First components of Town Square eyed for mid-September following supply delays

September 1, 2022 · 0 Comments

The first spaces within the Town Square redevelopment project could be open to the public as early as the middle of this month after supply chain issues put some elements on the backburner.

New entrances, meeting and work rooms, and a reading garden are now set for “the middle of September,” says Phil Rose, Project Manager for the Town Square build.

These elements were originally slated to open this spring but supply chain issues got in the way, particularly with seven accessible doors that are key to removing barriers for users.

“The Library component is hopefully being done by the middle of September,” said Rose on a Friday tour of what has been completed so far. “From there, the bridge [connecting the Library to the Church Street School House expansion] is likely in early spring, and the same with the outdoor square.

“For the entire project, the contractor has given us [a completion date] of Summer 2023 and that is probably for the new addition to the schoolhouse and we could be into May or June. The construction schedule is a bit of a moving target still with a few things related to the supply chain issues, which is raising some questions.”

As summer winds to a close construction crews will be focused on completing as much of the outdoor square as possible before the frost sets in.

The Square, which will be located between the Aurora Public Library and the Church Street Schoolhouse, and framed by the bridge connecting the two buildings, is intended to serve as a public gathering space year-round with public skating in the winter months and splash pads and other water features in the warmer months.

“The bridge is being prefabricated offsite and they will be bringing it [to Town Square] probably in two to three weeks, place it on the foundations and finish the work,” said Rose. “For the outdoor square, they’re trying to get as much done by November with the frost coming in, but I think in the early New Year is what they’re saying for the Square and the bridge. Even though it will be in place, there will be a lot of work in the interior, so [I would expect] the bridge in February 2023.”

With the extension to the Church Street School taking shape, work this past week has focused on getting window glass in place to make the structure as waterproof as possible ahead of interior work.

The flexible performing arts theatre and studio spaces are now recognizable within the structure, as are the mechanisms that will connect the new extension to the historic 1887 schoolhouse.

Also nearing completion are climate-controlled storage areas for the Aurora Museum and Archives, which have been designed to give members of the public a glimpse inside its eclectic collection of artefacts as well as the behind-the-scenes work that goes into creating an exhibition.

Museum exhibitions themselves will still unfold within the historic building’s Aurora Room, with existing museum storage areas inside of the heritage landmark converted to office space.

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter