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Kurt Johnson
Is the glass half full or half empty?
Looking over the numbers of construction activity in our community this past year could send a couple of messages. The numbers add up just one way, from an accounting perspective, but what you read into the final report and think of the totals is somewhat open to interpretation.
The totals are up from a year ago, but fell short of expectations and the 10-year average, thanks to supply chain economics and rising interest rates. Despite all those challenges, there is ample reason for optimism.
I’m an optimist at heart, having been raised by parents who always looked for and focused on the positives in any situation, and as a 23-year Aurora resident I think this community is primed and poised for exciting growth.
There are lots of reasons I feel that way, and based on local feedback I’m not alone. That’s not a unanimous sentiment across the state and nation, if you read the headlines of the day. Interest rates have risen significantly over the past year and the risk of what a rising cost of living and inflation could do is very real. Russia’s war on Ukraine is raging on, forcing oil prices skyward and causing angst on a global scale, but that’s not the dominating vibe here in Aurora.
So what makes me feel that way, or am I looking through rose-colored glasses? In a word, energy.
There is palpable energy on several fronts in our little corner of the world. People want to be here, live here and work here, evidenced by growing housing subdivisions on the west and north sides of town. Despite the economic unknowns of our time, new houses are going up and there is interest in expanding or building new businesses and industry. New jobs bring new people, and in light of a workforce shortage new people could help bring new jobs that have been on hold since the pandemic pause.
Momentum is hard to quantify, and any coach will tell you it can change in a heartbeat during a game, but Old Mo is clearly on Aurora’s sideline now. That’s not by accident.
Another source of energy that is so exciting in my view is a new generation of local residents, including many Aurora natives who came home to raise their families. Almost every time I go out to eat, to church or to a local school/sporting event I see new young faces I’ve not seen before. Many of those twenty- or thirtysomethings are volunteering their time in a number of ways, coaching youth teams, helping with new Chamber events and in general getting engaged in our community.
That’s contagious, even for us old(er) folk who’ve been around the block a few times. My father told me long ago that you need a healthy blend of veteran community leaders and young energy for a community to thrive and grow, and Aurora has that, in spades.
KURT JOHNSON can be reached at kjohnson@ hamilton.net
