You have heard wrong. Obstructionist Jim Devitt(you) has done nothing but type lies to cause trouble (all in the name of saving the theatre)
He has not been to a board meeting to speak for his cause or had constructive meetings with the Friends of the theatre on how it can be saved. He hides and snipes. Then when the well intentioned Friends want to have open talks with the other side – he attacks them as well. Glad to see some real preservationists are finally realizing his real. Now he’ll develop another fake post name and continue spreading the lies but watch that spelling and grammar – it’s a dead give away
He is a sick man, guided by hatred and bitterness because he suffered an embarassing loss in a local election and moved away.
He does NOTHING for his “cause” and tries to impede anyone who wants to collaborate with the people he despises. He’s the reason so many Lombardians will dance the jig on demo day. He actually helped them achieve their goal.
3 spelling errors in the last 2 posts (nice try again Jim)
Whatever Jim (now the fictious Dan Murphy) Keep spreading your lies, we don’t care. BTW – try harder on the spelling – 3 errors on that second post alone. So easy to spot you Jim.
Duper – quit referring to the “preservationist Jim Devitt”, there’s nothing “preservationist” about him, he should be more accurately labeled “obstructionist Jim Devitt”.
To quote an 80’s hit “What have you done for me lately?”
Talk is cheap. What are your plans now?
At least some Friends are realizing they have nothing to lose but to talk to others? That’s not in your plan though, you want to become the next Joan of Arc when demolition day comes. Either you’ve given up or you’re too cowardly to try.
PS I would not reconsider that condo plan but maybe another use for the theater itself – who knows?
When will some of the true preservationists around the country who read this site respond to the devisive insanity that pours out of this guy’s mouth? Isn’t it obvious he is creating more problems on purpose?
Devitt/Dude – I asked WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW, RIGHT NOW, TO SAVE YOUR THEATRE?? Other than sitting at your computer causing trouble? The answer is, NADA. So why rip on Ms. Dynako for trying open a dialog? It’s SO obvious you are nothing but a troublemaker seeking to fan the flames of discontent. PROVE ME WRONG – tell me what you are doing NOW to help your cause. The answer is NOTHING, so back off and get a life.
This guys game is easy to see – do you agree, preservationists?
Rita- where are your harsh words for Jim Devitt and his multiple aliases? How about ghamilton and his extremely vulgar comments?
Do you know how many people have gotten off the sidelines and gotten involved in the theatre fight because of the offensive attacks made by Mr. Devitt? You should be ashamed to have him supporting the theatre effort by antagonizing the opposition. He has damaged your cause’s character by continually engaging people in this kind of discussion.
I heard he was no longer a member of the Friends – that should be said publicly. He continues to fuel the fire because he has nothing better to do. He doesn’t live in Lombard and his only concern is winning his personal war with Trustee Sebby and others.
When will you stand up and reprimand him? He is a PR nightmare for the people who truly care about the theatre. He makes you all look like jerks and you should stop him before he gets anymore out of hand.
How can one mention their belief in God on one hand and then use the offensive term “tit suckers” on the other.
Say what you want about this discussion but no one has used language of that nature and it’s hardly befitting your so called lofty “preservationist” cause…yuck.
Duper never had a mind to begin with – he is the raving loon you mentioned and only cares about the theatre because of his personal vendetta against Trustee Sebby.
This same fool has accused another local theatre of bribing the village board, accuses library officials of “under the table” deals and now is attacking the good people on our school board.
Shame on you – you need therapy.
By the way Dist 4 – you spelled his named wrong, it’s not DeWitt, it’s DimWitt.
Again – keep telling yourself everyone supported your plan and that the opposition had no real numbers behind it. Keep on living in fantasyland
if it makes your defeat more bearable.
Now get to work – the clock is ticking and your plan is a goner. Find another way to save the structure before it’s too late. Stop typing and start fundraising!
