Burlington, News

City to borrow to cover costs for Aurora site

By Jennifer Eisenbart

Editor

Facing cost overruns as the bills come in for improvements to the new Aurora Care Center site in Burlington, the City of Burlington Common Council approved borrowing to cover the expenses Tuesday night.

The council unanimously approved the solicitation of up to $450,000 in general obligation promissory notes, with the money going to pay off the work in Tax Incremental Financing District No. 5. The project involves extending water and sewer out to the new Aurora Health Care facility on Spring Valley road.

The cost overruns at this point, explained Mayor Bob Miller, are at about $320,000. The majority of the bills for the project are in, and the promissory notes will be paid from the discretionary 15 percent the city holds onto from the Aurora’s payments for the project.

Miller said Tuesday night that the borrowing is being done to pay immediate bills, and the money from Aurora will go back into that 15 percent fund.

He said officials still project a surplus in that fund at the end of the project.

In a related item Tuesday night, the council also unanimously approved a task order with engineering firm Kapur and Associates for more planning work in that TIF district – including the planned bike path extension – for $292,806.

That amount is budgeted into that $450,000 line of credit.

Parking woes

A plan to designate a portion of a no parking zone currently on South Kendrick Avenue to surrounding streets was tabled by the council.

The problem exists with traffic surrounding Dyer Intermediate School – and in an offshoot, Cooper Elementary School – during school hours and student dismissal.

The proposal would take the portion of “no parking during school hours” on South Kendrick and expand that to “no parking” at all on Kendrick, Orchard Street and Rose Ann Drive.

The majority of council members questioned whether there was any justification for labeling that area a full “no parking” zone, and wanted instead to step up enforcement of the current parking rules – or get clarification from the school district on the exact problem.

The item, scheduled for a vote at the Oct. 20 meeting.

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