Aurora to consider RiverEdge food contract

A contract to choose the main food vendor for RiverEdge Park will be before the Aurora City Council Tuesday for discussion and likely a vote, and the restaurant in line to get the deal is Two Brothers Roundhouse.

Aldermen are set to consider an agreement that would make the Roundhouse the main food provider at the park, which is set to open this summer for Blues on the Fox June 14 and 15. The Roundhouse is directly across the street from the park's Music Garden.

Two Brothers Brewing Company bought the historic train Roundhouse on Broadway Avenue in May 2011 after the previous owner filed for bankruptcy. The company was promised $1.3 million in city funds to help with about $3 million in necessary building repairs.

The food vendor contract is being considered after an 18-month agreement set last August that makes the Aurora Civic Center Authority, which manages the Paramount Theatre, in charge of running the Music Garden and planning its programming.

That agreement gives the Civic Center Authority responsibility for planning five festivals, three concerts, three to six community events, a grand opening and other events at the park during its first seasons. The city will lend its support with a $250,000 annual payment for programming and up to $347,000 in reimbursements for park maintenance.

Aldermen are set to begin meeting at 5 p.m. at city hall, 44 E. Downer Place, for a committee of the whole meeting canceled during last Tuesday's snowstorm. The council meeting will follow at 6 p.m.