Dude – I believe you know what’s there but for the benefit of LTS and others I’ll answer;
Right now, there is a gourmet restaurant in downtown Lombard called “Praga”. That was the one that got a 4 star review in the Tribune. The other restaurant is part of a local chain called “The Texan BBQ” ( It is not a national chain as I stated before but part of a Chicago-area chain known for their fun atmosphere and excellent ribs). The name of the antique shop is the “Antique Cellar” and it has been in Lombard for at least 20 years. There is an upscale salon called “Effigy” and an adorable old fashioned candy store called “Sweet Street” which is a favorite stop for many families. There are many other storefronts, 2 popular coffeehouses that are always busy especially with commuters, a greek coffeeshop which has been on the corner forever as well as a Chinese restaurant that has at least 20 years at it’s location. There is a music store, a large Catholic book and gift shop, a barber shop, local family run video store, old fashioned liquor store, gourmet take out/diner place called .“Amazing Graze”, a collectibles shop called “Fairy Tales”, pizza joint and much much more. You may not be “impressed” LTS but we have a lot to be proud of and like I said before, a lot of our growth came from despite that terrible looking theatre which is such an embarassment, especially from the Metra train as it passes through town.
Dude- You are right about “Bill” (who is in fact a pro-theatre advocate), anyone who would discredit a lovely theatre venue like the Drury Lane without proof is seriously disturbed. He’s just a troublemaker we generally ignore or laugh at.
Stuper – the meeting was May 23 at Glenbard West and there was a large group of residents there concerned about RSC. You should have been more on the ball and you would have seen what was coming next. (Keep wiping that egg, buddy)
Life’s too short- Lombard’s business district in the downtown area has seen so much improvement in the last 15 years. It now includes a restaurant that was featured in the Tribune as a “must try” and has been booked nightly ever since. It includes a restaurant from a major national chain and many other shops, hair salons, candy store, antique store etc. You should have seen it 15 years ago. It’s get better every year and that is despite the embarassment of that long shuttered eyesore with the safety fence around it.
Speaking of which, the most adorable downtown shopping district in my opinion is Geneva and guess what? They got rid of their old theatre too and only kept the facade. It is now 2 restaurants and a store inside. A great option for the Dupe, if only this group wasn’t so hell bent on their community theatre venue which was impractical and too costly.
Would a group who had an “under the table” deal push hard for a NON-BINDING referendum that would tell the village board whether or not the voters would like to see the use of Lombard tax dollars (be it TIF or otherwise) to restore the theatre? It would have been a PERFECT chance for the theatre group to prove to the board that most of Lombard valued and were willing to pay for a restored theatre.
THEY GOT IT THROWN OUT AND NEVER INITIATED THEIR OWN! Not even when they had, what they claimed to be, a perfectly fully funded plan to offer.
What does that tell you about their confidence in the public’s feelings towards the theatre plan?
Learn the facts about this plan AND this town before you call people small minded. I believe only a “small minded town” would have taken a fiscally irresponsible deal like that one and call it the answer to all of the towns problems!
Duper – get a life. That plan is done, stick a fork in it. Try to find another way to save the theatre before it’s too late. Also – you need to admit to people that you don’t live in Lombard. So love the theatre if you want but when it comes to paying for it, I really don’t care what you think – YOU’RE NOT A TAXPAYER HERE! You need to put up or shut up!
Sorry Rita but you are wrong again – his comment stemmed from the fact that the Dist 87 board voted to table the issue until the funding problems could be accounted for. I was at the Dist 87 meeting when that happened. I forwarded that information to Senator Cronin. You see it had NOTHING to do with the board but the other taxing bodies that were not sold on the plan at the time.
Mr. Carroll stood up and stated at the June 2 meeting that all the taxing bodies supported the TIF extension for the theatre. That was another lie told in desperation. Dist 87 had NOT voted on it at that time because of the 3.5 million dollar gap in funding (which magically disappeared the night before the demolition vote!)
In addition – Senator Cronin was called and/or e-mailed by most everyone in my neighborhood regarding their concerns about the finances and size of that building plan. You can keep blaming Sebby but in this case,he actually had nothing to do with it!
