2005 Mayor's Awards for Excellence in Property Improvement

At its annual meeting and breakfast on Thursday, December 15, 2005, Aurora Downtown, the organization of property owners in Special Service Area #One, welcomed a new at-large board member: Clara Diaz. Diaz is the owner of Balderas Beauty Salon at 25 N. Broadway. Additionally, Hal Beebee (Lenert & Baumann, Beebee Insurance) and Kaye Mason (Chek-Lab, Preferred Packaging), were re-elected to the board of directors. All three individuals' terms on the Aurora Downtown Board of Directors will expire in December, 2008.

At the Aurora Downtown annual meeting, Bob Vaughan, Chief of Staff to Mayor Thomas J. Weisner, presented awards for "Excellence in Downtown Property Improvement" to eight property and business owners. Buildings that have undergone significant exterior and/or interior improvements are eligible for this recognition by the City of Aurora, and receive a commemorative plaque in appreciation of the investment that their owners have made downtown. Building selection is done by the 11-member FoxWalk Overlay District Design Review Committee, chaired by Donald P. Truax. This year's award-winners include:

Rafael Valencia for Tecalitlan Restaurant at 35 S. Broadway	Guillermina Ponce for Bella Jewelry at 23 N. Broadway
Juan Chavez for Unibanc Mortgage at 35 N. Broadway	Joseph Dispensa, Jr. for the Theiss Building at 76 S. La Salle Street
Will Crockett for Shootsmarter University at 76 S. La Salle Street	The Greater Aurora Chamber of Commerce, the Aurora Economic Development Commission, and the Aurora Area Convention and Visitors Bureau for their office space at 43 W. Galena Boulevard