37 miles of road paving.
With voter support, they rezoned the Geauga Lake area from industrial to mixed use. That, and a Joint Economic Development District agreement with Bainbridge Township, will result in tax advantages for Aurora and set the stage for redeveloping the the Bainbridge side of the former parks, she said.
Since Aurora’s business and industrial sector contribute some 84% of the city’s income tax revenue, retaining businesses and attracting new ones is critical. New businesses include McDougald Real Estate, Ace Hardware, Evexia Café, and DJ Hibachi and Sushi.
Among the items on the mayor’s to-do list:
- Work on a hike and bike trail along the Norfolk Southern railroad right of way from Chamberlain Road to state Route 82.
- Revisit a city rec center project, even though voters have twice rejected levies that would be needed.
- Add a pavilion and upgrade restrooms at Kiwanis-Moore Park, expand parking at Sunny Lake Park (including added handicap parking), and improve field drainage at Hartman Park.
- Oversee the installation of four electric vehicle charging stations at Aurora Memorial Library and work with a consultant to see if solar panels could serve the city’s wastewater treatment plants.
- Conduct a $4 million study (grants will cover more than $3 million) to “ensure smoother traffic flow and safety, and provide us with more efficient tools to control signal operation,” she said.
- Complete $9 million worth of improvements at the wastewater plants, part of which involves finding out where stormwater is entering the city’s sanitary system. “We know something is going on, because along with excess water [during severe storms], we have even seen turtles and other ‘non-traditional’ items turn up in the pipes at the treatment plants,” she said.
- Buy flood-prone homes in the Geauga Lake area, thanks to a $2 million FEMA grant and $600,000 of matching city funds. The idea, once again, is stormwater management, she said.
Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.