Aurora Downtown Project held their first combined board and committee meeting session on Monday evening, at City Hall. The board met first, with City Manager Carrie Howlett present as City liaison, and several volunteers.
Board President Hannah Rader thanked everyone who helped make the Drives For Downtown golf tournament a huge success. Diane Warth reported that the fundraiser had raised over $7000, which has been designated to build a pop-up park in the downtown area. Diane also recognized the generosity of the sponsors, and of course the players and volunteers on the Promotions Committee who made it all possible.
City Manager Carrie Howlett gave an update on the projects that the city is working on.
Paul Haine gave an update on the Economic Vitality Committee’s progress. The committee is working on promoting local businesses on Small Business Saturday following Thanksgiving. They have started a business survey and are entering property information on BOOMS tracker, which is a free tool provided by Main Street USA.
Lisa Boyer shared the date for Downtown Clean Up Day which will be October 25th from 9am to noon. The Design Committee will also be having a workday to plant mums and set planters on September 8th starting at 8am.
Carrie and Hannah reported on the projects the Organization Committee is planning, including designing new merchandise with updated branding, grant writing and the fall donor drive. This committee will also be spearheading the Pie Auction for Community Christmas.
There was a report on the planning progress for Community Christmas, which is going well. Board members were encouraged to support Treasurer Ashley Kennedy as she presents the Event application to City Council on Tuesday. Once approved, plans can move forward.
There was an open session for public comment and Vivian, owner of The Front Porch Mercantile, commented that two people from out of town came downtown because they saw the billboard.
Following the board meeting, the four committees met separately and discussed both short term plans and preliminary budget requests for 2026. At the end of the evening, each committee chair shared the focus of the next quarter with everyone so that volunteers know where help is needed and committees can work together.
For more information or to volunteer please email downtownaurora417@gmail.com