And the Friends of the DuPage Theatre support a plan that demolishes the theatre itself….how ironic is that? A new theatre building, a new marquee, and saving a few so called relics to incorporate into a generic cinder block box surrounded by overpriced condos and empty retail space (do we really need another Subway or Quizno’s or hair salon or dentist office??). How sad…..but that is what the friends and preservationists have called a victory for their cause (at a cost of nearly $10 million thanks to the village TIF designation). The shallowness of this so called victory truly dictates that the place should all go the way of the wrecking ball…and sell the parcel off to the highest bidder for a project that does not need $10 million in village tax handouts.
PRESERVATION ALERT….don’t be fooled by the Friends. The latest plan for a black box theatre to be dedicated to civic group use is a new building….not a restored Dupe. The marquee is on the way to dump any day now along with the wrecking ball taking down the theatre. All that is being “restored” is the lobby and some of the rotting terra cotta facade. What kind of victory is this? A few years back the whole 800+ seat theatre was to be restored with this much and now all Lombard gets is a 299 seat box with folding chairs and lights. What a pathetic compromise from the theatre supporters and village board. This deal will fall apart just as every other pathetic attempt to develop this property. When will the village learn that it is best to clear the site and put it out to the highest bidder….not the highest TIF taker!
Find someone to finance your theatre dream and go for it…and fascinating that the official communications director for the group that is suing the village along with the historical commission now says save the building for adaptive reuse as a community center or “maybe many things”. Unreal and a little late their Ms Dynako. Should have taken that stance before filing the lawsuits and continually berating the board for their actions like your cohorts have done so often both in the press and at public meetings. The friends lack of compromise on the site is what did this in all along.
You know Rita with people like you who needs friends? You must be that nut case Rita on the Historical Commission. Have you realized that the game is over and you and your old timer cronies lose? Go save an old house or something before builders tear down all the old ones in town. If you have been here in town for 30 long years then you must have lived in a rat hole in the ground to not see this dump decay like it has for the past 15 long years! Bring on the dozers NOW!
Sure Deb…yeah right. When will you realize that without private capital the theatre is going nowhere except the dump? You failed for the last five plus years and you think that by putting out an olive branch at this point is going to find a solution in six months? You friends must smoke something pretty potent if you truly think something will happen. Once the judge tosses the suit it will be literally days if not hours until the demolition begins once and for all since the village staff has had it with this place. You all blew it….your pennance is a day late and $10 million short.
How fascinating that the leader of the Lombard Historical Commission seems to have resigned his post due to disagreement with the pending litigation against the Village of Lombard in regards to stopping the long overdue demolition of the DuPage Theatre.
The only dignity to be bestowed on this site at this time is a quick and quiet demolition. That will finally put this issue that has divided this village for so many years to its final rest. It is the only solution given that no one has come forth to save the day!
With all the connections that the National Trust has one would think this would be a piece of cake to fund. Not the case so instead they tie up the courts with outrageous lawsuits that make a mockery of our democratic system.
And DuPageDude…you got it so right, dude! If the friends had embraced the community it would be done by now.
What mis-truths, distortions, and lies could you possibly be speaking of? The biggest lie continually posted to date are the dreaded three words “fully funded plan”. Does one need go any further?
And “ANTI-PRESERVATIONISTS theatre haters” are such strong words of discontent towards the truth seekers that strive to show what is really going on with the theatre. How sad…and this attitude as put out by “ghamilton” and “duper supporter” shows why their pet project failed so miserably.
Well guess what, you failed anyway since it did not pass test with four of the trustees (TOSS I believe is what you named them). Bids for demolition are forthcoming to the board agenda in the next few weeks so your mindless rants make no difference. Goodbye DuPage…it’s been a good run but time for something new. And, for the record, it has been the same dozen or so supporters for years and years going before the board time and time again with there allegations of underhandedness and desparate pleas to save the place with their ever new “fully funded plan”. Your latest development failed the test in the public opinion polls and it is finally over.