Again – more misinformation. This was not a conspiracy folks but a logical move made to avoid a potentially disastrous redevelopment plan for the town and it’s residents.
Sorry Rita but you are wrong again – his comment stemmed from the fact that the Dist 87 board voted to table the issue until the funding problems could be accounted for. I was at the Dist 87 meeting when that happened. I forwarded that information to Senator Cronin. You see it had NOTHING to do with the board but the other taxing bodies that were not sold on the plan at the time.
Mr. Carroll stood up and stated at the June 2 meeting that all the taxing bodies supported the TIF extension for the theatre. That was another lie told in desperation. Dist 87 had NOT voted on it at that time because of the 3.5 million dollar gap in funding (which magically disappeared the night before the demolition vote!)
In addition – Senator Cronin was called and/or e-mailed by most everyone in my neighborhood regarding their concerns about the finances and size of that building plan. You can keep blaming Sebby but in this case,he actually had nothing to do with it!
Again – more misinformation. This was not a conspiracy folks but a logical move made to avoid a potentially disastrous redevelopment plan for the town and it’s residents.
Let’s find out who really supports your theatre plan and put it on a ballot…oh wait, that’s right, you fought against a referendum tooth and nail and never initiated your own. Now it’s too late. I wanted one – what were you afraid of?
You say our senator received so many support calls for the RSC plan and yet, he failed to sign the TIF which was critical to it’s success and then was quoted as saying his reason was “there wasn’t a solid voice behind the plan”.
Keep telling yourself the whole town wanted your plan, you had your chance to prove it and you didn’t. It doesn’t really matter anymore…thank goodness!
You don’t care if it’s 800 or 500 seats?? It would have made a great deal of difference to the business plan that you keep touting about. The 300 seats disappeared just as magically as the 3.5 million dollar deficit did the night before the demolition vote – GIMME A BREAK!
You lie all the time with your tall tales of bribes and your insinuations of under the table dealings. You are misleading people about an issue that is pretty black and white to most of us and that is a LIE!
You can tell yourself there are only 5 people that opposed the plan – you’re dreaming. I contacted our senator and was told he was being flooded with e-mails from BOTH sides. We didn’t have a chance to speak at the meetings, thanks to the trustees swift action to end this nonsense. We won – what would be the need? Again – where was your vast support? Same 12 folks at all the meetings. Why not a referendum? You weaseled out of it because you knew the outcome…
I don’t blame the Friends for the state of the theater, I don’t blame the village either. Years of no profit made from lack of interest caused the building to lapse into it’s horrendous state. I do think the Friends made critical errors in how they handled their campaign for this plan.
As far as your roof story – what kind of roofer fixes a portion of a roof that doesn’t need repair? Couldn’t he tell where the damage was or was there so much damage, he couldn’t tell where to begin?
Another strange and misleading story that sounds like it’s missing facts…typical.
Funny how you conveniently left out the seat reduction until someone called you on it and that was a major reduction! Revenue will significantly drop from such a reduction – if the place was ever even booked!
The Ides of March oooh! They played at our HIGH SCHOOL last time they were here. Now that the theatre plan is history, they are more than welcome back to our lovely high school auditorium anytime they want, or better yet, the Taste of Lombard which actually has booked even bigger bands than them in the past.
No need for an autograph for me since their 1 hit was released before I was born. Not interested.
I will NEVER lament my stance against this theatre plan. It would surely have been a disaster. Any attempt to blatantly break as many codes and use that many of our TIF $$ as RSC did will be fought with as much vigor and determination as RSC was. So far, our record is 1-0. Many people (myself included) believe NOTHING could be worse than that plan.
I read in the local paper that our village president wrote a letter to the developer asking him to come up with another proposal that would reduce the size of the building to keep it within codes but had not received a response. What does that tell you about the shaky finances of this plan. Keep it within codes and raise more private donation money for restoration and operations and I would be first in line to support it but that will NEVER happen.
