Ginger White Brunetti, director of library and cultural services, told the Aurora City Council that a recent strategic-plan and facilities-condition process identified substantial maintenance and capital work needed across the city’s five library branches and several cultural facilities.

Brunetti said consultants Gensler (library work) and Gresham Smith (cultural services) supported the effort and staff reached more than 2,300 respondents through bilingual outreach, focus groups and town halls. "Our new mission statement for the Aurora Public Library is to nurture curiosity, capability, and confidence throughout all of life's chapters," she said.

On libraries, Brunetti reported facility-condition findings — outdated furniture and workspaces, limited charging and outlet capacity and signage gaps — and gave planning estimates: about $6,700,000 is needed over the next 6–10 years for maintenance (roofing, parking, HVAC, electric and plumbing), and roughly $6,100,000 in capital improvements to optimize existing spaces. The consultant recommended studying up to three additional library locations (options labeled C1/C2) in growth areas of Ward 2. The first recommended new branch was described as about 30,000 square feet with an estimated capital cost of $18,000,000, excluding the cost of land; the presentation did not specify a construction timeline.

For cultural services, Brunetti said the consultant identified deferred-maintenance needs and priority projects across Aurora Fox Arts Center, the Bicentennial Art Center, the Aurora History Museum and Meadowood Recreation Center. She cited differing estimates depending on scope: a priority-capital list for specific projects totaled about $11,500,000 (Fox ~$4,700,000; Bicentennial ~$2,000,000; Meadowood ~$4,700,000) plus roughly $10,500,000 in deferred-maintenance tied to those priorities (a near-$22,000,000 subtotal); the consultant also described broader deferred-maintenance needs of about $16,000,000 over 3–5 years and a wider set of potential improvements that could total about $32,000,000 across the cultural facilities. Brunetti said the Aurora History Museum alone may need nearly $5,000,000 in deferred maintenance and recommended a feasibility review of its location and operating model.

Brunetti summarized the planning figures by saying the combined library and cultural services estimates amount to roughly $34.8–$35,000,000 over the various planning horizons, while noting the different numbers reflect different scopes (maintenance-only versus full desired improvements). She emphasized that the presentation focused on capital planning; questions about operating and staffing models for any expansion would require separate analysis if a ballot measure or funding plan were developed.

Council members pressed staff about staffing needs and extended hours, whether developers dedicate land for libraries (staff said developers do not), library sizing and whether parking or lighting improvements for cultural venues (such as the Fox) should be handled by the Downtown Development Authority. Brunetti and staff said they will double-check methodology details (for example, the urgency index and how density was modeled) and fold the master plans into broader Build Up Aurora and infrastructure discussions.

No formal vote or funding commitment was recorded in the transcript; councilors asked for follow-up detail on methodology, operating implications and timing.