Aurora is looking to expand the contract and project to renovate the backstage area and other parts of RiverEdge Park.
RiverEdge Park, at 360 N. Broadway in the city’s downtown, is Aurora’s outdoor entertainment venue along the Fox River and hosts a variety of events, including this weekend’s Blues on the Fox festival on Friday and Saturday.
Aldermen on the City Council’s Infrastructure and Technology Committee this week recommended a change order with Chicago-based Ratio Architects, LLC of $440,200. The change order would add onto the original contract for the RiverEdge work, approved last September, of $946,850, making the entire project for engineering the changes at about $1.4 million.
The reason for the change is that the project has gotten bigger than first thought, according to Jason Bauer, Public Works assistant director.
For instance, changes made to the backstage area, known in parlance as “back-of-house” changes, have grown from about 7,000 square feet to about 24,000 square feet.
Those changes would be new dressing rooms and storage. It would make the park more attractive for acts that might want to play the venue, officials said.
Other changes contemplated in the overall project include improved and expanded seating and viewing areas, additional restrooms, entry-gate enhancements, improved storage and improved access to purchase refreshments.
Those changes – known as “front-of-house” considerations – are to make the park more enjoyable and safer for patrons, officials said.
The changes would increase capacity of the park by about 2,500 people for all events. Right now, capacity for a festival event is about 7,300, and for concert events 6,500.
Bauer said the goal is to begin the backstage building as soon as this year’s season ends.
The project was originally budgeted for $7 million in one budget year, and more in a second budget year. The changes will take both 2024 and 2025 construction seasons to do.
“We’re really excited about it,” Bauer said.
The full City Council will look at the contract change at the Committee of the Whole meeting next week.
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