Gee GHamilton..why not become the knight in shining armor and save us from our sad, small-minded, culture free lives? How pathetic your posting and most others in favor of saving this dump have become since you all fail to come forth with the millions needed to save it. Talk and posting on this site come cheap….put your money behind your near lunatic rantings and save the day. The only thing that stinks is the musty interior of a long dormant theatre. A theatre that failed to make it for whatever reasons…mismanagement, poor conditions including falling plaster, filthy restrooms, a real fire trap in its day. We have not missed this dump for the nearly ten years that it has been vacant and we certainly only have memories of the shoddy interior, sticky floors, and uncomfortable seats and over-priced concessions. Where was the outrage from the so called friends and the historical commission when the place was going down the tubes? Where was their outrage when it was tri-plexed? Where was their outrage when the place was constantly shut down for building code violations? No underhanded deals here in the Lilac village…just a civic-minded board that knows that enough is enough. Give polygraphs to all…nothing to hide. No inside deals or under the table payoffs. Just reality finally settling in and progress taking its toll on a once shining showplace that has quite simply outlived its usefulness here in our “small-minded” town. I, among with literally hundreds if not thousands of others, are thankful that our trustees have not caved in to the “small-minded preservationists” that have dragged this ordeal on for far too long.
This town is dying? NOT. One of the jewels of the western suburbs of Chicago and it does NOT take a theatre to make it a great place. Neighboring suburbs including Naperville and Wheaton have, oh my God, libraries in their downtowns! The theatre has not been operational for nearly ten long years….and our town is not dead yet. In fact it is home to all kinds of new development. Builders can’t build the new high end ($600,000+) homes fast enough…..bulldozers tearing down many old decrepit houses and replacing them with stunning new homes. And this is all happening blocks from our downtown core. Come visit before posting such crap…RobertR. As the editorial in the real local paper said this past week just because something is old does it make it worth saving. That is the case here…so if it is such a gem and such a sure money maker, why oh why hasn’t some builder or developer or theatre operator come to save the day? Because the reality is what it is…no hope left for this place since the taxpayers smartly REFUSE to support it.
And you are right, Lombard is home to the nationally acclaimed AMC Premium Cinema. Check it out…great place to see that action flick in comfort! But with a cold beer or cabarnet instead of a Slurpee from 7-11.
You are so right….the “friends” object to any efforts that do not include the theatre being a theatre. That is why the building is coming down after the “joke of a lawsuit” is dismissed and the village board awards the demolition contract next week. No one else to blame other than the ones that went about it the wrong way to try and save it.
Not so fast…the only “dying town” and decay is the fenced in long rotting theatre. Thanks for the vote of confidence RobertR. You “preservationists” are a strange lot…must be brain rot from the mold and mildew of the old run down theatres you spend way too much time in. New condos, new retail space, few empty storefronts, more vibrant than ever….all this without a restored theatre. Why raise the funds when the taxpayer were going to be left holding the bag? That was the attitude of the supporters for five plus years. And a new 7-11? We already have that right around the corner. How about a Starbucks?
Wow, we can finally agree with “duper supporter”….you are so right that downtown Lombard needs a destination facility. A new library would do just that. Thanks for the support.
Several small side streets with many, many businesses? Really? Besides the dead ended Park Avenue, what other side street has many businesses? None. The downtown core is mainly St Charles Road from the post office to Elizabeth (where the new Walgreens is going). Main Street south of the tracks is made up mostly of the long vacant theatre, a funeral home, a run down office/apartment building, and the now vibrant Elmhurst clinic. And oh yeah, the offices for the local tabloid next to the run down building with the florist and yet another hair salon. Don’t forget the drive-in bank. North on Main really does not offer much…other than the bank and the neon signn store. Glen Ellyn and Wheaton have blocks and blocks that comprise a REAL downtown. Lombard’s is basically a few long blocks.
Once the theatre is redeveloped it will finally bring some foot traffic to that side of the viaduct with retail, restaurants, and the like. No need for the theatre since there is no many to pay for it.
We’ll wait and post a few pictures of the BIG pile of bricks that will be there sooner rather than later…..I hear the roar of bulldozers and dump trucks coming down Main now.
There is no proof that the money would have come…just becasue the state released the first batch of “political pork” does it mean the Dupe’s funds were part of it. And even if it was, they were still millions short of what it would take. At this point in the game the Friends of the theatre are too busy filing ridiculous lawsuits to even worry about the facade, the marquee, or anything else! The building will go down and they will still be bickering and accusing and “smelling something fishy”.
