At the most recent Landmarks Commission meeting here in Aurora, Mayor McGill presented plans for the beautification in the Historic District. His plan would build a clock tower at the intersection of routes 43 and 306. This location is west of the Bicentennial Gazebo and north of City Hall on a overgrown parcel of city property. Here are the visuals that were presented, you can click on them for a larger view.
According to the mayor, the $180,000 cost of the project will be paid by private donations from individuals and organizations.
The patio was designed by Cawrse & Associates and City employee Dennis Altman will build it. The cost of materials is $15,000 and is in the 2007 city budget
Clock Tower was designed by the VERDIN Company and will cost $130,000, the brick and limestone covering will be applied by local craftsmen–brick masons–estimated cost $50,000—the total of $180,000 will be donations from organizations and individuals—$1,000 donation paid for 1/3 each year for three years.
Questions? Comments? Post them here or come to the meeting.
This is what aurora really needs. Cann we put in a large waterfall and an ice cream shop too?
Our fair city has enough “ornamental” buildings. What other community do you know of that has 2 Gazebo’s?
If the Mayor wants to seek donations for a clock tower, mount it on top of a recreation center and I might toss in a few bucks…
Aurora is Aurora, we do not need to be Hudson!!!!
notice how this beautifal clock is surrounded by power/phone lines…?? how bout putting the money toward that first and adding accessible sidewalks. not to mention the fact that hudson has the same thing about 5 miles away.
I think we can come up with a better idea than to copy a very important Hudson landmark.
I do not think that we need a clock tower in Aurora, we have the Library Clock right across the street. There are also a bunch of power lines running all over the place in that area. I think that there are better ways to spend $180K in our lovely city.
Ha haa this is exactly what we need. People will come from even further than they travel from now to get to our legendary outlet malls! Yeah Right. This is a waste and I hope it never happens. Rather than buying a hood ornament for our city, perhaps they should invest the dosh in something a bit more unique… like a third multinational chain pharmacy caddy corner from the other two at the intersection of 43 and 82 LOL. Great zoning.
Just a reminder that the City of Aurora has a website and email address (there are links from this site I believe) and hope that everyone who has posted has sent the city their respectful disagreements (or thanks) on this project instead of just posting/complaining on this site. The City can’t act upon things it doesn’t know about. Everyone likes to vent, but please make your views known to those who can actually affect the outcome. Otherwise you have no room to complain.
This project will come up for a vote at the next Landmark Comission meeting on March 15. Please direct your city hall comments to the Landmark Commission. In addition I know that person on the comission and others in city gorernment view this blog. The more discussion the better.
i agree, bury the ugly utility lines, then lets talk…
I agree with everyone else who has posted. We do NOT need a clock tower, and esp. at the location proposed. I personally prefer my line of sight directed to the lovely Church in Aurora. If people want to know the time, they should wear a watch! What a waste of money that would be!
Let’s rename our school teams the “Explorers” while we’re at it.
What will the meeting at Landmark be for?
How many people can talk and come in the room?
I think the tower is a bad idea there.
You’ve got to be kidding!! A clock tower?? Ridiculous!! Let’s see….the library has a clock, most people have watches, or cell phones that tell the time. Perhaps a sundial would look more appropriate. With a sundial people would visit the park to learn to read it! Then Hudson can copy us!
They say how much its going to cost to build, how much to maintain it? Just like the “state of the art school” now they need more money to maintain that.
Get people to donate to a Rec Center, something useful. We don’t need what the city put on the ballot just a pool, swings, a few party rooms, skate park. A place for the kids to go and be kids!
This really clutters an othewise beautiful and simple area.
This area on the w side of the street really has no modern structures and it ought to be left that way.
put the tower somewhere else like between the police station and city hall or at barrington gazebo area.
it looks like marketsquare shopping center over on the westside by pearl or state rds.
and should the city really be in charity business? seems like every developer and company that wants to do business with the city will “donate” to the clock tower.