Extra! Extra! Walmart NOT coming to Aurora

Most people in the 68818 zip code are aware that there is a sizable project happening between Aurora and the interstate along Highway 14.  What some people are unsure about is what type of business is being developed.  Here is a quick spoiler alert: it is not Walmart.   
Most of the work that happens in economic development, let’s say 90 percent, is behind the scenes work that there is very little tangible evidence of day to day. However, when the 10 percent that can be seen by the public starts to show, it is obvious, and it gets everyone talking. 
The part that is the most entertaining, or frustrating depending on how you look at it, is the speculation about what the new development is going to be.  While it is hard to know the speculation being talked about in the coffee shop, it is easy to read what is being said online.  Last week in particular the speculation online about the new development south of town was running wild as someone asked, “What is going up south of Aurora on Hwy 14?”  
This question generated 44 comments and nine of the comments were correct, or close enough to the truth that they made sense.  However, the remaining 35 comments, some of which mentioned a new Walmart, were nowhere close. So, I guess the old saying “don’t believe everything you read on the internet,” continues to be true. 
In a world where algorithms and comments drive what people see, it makes it hard to know what is true and what isn’t.  As I mentioned, there were a variety of people who were giving the right answer, but more people were engaged in the Walmart conversation, so those comments rose to the top.    
So where should someone go if they want to know the truth about a local topic?  I would say that the newspaper is a good place to start.  Using the example of the development south of Aurora, which will be called Specialty Ag Formulations and will be a manufacturing facility for micronutrients for crop production and protection, I can safely estimate that this development has been reported on approximately ten times in the Aurora News Register since May of this year. 
Not every reference of the project was a front-page headline, like when the Governor spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony in August, but between reports on city council meetings, project articles, public notices, and advertisements it has been mentioned and explained multiple times throughout the paper.  This goes to show that one of the best ways to get news on local topics is to go to local sources.  Given the fact that you are reading this article in the newspaper itself, means that I am likely preaching to the choir, but it still is a great reminder for all of us. 
I don’t take for granted the fact that seeing new development is exciting. In fact, I still get excited when I see a new house or new road that I helped create start to take shape, so it is understandable that it is a topic that people are excited to talk about. We just need to make sure that we are turning to trusted sources and sharing the correct information. 
KELSEY BERGEN serves as executive director of the Aurora Development Corporation. She can be reached at kelsey@growaurora.com