Furniture, fixtures and equipment were purchased and installed over the winter.
November 2011
Progress on the RiverEdge Park Music Garden stage project moved forward with foundation and other underground work.
A portion of Broadway Avenue was reduced to two lanes temporarily so crews could tap into an existing water line and other utilities to be brought into the park.
Foundation work for a sound wall and the future guest services building began. Work also started on the seeding and a portion of the sidewalk on the south end of the park.
Demolition continued on the old Aurora Police Department building at 350 N River St. and is scheduled to be completed this year.
December 2011
Seeding and blanketing of the south end of RiverEdge Park and the lawn seating area for the Dunham Pavilion has been completed.
Concrete foundation pouring for the Dunham Pavilion stage and sound wall began.
Utility work at RiverEdge Park was about 80% complete.
The Aurora City Council approved a contract to hire Open Road Events to provide professional consulting services to plan for the opening of RiverEdge Park in 2013. The firm will help develop an operating budget, events calendar, event staffing plan for the park along with securing food and beverage vendors and corporate sponsors.
October 2011
Demolition of the old Aurora Police Department, 350 N River St., started October 26. The area was seeded the next year and remain open space on the park's western side.
A web camera was installed that will shot time lapse documentation of the project's progress.
On the east side of the Fox River, underground electrical and utility work began, and construction crews were prepping to do concrete work for the Music Garden. Grass seeding was scheduled to begin in late November.
A majority of work on Blues Island was completed. Piles of wood were left on the island to provide a natural habitat for animals. Planting and minor maintenance work resumed on the island in the spring.
September 2011
A majority of the grading work was complete.
The Aurora City Council voted to approve a $9.7 million construction bid package at its September 13 meeting. The project costs came in under projections.
The Blues Island and shoreline restoration was fully underway. A controlled burn was completed on Blues Island to help clear the invasive and non-native vegetation that had been growing. The area already has been seeded and blanketed and will be reevaluated next spring if any additional clearing is needed.
August 2011
After City, Fox Valley and state leaders broke ground on RiverEdge Park in mid-July, construction continued with grading work and shoreline restoration. The Music Garden, which was the first phase of construction, was built across the street from the Aurora Transportation Center, 233 N Broadway Avenue The entertainment venue will serve as a cultural events hub within a natural setting of the Fox River and downtown.
The City received the full $8 million grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Revitalization Zone program (DCEO) that was originally announced last fall. The City also secured $15 million in grant money to use toward the public/private venture, including grants from the Fox Valley Park District ($3 million), Kane County Forest Preserve District ($2 million) and the Dunham Fund ($2 million).
The bid package for the major part of the RiverEdge Park construction went to City Council for approval in September.
The old Aurora Police Department building, 350 N River St.,was demolished in the fall.