Strip of land near precast plant eyed for water lines, bike path
By Ed Nadolski
Editor in Chief
The Burlington City Council on Tuesday cleared the way to begin negotiations with a local company for an easement that would accommodate a municipal water line and bicycle path to serve the proposed Aurora care center on Spring Valley Road.
The city is intent on obtaining a 30-foot-wide easement from the owner of the property occupied by KW Precast (formerly J.W. Peters), 472 W. Market Street, which makes pre-stressed concrete spans.
In order to do so, however, the City Council had to approve a relocation order, which enables officials to exercise eminent domain proceedings, if necessary to acquire the use of the property.
The council voted 6-1 to approve the resolution. Alderman Jon Schultz was the lone dissenting vote. At an earlier meeting, Schultz said he objected to the use of eminent domain, calling it an abuse of government power.
However, City Attorney John Bjelajac had said the process is required by law and KW Precast owners were aware of it and appeared likely to cooperate without the city having to impose eminent domain.
In a memo to the City Council, Administrator Kevin Lahner said the order had to be issued before officials could begin negotiations with KW Development, which owns the property.
The city can now appraise the property, which will provide a basis for negotiations.
The strip of land in question runs along the northern edge of the KW Precast property from Sunset Drive west to Spring Valley Road.
The city intends to bury water service lines in the easement and create a bicycle/pedestrian path over the top.
“This will serve to increase water flow to the (Aurora) facility, expand fire protection capabilities and improve the overall reliability of the water system,” Lahner wrote in his memo.
The bicycle/pedestrian path will provide another off-road link from the heart of the city to the White River Trail. The western portion of the trail, linking Burlington to Elkhorn, now terminates approximately a quarter mile south of the proposed path along Spring Valley Road.
As trail is currently configured, bicyclists must use regular streets to travel from the western portion of the trail on Spring Valley Road to the eastern portion of the trail, which begins near Bushnell Park.
The easement would close that gap a bit more, Lahner said, although bicyclists would still need to use city streets for a portion of the ride.
The cost of the bicycle/pedestrian path will be funded in part through a grant from the state Department of Natural Resources.
The cost of installing water lines and other utilities to serve the proposed Aurora Ambulatory Care Center will be funded by the creation of a tax incremental financing district.
Aurora unveiled plans for the $75 million medical facility in September. The site, off Spring Valley Road and bordered by Highway 36, will include a 160,000-square-foot building housing the care center and professional offices for physicians and support staff.
The facility will feature cancer treatment services, an accredited breast care program, outpatient surgery, endoscopy, physical rehabilitation, imaging – including a woman’s imaging department for procedures such as mammograms – orthopedics and sports medicine, a pharmacy and lab services.
The facility is expected to open in 2016.
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