It’s not personal for me – I can guarantee you that I have been to the Dupe more than almost any of your readers. Even through the years when water leaked and dripped during a movie or when the mold smell was so bad you had to hold your breath. How about when the screen melted during a movie? I have more memories good and bad than any of you but restoration at all costs is not what’s best for the town and it’s residents. It has to be more sensible that what you’ve offered so far. Unfortunately no one understands that, they just keep pointing fingers until it’s too late.
The Dupe proposal called for a reduction in seating from 800 to 500 seats because there wasn’t enough parking. Duper – I thought you knew the business plan word for word? Wipe the egg of your own face now and quit lying about your now deceased plan.
I’m sure Ringo Starr or Martina McBride are interested in performing for a crowd of a measly 500 at the Dupe…yeah right. If that’s the case, I’m sure I would have seen them at more weddings and class reunions.
Hey, maybe after the show, Ringo will run over to the Grove for a patty melt or the DQ for a dip cone? Maybe he can even walk over to my place and tell me some old Beatles stories!
Please people, try for one minute to get a grip on reality.
You can PRO FORMA yourself until you’re blue in the face. There are NO GUARANTEES this venue would have made a profit and when it didn’t who would have been left holding the bag? The Village of Lombard and it’s residents that’s who!
Did the Genesee Theater group in Waukegan have a PRO FORMA presented to their town council before they renovated? Last report was their bookings have been a far cry from where they should be to break even. Not to mention they went a cool 10 million over in restoration costs.
I’m glad our village board has protected us from a nightmare story like that one. Although why should you, and others like you, care about the dangerous financial risks of this plan? You don’t live and pay taxes in Lombard!!!!! It’s easy to support restoration at all costs when those costs don’t fall in your lap!
Have you ever been inside the DuPage Theatre or even in the town of Lombard?
Don’t judge what’s going on here without all the facts. There is a lot of bad blood and both sides have behaved poorly at times but facts are facts. This theatre is in terrible shape and is unsafe to even walk NEAR, let alone IN. No plan has been brought forth to restore it that was FAIR to the residents of this town. Breaking building codes, using millions of OUR TIF dollars with no guarantees of coming in at budget or of the success of this venue was NOT FAIR. It was a last ditch effort by a group who was about to default on their deadline and it was a debacle.
The over taxed residents of this town will NOT fund the restoration of this theatre. Get private dollars and restore within codes or say goodbye. It’s common sense in the water of this “burg”, not delusions of theatre grandeur which some seemed to have over-dosed on.
Again duper, I did not ask for a lecture on the history and background of TIF dollars – what I said, for those that lack reading comprehension(Duper), is that you FAILED to get that extension SIGNED and without it, you have no financing!!!
You said “The TIF extension could occur in the spring session..”
COULD??? This town has waited YEARS for ANYTHING to happen at that corner and now we’re supposed to wait for another big maybe in the spring??? As soon as I heard that extension didn’t go through, I knew that it would be lights out. You can keep telling yourself there’s some grand conspiracy against your cause, I think you need to come back to reality and realize, that plan is dead and rightly so. As for the theatre, we’ll see if it can be saved. I suggest that you stop posting about RSC and get to work with your fellow friends to try to save the structure. Oct 14 is coming quick…
Again, I hated the RSC plan, no egg on my face, just a big smile.
It seems you are so fixated on that plan that you are now incapable of looking for other options…do you love the theatre or the RSC plan?
It’s obstructionist (bad spelling again Jim)
You have heard wrong. Obstructionist Jim Devitt(you) has done nothing but type lies to cause trouble (all in the name of saving the theatre)
He has not been to a board meeting to speak for his cause or had constructive meetings with the Friends of the theatre on how it can be saved. He hides and snipes. Then when the well intentioned Friends want to have open talks with the other side – he attacks them as well. Glad to see some real preservationists are finally realizing his real. Now he’ll develop another fake post name and continue spreading the lies but watch that spelling and grammar – it’s a dead give away
He is a sick man, guided by hatred and bitterness because he suffered an embarassing loss in a local election and moved away.
