Auburn City Council had an eventful meeting June 11, 2012 during which they covered marketing and signage, historical grounds, construction, and more.
Auburn’s New Marketing
Alan Jackson, a Peru State College professor, and a group of his students have been working with Auburn to renovate its marketing. So far Jackson and his students have been working on ideas for the web site, a smartphone app, and a logo. However, Jackson does not have the means or training to create signs. Jackson contacted School House Graphic Products, a student-run graphic design and signage company which designs and manufactures signs.
There are eight high school students who work for School House Graphic Products over the summer, and they would collaborate with Peru State College and the Auburn school system through Skype or face-to-face meetings to research Auburn’s history and design the web site and signage. Clay and Julie Mohr teach and supervise students who work at School House Graphic Products, which is based out of Arnold, NE. School House Graphic Products has worked with the Department of Roads and attended trainings so that they understand guidelines for putting up signs throughout a community.
For the past ten years, students have learned business, technology, and art skills while gaining the skills necessary to work in a sign company through School House Graphic Products. This company his produced everything from 911 Road Identification signs for Custer County, NE to trophies for the National Little Miss Beauty Pageant.
Historical District
The Auburn City Council examined a proposed ordinance which would declare certain sections of Auburn historical districts. The ordinance would create a Historical Preservation Board composed of five members, three of which own real estate in the historical district and two of which who have an interest in preservation, culture, history, or engineering. The members would be appointed by the mayor with confirmation by the City Council.This council would push toward preservation of historic sights, while keeping the intentions of the owners in mind.
The area under consideration stretches from the courthouse block to sections of downtown. The reasoning behind the large area lies in the history of Auburn. Because Auburn used to be two railroading towns which combined into one, it has two areas with historic buildings.
Hidden Treasure Nomination
Every summer, Heritage Nebraska chooses a location for their Hidden Treasure award. Hidden Treasures are destinations which aren’t on web sites or brochures, but are still worth visiting. Although there is no prize money, the destination receives publicity, and it is an honor. This year, councilwoman Mary Kruger has nominated Legion Memorial Park for the award.
In 1929, the City of Auburn purchased the property for the park for 6,000 dollars. Donations were collected for benches, a fountain, a Douglas Fir Tree, and playground equipment. In July of 1931, the original swimming pool was dedicated an the park was named Legion Memorial Park. The buildings in the park were build in the 1930’s and 40’s and were built with red granite and limestone from local quarries. They were financed by the Works Project Administration put into place by President Roosevelt. A WWII army tank was added to the park in the early 1950’s, and in May of 2011 the Nemaha County Veteran’s Memorial was dedicated nearby. In 1994 today’s swimming pool replaced the older pool. Legion Memorial Park is one of the National Historic Park sites. It is a great place to walk, picnic, or host a party.
P Street Bridge Project
The JEO Consulting Group submitted an estimation of the cost to reconstruct the bridge on P Street. An estimated 101,330.10 dollars would pay for engineering, removal, materials, and contingencies. The Community Redevelopment Authority (CRA) has 60,000 dollars which could be used for this project; however, they have not determined whether those funds will be used for the bridge or not. The City Council voted 5-1, with Clark opposing, to move forward with the project if the CRA grants them the funding. Once the bridge has been completed, the council would like to look towards paving P Street.