Aurora committee approves license for Climate and Equitable Jobs Act workforce hub at former Public Works building

The Aurora Finance Committee on Jan. 15 approved a three-party license agreement allowing College of DuPage and the 548 Foundation to use 649 South River Street — the former Public Works Water and Sewer building — as a Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CJA) workforce hub. The committee voted 5-0 to pass resolution 25-1014.

Director of Sustainability Allison Lindbergh told the committee the hub will host training in construction trades and clean-energy work — including solar installation, EV installation, energy auditing and basic safety courses such as OSHA 10 and CPR — delivered in roughly seven-week cohorts (about 180 hours of instruction in the sample model). Lindbergh said the program will provide supports such as childcare, transportation and paid training (the transcript states participants are paid $13 per hour for training) and is intended to serve residents from environmental-justice communities, returning citizens, displaced energy workers and people exiting foster care.

Lindbergh said the license is a three-way, intergovernmental arrangement because College of DuPage is a government entity; the initial term runs through June 30 to match COD’s funding cycle with the intention to renew annually. She told aldermen the city is not obligated to provide cash funding for the hub but will support promotion, business partnerships and coordination with financing mechanisms such as CPACE. Minor renovations to make the building ADA-compliant were described as being covered mainly by donated labor and grants; current improvements were described as under $50,000 and already budgeted or covered by in-kind contributions.

Committee members asked about partner roles and local access. Alderman Edward J. Bugg and Chief of Staff Shannon Cameron said Waubonsee Community College chose not to be the primary hub partner and that COD will take the lead while local institutions can funnel students into COD/548 programming. Lindbergh said COD will present additional details at an upcoming committee meeting and agreed to provide slides and photos for a Committee of the Whole briefing.

Alderman Kyle Franco asked whether the hub will deliver a “living wage” and whether Aurora residents would get priority. Lindbergh said program admissions are controlled by COD and the 548 Foundation, but bringing the hub to Aurora should increase local participation. Cameron cited MIT living-wage calculations, saying in Illinois the living wage is about $23.56 per hour for a single adult (no children) and about $61.41 per hour for one working adult with three children; she offered to provide the committee the full living-wage table for local use.

Lindbergh said students will not face upfront tuition costs and that some cohorts are already running elsewhere while staff finalize the license. She identified local employers and projects (for example, Habitat-associated construction work and a Progressive Solutions solar pilot) that are already hiring or planning to hire program graduates. Lindbergh also said the building was expected to be ready for a hub launch event on Jan. 20, pending execution of the license agreement.

The committee approved the license agreement 5-0. Next steps listed by staff include completing the license paperwork, bringing additional COD representatives to a future meeting to answer technical questions, and providing materials and facility photos to the Council’s Committee of the Whole for broader review.