He does NOTHING for his “cause” and tries to impede anyone who wants to collaborate with the people he despises. He’s the reason so many Lombardians will dance the jig on demo day. He actually helped them achieve their goal.
3 spelling errors in the last 2 posts (nice try again Jim)
Whatever Jim (now the fictious Dan Murphy) Keep spreading your lies, we don’t care. BTW – try harder on the spelling – 3 errors on that second post alone. So easy to spot you Jim.
Duper – quit referring to the “preservationist Jim Devitt”, there’s nothing “preservationist” about him, he should be more accurately labeled “obstructionist Jim Devitt”.
July 3 was a long LONG time ago pal.
To quote an 80’s hit “What have you done for me lately?”
Talk is cheap. What are your plans now?
At least some Friends are realizing they have nothing to lose but to talk to others? That’s not in your plan though, you want to become the next Joan of Arc when demolition day comes. Either you’ve given up or you’re too cowardly to try.
PS I would not reconsider that condo plan but maybe another use for the theater itself – who knows?
When will some of the true preservationists around the country who read this site respond to the devisive insanity that pours out of this guy’s mouth? Isn’t it obvious he is creating more problems on purpose?
Devitt/Dude – I asked WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW, RIGHT NOW, TO SAVE YOUR THEATRE?? Other than sitting at your computer causing trouble? The answer is, NADA. So why rip on Ms. Dynako for trying open a dialog? It’s SO obvious you are nothing but a troublemaker seeking to fan the flames of discontent. PROVE ME WRONG – tell me what you are doing NOW to help your cause. The answer is NOTHING, so back off and get a life.
This guys game is easy to see – do you agree, preservationists?
Thanks for proving my point duper – very predictable.
Devitt- What’s your strategy other than to stand around screaming and whining until demolition day?
Are you a quitter? Have you given up? Clue us in to your grand plan.
At least someone still cares enough about the theatre to try to open a dialog. What’s your suggestion to save it?
You definitely are in it just because you like a good fight and the fact the 2 sides may come together ruins all your fun.
If that’s not the case, what are you doing RIGHT NOW to save the building you claim to love? The clock is ticking..
It seems duper always needs to have the last word, so let him have it.
His tune is changing now that someone on his own side is pointing out that his words are antagonizing people.
As usual, the discussion is going nowhere. I agree, it’s time to move on.
Rita- where are your harsh words for Jim Devitt and his multiple aliases? How about ghamilton and his extremely vulgar comments?
Do you know how many people have gotten off the sidelines and gotten involved in the theatre fight because of the offensive attacks made by Mr. Devitt? You should be ashamed to have him supporting the theatre effort by antagonizing the opposition. He has damaged your cause’s character by continually engaging people in this kind of discussion.
I heard he was no longer a member of the Friends – that should be said publicly. He continues to fuel the fire because he has nothing better to do. He doesn’t live in Lombard and his only concern is winning his personal war with Trustee Sebby and others.
When will you stand up and reprimand him? He is a PR nightmare for the people who truly care about the theatre. He makes you all look like jerks and you should stop him before he gets anymore out of hand.
The question is will you?
Mr. Hamilton-
How can one mention their belief in God on one hand and then use the offensive term “tit suckers” on the other.
Say what you want about this discussion but no one has used language of that nature and it’s hardly befitting your so called lofty “preservationist” cause…yuck.
Incidentally – check out this article in todays Tribune about the excellent job the preservation group in Hinsdale has done with their old theatre.
Why couldn’t this have happened in Lombard – stubborness and pride. It was the RSC plan or nothing for this group.
View link
Duper never had a mind to begin with – he is the raving loon you mentioned and only cares about the theatre because of his personal vendetta against Trustee Sebby.
This same fool has accused another local theatre of bribing the village board, accuses library officials of “under the table” deals and now is attacking the good people on our school board.
Shame on you – you need therapy.
By the way Dist 4 – you spelled his named wrong, it’s not DeWitt, it’s DimWitt.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it – Duper..
Again – keep telling yourself everyone supported your plan and that the opposition had no real numbers behind it. Keep on living in fantasyland
if it makes your defeat more bearable.
