Bergen recaps a busy year for ADC

Executive director of the Aurora Development Corporation Kelsey Bergen gave the organization’s 2022 annual report to city council members, offering an overview of the organization’s past work, future projects, partnerships and current issues in bringing business to town. 
 “I have our mission statement: to improve the economic conditions of Hamilton County by encouraging investments in agriculture, manufacturing, business, housing and community facilities, thus fostering increased employment opportunities,” Bergen read out loud at the Aug. 23 meeting.
First, Bergen delved into the history of ADC with the reinvestment of more than 3,900 stocks into community projects. 
 “Those were used over the course of our history to help develop a habit: to spur growth when projects came about,” Bergen explained. “We don’t sell as many shares of stock each year currently, but the goal for those shares, initially, as it still is today, is to use them for development as the income comes off of those properties, and those opportunities, to reinvest them into future development.”
She then outlined the projects ADC has committed to, including re-certification as an Economic Development Community with Lt. Gov. Mike Foley presenting the award last year. 
“We are one of 40 cities that has that designation,” she said. “So that just means that we’re prepared for the moment and we are a community that is ready to move forward into the future. So, it’s a good designation for us as an organization, but also for the city as a whole.”
Another project involved demolition of ADC property at 915 13th St., bringing down the abandoned quonset and former Hamilton Sales & Service office space, an example of the reinvestment projects Bergen said ADC wants to do more of.
“So that is a project (that is) about using funds to create opportunities for development and then reinvesting those funds,” Bergen commented. “That’s one of those examples where you have a site that was run down, needed some help. And so now it’s getting ready to be something new. We don’t know exactly what. We have a few ideas, but as soon as we know we will spread the word.”
Regarding business prospects, Bergen reported that there a total of 14 currently on her list.
“So all those businesses are looking to expand, move (and) to start (here),” she commented.
Bergen also spoke on Economic Development Week, which she commented will continue in the future; ADC’s funding of the housing expansion of Streeter and Northridge subdivisions; the final townhall meeting for Dist. 34 Sen. Curt Friesen; as well as updating a labor study to help businesses struggling with attracting workers. 
Besides continued funding of housing and supporting businesses in workforce challenges, Bergen stated that the ADC is committed to connecting remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to local businesses, supporting community projects and creating opportunities for businesses in the future.
“So we’re going to continue to create opportunities for businesses,” she said “We’re adding efforts to promote and develop our Mission Critical sites out of Aurora. We’re looking into doing some site planning, so that will help local businesses that want a small acre piece of land, to help them see what that can look like.”
Bergen also stressed that she wanted to build awareness of the organization and to stand out as a part of the community.
“We’ve been around since the 60s and so while there’s a long history here, there’s a lot of people who don’t know who we are,” she said. “We get confused with the Chamber (of Commerce) a lot. I’m just continuing to help people understand who we are and what we do.”
ADC is also involved with the Downtown Revitalization Project, offering letters of support, promoting the program and distributing applications. 
Highway 34 reconstruction
A good portion of Bergen’s focus toward the end of her report was on the proposed Highway 34 reconstruction and related survey. 
Bergen first went over the growth in population that has occurred in Hamilton County from 2010 to 2019, including unincorporated areas. Aurora itself had a positive change from 1970-2010 of 0.9 percent, which is more than Nebraska’s 0.5 percent. 
“So I think that’s something that’s also important to realize when you see a point, that percentage or something it seems small, but in the scheme of things, we are growing, and we’ve continued to grow,” she explained.
She reported that along Highway 34 there are 1,129 employees. 
“I bring that up because the impact of this Highway 34 project is important,” she said. “It’s not just during construction to these people, it’s their livelihoods and their businesses, the work that they do (and) their customer base.”
The first step ADC took involved data collection and a community survey. 
“The Aurora Development Corporation decided to help the city in this aspect by providing our website as a place to collect these (responses) and then use our manpower to kind of set up the survey, manage the survey and then sift through the responses,” she said. 
Two issues that drew major responses were pedestrian safety and three-lane versus four-lane options. She reported that 46 percent surveyed commented on pedestrian safety and 96 percent said they preferred a four-lane option over a three-lane option. 
In a document given to ANR, some of the anonymous responses in the survey explained their views on the   project and status of the highway. 
“(I) am concerned about how safe people can cross Highway 34 at the swimming pool,” one survey said. “The yellow flashing lights do very little to alert traffic to pedestrians waiting to cross. The crossing guards have a difficult job.”
“I think losing lanes is a bad idea,” said another on three-lanes as a proposal. “You’re going to create more traffic flow problems, and it will be harder to turn from a highway business into the highway if the one lane has double the traffic.”
“During those years there were many accidents in front of our locations,” said someone whose father owned businesses on Highway 34 when it had two lanes. “My wife and I now live in a community that has a highway that is just what is being proposed. It is a senior community and there have been several accidents when drivers pull into the center lane to turn left…into traffic that is usually speeding.”
 “And we collected this information here, but it’s important because these are the things that are important to people,” Bergen said. “It’s what the community is wanting to share.” 
At the end of her presentation, Bergen reported that ADC is meant to be a help to the city’s leadership. 
“Your leadership is important, and it matters,” she said. “The Aurora Development Corporation is just here as an organization to help and support those efforts.”
Mayor Marlin Seeman echoed that sentiment at the close of the report. 
“Thank you very much for your service,” he commented. “I know that you work closely with the council.”