The crumbling Peoria Street bridge may stay the way it is after Aurora voters rejected every measure in the Build Up Aurora bond package on election night.
More than half of voters turned down all three measures, which would have funded public safety, infrastructure and community facility improvements. Measure 3B, for police and fire station improvements, drew the most "no" votes at 60%.
WATCH: Aurora voters reject every measure in Build Up Aurora bond package, stalling key infrastructure projects
Aurora voters reject every measure in Build Up Aurora bond package, stalling key infrastructure projects"I'm pretty disappointed with the outcome last night," Curtis Gardner, Aurora city councilmember at-large, said.
For Aurorans like Caitlin Trent, the outcome came down to the ballot language for some of the measures.
Critics argued that, if approved, 3B could have provided the Aurora Police Department with more funding for what they call mass surveillance technology, like Flock cameras.
"I think the fact that the safety bond failed at a higher rate shows that the community really didn't trust the the city and specifically APD to have this money for public safety," Trent, a community organizer for Food Justice Northwest Aurora, said.
The defeat raises questions about what happens to the projects Aurora needs most, like new bridges.
"The reality is that a vast majority of the projects that were listed that were over 65 as part of Build Up Aurora aren't going to happen, or at least won't happen for many many years," Gardner said.
Other projects prioritized through community engagement that were being considered for funding through the Build Up Aurora ballot measures will now be placed back into the city's capital projects planningprocess to be prioritized. The combination of rising costs and aging infrastructure requiring investment creates a long-term financial challenge for the city to navigate. City officials will continue to look at various options and tools to secure funding for these vital projects that have been on the citys capital improvement master plan for years.It's been more than 30 years since Aurora voters said yes to a bond package like this.
"We currently have a maintenance budget for bridges of $50,000 a year, which for a city the size of Aurora is woefully inadequate and doesn't begin to cover what the need is," Gardner said.
A city spokesperson told Denver7 that city leaders have been pursuing federal grant dollars for the Peoria Street bridge replacement project, but have been unsuccessful in receiving an award to date. The construction of the bridge was planned to be funded from Build Up Aurora.
That's why Gardner says it's critical to find new sources of funding.
"We have areas of the city that don't have adequate fire station coverage. We have roads that need to be widened. We have bridges past their useful life. So, you know, that will continue to be a priority for me," Gardner said.
Gardner says it could be years before the ballot includes another bond package.
For Trent, it's all about transparency.
"I think a lot of the projects that were proposed are probably needed, and the city should try to figure out again how to meet the community where they're at and bring them along with them," Trent said.