Now get to work – the clock is ticking and your plan is a goner. Find another way to save the structure before it’s too late. Stop typing and start fundraising!
Dude – I believe you know what’s there but for the benefit of LTS and others I’ll answer;
Right now, there is a gourmet restaurant in downtown Lombard called “Praga”. That was the one that got a 4 star review in the Tribune. The other restaurant is part of a local chain called “The Texan BBQ” ( It is not a national chain as I stated before but part of a Chicago-area chain known for their fun atmosphere and excellent ribs). The name of the antique shop is the “Antique Cellar” and it has been in Lombard for at least 20 years. There is an upscale salon called “Effigy” and an adorable old fashioned candy store called “Sweet Street” which is a favorite stop for many families. There are many other storefronts, 2 popular coffeehouses that are always busy especially with commuters, a greek coffeeshop which has been on the corner forever as well as a Chinese restaurant that has at least 20 years at it’s location. There is a music store, a large Catholic book and gift shop, a barber shop, local family run video store, old fashioned liquor store, gourmet take out/diner place called .“Amazing Graze”, a collectibles shop called “Fairy Tales”, pizza joint and much much more. You may not be “impressed” LTS but we have a lot to be proud of and like I said before, a lot of our growth came from despite that terrible looking theatre which is such an embarassment, especially from the Metra train as it passes through town.
Dude- You are right about “Bill” (who is in fact a pro-theatre advocate), anyone who would discredit a lovely theatre venue like the Drury Lane without proof is seriously disturbed. He’s just a troublemaker we generally ignore or laugh at.
Stuper – the meeting was May 23 at Glenbard West and there was a large group of residents there concerned about RSC. You should have been more on the ball and you would have seen what was coming next. (Keep wiping that egg, buddy)
Life’s too short- Lombard’s business district in the downtown area has seen so much improvement in the last 15 years. It now includes a restaurant that was featured in the Tribune as a “must try” and has been booked nightly ever since. It includes a restaurant from a major national chain and many other shops, hair salons, candy store, antique store etc. You should have seen it 15 years ago. It’s get better every year and that is despite the embarassment of that long shuttered eyesore with the safety fence around it.
Speaking of which, the most adorable downtown shopping district in my opinion is Geneva and guess what? They got rid of their old theatre too and only kept the facade. It is now 2 restaurants and a store inside. A great option for the Dupe, if only this group wasn’t so hell bent on their community theatre venue which was impractical and too costly.
RobertR,
Would a group who had an “under the table” deal push hard for a NON-BINDING referendum that would tell the village board whether or not the voters would like to see the use of Lombard tax dollars (be it TIF or otherwise) to restore the theatre? It would have been a PERFECT chance for the theatre group to prove to the board that most of Lombard valued and were willing to pay for a restored theatre.
THEY GOT IT THROWN OUT AND NEVER INITIATED THEIR OWN! Not even when they had, what they claimed to be, a perfectly fully funded plan to offer.
What does that tell you about their confidence in the public’s feelings towards the theatre plan?
Learn the facts about this plan AND this town before you call people small minded. I believe only a “small minded town” would have taken a fiscally irresponsible deal like that one and call it the answer to all of the towns problems!
Duper – get a life. That plan is done, stick a fork in it. Try to find another way to save the theatre before it’s too late. Also – you need to admit to people that you don’t live in Lombard. So love the theatre if you want but when it comes to paying for it, I really don’t care what you think – YOU’RE NOT A TAXPAYER HERE! You need to put up or shut up!
Sorry Rita but you are wrong again – his comment stemmed from the fact that the Dist 87 board voted to table the issue until the funding problems could be accounted for. I was at the Dist 87 meeting when that happened. I forwarded that information to Senator Cronin. You see it had NOTHING to do with the board but the other taxing bodies that were not sold on the plan at the time.
Mr. Carroll stood up and stated at the June 2 meeting that all the taxing bodies supported the TIF extension for the theatre. That was another lie told in desperation. Dist 87 had NOT voted on it at that time because of the 3.5 million dollar gap in funding (which magically disappeared the night before the demolition vote!)
In addition – Senator Cronin was called and/or e-mailed by most everyone in my neighborhood regarding their concerns about the finances and size of that building plan. You can keep blaming Sebby but in this case,he actually had nothing to do with it!
Again – more misinformation. This was not a conspiracy folks but a logical move made to avoid a potentially disastrous redevelopment plan for the town and it’s residents.
Sorry Rita but you are wrong again – his comment stemmed from the fact that the Dist 87 board voted to table the issue until the funding problems could be accounted for. I was at the Dist 87 meeting when that happened. I forwarded that information to Senator Cronin. You see it had NOTHING to do with the board but the other taxing bodies that were not sold on the plan at the time.
Mr. Carroll stood up and stated at the June 2 meeting that all the taxing bodies supported the TIF extension for the theatre. That was another lie told in desperation. Dist 87 had NOT voted on it at that time because of the 3.5 million dollar gap in funding (which magically disappeared the night before the demolition vote!)
In addition – Senator Cronin was called and/or e-mailed by most everyone in my neighborhood regarding their concerns about the finances and size of that building plan. You can keep blaming Sebby but in this case,he actually had nothing to do with it!
Again – more misinformation. This was not a conspiracy folks but a logical move made to avoid a potentially disastrous redevelopment plan for the town and it’s residents.
Let’s find out who really supports your theatre plan and put it on a ballot…oh wait, that’s right, you fought against a referendum tooth and nail and never initiated your own. Now it’s too late. I wanted one – what were you afraid of?
You say our senator received so many support calls for the RSC plan and yet, he failed to sign the TIF which was critical to it’s success and then was quoted as saying his reason was “there wasn’t a solid voice behind the plan”.
Keep telling yourself the whole town wanted your plan, you had your chance to prove it and you didn’t. It doesn’t really matter anymore…thank goodness!
Duper Duper Duper-
You don’t care if it’s 800 or 500 seats?? It would have made a great deal of difference to the business plan that you keep touting about. The 300 seats disappeared just as magically as the 3.5 million dollar deficit did the night before the demolition vote – GIMME A BREAK!
You lie all the time with your tall tales of bribes and your insinuations of under the table dealings. You are misleading people about an issue that is pretty black and white to most of us and that is a LIE!
You can tell yourself there are only 5 people that opposed the plan – you’re dreaming. I contacted our senator and was told he was being flooded with e-mails from BOTH sides. We didn’t have a chance to speak at the meetings, thanks to the trustees swift action to end this nonsense. We won – what would be the need? Again – where was your vast support? Same 12 folks at all the meetings. Why not a referendum? You weaseled out of it because you knew the outcome…
I don’t blame the Friends for the state of the theater, I don’t blame the village either. Years of no profit made from lack of interest caused the building to lapse into it’s horrendous state. I do think the Friends made critical errors in how they handled their campaign for this plan.
As far as your roof story – what kind of roofer fixes a portion of a roof that doesn’t need repair? Couldn’t he tell where the damage was or was there so much damage, he couldn’t tell where to begin?
Another strange and misleading story that sounds like it’s missing facts…typical.
Funny how you conveniently left out the seat reduction until someone called you on it and that was a major reduction! Revenue will significantly drop from such a reduction – if the place was ever even booked!
The Ides of March oooh! They played at our HIGH SCHOOL last time they were here. Now that the theatre plan is history, they are more than welcome back to our lovely high school auditorium anytime they want, or better yet, the Taste of Lombard which actually has booked even bigger bands than them in the past.
No need for an autograph for me since their 1 hit was released before I was born. Not interested.
I will NEVER lament my stance against this theatre plan. It would surely have been a disaster. Any attempt to blatantly break as many codes and use that many of our TIF $$ as RSC did will be fought with as much vigor and determination as RSC was. So far, our record is 1-0. Many people (myself included) believe NOTHING could be worse than that plan.
I read in the local paper that our village president wrote a letter to the developer asking him to come up with another proposal that would reduce the size of the building to keep it within codes but had not received a response. What does that tell you about the shaky finances of this plan. Keep it within codes and raise more private donation money for restoration and operations and I would be first in line to support it but that will NEVER happen.
It’s not personal for me – I can guarantee you that I have been to the Dupe more than almost any of your readers. Even through the years when water leaked and dripped during a movie or when the mold smell was so bad you had to hold your breath. How about when the screen melted during a movie? I have more memories good and bad than any of you but restoration at all costs is not what’s best for the town and it’s residents. It has to be more sensible that what you’ve offered so far. Unfortunately no one understands that, they just keep pointing fingers until it’s too late.
The Dupe proposal called for a reduction in seating from 800 to 500 seats because there wasn’t enough parking. Duper – I thought you knew the business plan word for word? Wipe the egg of your own face now and quit lying about your now deceased plan.
I’m sure Ringo Starr or Martina McBride are interested in performing for a crowd of a measly 500 at the Dupe…yeah right. If that’s the case, I’m sure I would have seen them at more weddings and class reunions.
Hey, maybe after the show, Ringo will run over to the Grove for a patty melt or the DQ for a dip cone? Maybe he can even walk over to my place and tell me some old Beatles stories!
Please people, try for one minute to get a grip on reality.
Duper Devitt-
You can PRO FORMA yourself until you’re blue in the face. There are NO GUARANTEES this venue would have made a profit and when it didn’t who would have been left holding the bag? The Village of Lombard and it’s residents that’s who!
Did the Genesee Theater group in Waukegan have a PRO FORMA presented to their town council before they renovated? Last report was their bookings have been a far cry from where they should be to break even. Not to mention they went a cool 10 million over in restoration costs.
I’m glad our village board has protected us from a nightmare story like that one. Although why should you, and others like you, care about the dangerous financial risks of this plan? You don’t live and pay taxes in Lombard!!!!! It’s easy to support restoration at all costs when those costs don’t fall in your lap!
Have you ever been inside the DuPage Theatre or even in the town of Lombard?
Don’t judge what’s going on here without all the facts. There is a lot of bad blood and both sides have behaved poorly at times but facts are facts. This theatre is in terrible shape and is unsafe to even walk NEAR, let alone IN. No plan has been brought forth to restore it that was FAIR to the residents of this town. Breaking building codes, using millions of OUR TIF dollars with no guarantees of coming in at budget or of the success of this venue was NOT FAIR. It was a last ditch effort by a group who was about to default on their deadline and it was a debacle.
The over taxed residents of this town will NOT fund the restoration of this theatre. Get private dollars and restore within codes or say goodbye. It’s common sense in the water of this “burg”, not delusions of theatre grandeur which some seemed to have over-dosed on.
Again duper, I did not ask for a lecture on the history and background of TIF dollars – what I said, for those that lack reading comprehension(Duper), is that you FAILED to get that extension SIGNED and without it, you have no financing!!!
You said “The TIF extension could occur in the spring session..”
COULD??? This town has waited YEARS for ANYTHING to happen at that corner and now we’re supposed to wait for another big maybe in the spring??? As soon as I heard that extension didn’t go through, I knew that it would be lights out. You can keep telling yourself there’s some grand conspiracy against your cause, I think you need to come back to reality and realize, that plan is dead and rightly so. As for the theatre, we’ll see if it can be saved. I suggest that you stop posting about RSC and get to work with your fellow friends to try to save the structure. Oct 14 is coming quick…
Again, I hated the RSC plan, no egg on my face, just a big smile.
It seems you are so fixated on that plan that you are now incapable of looking for other options…do you love the theatre or the RSC plan?
Makes you wonder what’s really going on…
Why do you always evade the importent issues?
Where’s the TIF extension that accounted for more than 70% of your financing?
Stop whining about Trustee Sebby with whom you have a personal hatred for because of past instances and tell the whole story.
Grants or no grants, this plan was a failure…