Ghamilton and RobertR…come see the mess on Main Street for yourself and you will quickly see this building is falling apart. Go see some good shots of the building at www.dupagetheatre.com if you are not close enough to come see it for yourself. I for one drive by it several times a day and just cringe at the site of it. Read the local biased press to see the nonsense the supporters put out week after week in support of their sorry cause. Our village leaders and residents have put up with this boarded up eyesore for well over five years so enough is enough…let Union and the PRIVATE railroad museum do with it what they want. Better than going to the landfill in a few short weeks.
And if you know someone who can ride into town and be the white knight to save the day then tell ‘em to act fast….the building is coming down sooner rather than later.
You forget to mention that the funding gap disappeared by reducing seating from nearly 800 seats to less than 500….not from securing any real money towards the project. And the TIF extension just may benefit some other project at the DuPage Theatre site in the near future (but not to the tune of nearly 25% of the total project cost).
The good news of late is the building facade, marquee, and other historic elements will likely be heading to the railway museum in Union, Illinois. The preservationists should applaud this as it is likely the only salvation at this point. The “hysterical” commission lawsuit to block demolition will likely be dismissed since it fails to lack sense and provides not one penny of funding to restore the building. This commission has watched this building fall apart for 10 years and only now comes forward? What took them so long? The writing has been on the crumbling walls for years and years….
The signs mean nothing if the sign holders were not financial supporters of the theatre effort…putting a sign in the yard shows your support but a show of REAL support is a financial pledge to the cause. That simply did not happen…and many today chuckle every time they see 2-3 or more signs in a single yard because what the signs tell us now is that they support the new plan (which, according to the village, is to demolish the “horistorical” building). You may have put in 75 signs but I bet most included 2 or more in the yards they were put in!
As for the signatures, again unless these “armchair” supporters made a financial commitment to the cause then who cares how many or where they came from. At that point in the game it was a day late and millions of dollars short! Where was this same drive for support a year or two ago? Where was the drive to get your “friends” on the village board or even village president to sway the board decisions and direction? It certainly has not done the supporters much good to have a “friend” on the library board given they have voted against her sorry wishes of not pursuing the theatre site for a new library. But just think if that one vote had been on the village board…the RSC plan could have been moving forward by now and the only activity you would see is restoration and renovation instead of demolition. (oh but wait, it couldn’t have started yet because Springfield has yet to approve the TIF extension to fund the theatre so it would still be sitting in its vacant run down sorry state until the next legislative session decides what to do)
As for the rally count, one would contemplate only for a split second what papers count to believe….200+ from the local one sided “theatre coverage no matter what else is going on” paper or 65 from the highly respected and balanced Daily Herald.
The signatures mean absolutely nothing if they are not registered voters in the Village of Lombard! And signatures coerced at Cruise Nights (oh my God..an event that draws people to the downtown and is NOT a theatre)and Taste of Lombard (one of the most successful suburban fests and is NOT a theatre)are not the droves of supporters you claim it to be. Most likely signed not even realizing what they were signing…because most people could care less about saving the eyesore on Main & Parkside. And no one cares if it is on the national register or not when it looks like a long abandoned ready to fall down fenced in mess of a once was theatre.
And there is no hatred to the friends themselves.just their sorry tactics in trying to save this mess. They tried, they failed. It’s over unless somebody shows up in the next few weeks with a truly FULLY FUNDED plan not dependent on the taxpayers getting taken to the cleaners.
Oh joy…LombardTaxWatch.com should really be WeDidNotGetOur$8MillionSoNoOneElseGetsTaxDollars.com
Give it up…your flawed logic does you in every time. And this latest historical commission threat is the icing on the cake. Why is it at the 11th hour they suddenly come forth? Where have these so called “historians” been all these years? The friends are grasping for anything at this point in the game…go take your final picture in front of the chain link fence and let it end.
Duper..you are wrong. Those six Lombard residents are not against the theatre..they are simply against the tax dollar funded RSC plan that so fails the village of Lombard’s residents despite the repeated claims of it being a “fully funded plan”. But all that really matters at this point is that four of our trustees have seen the reality of the RSC plan and put an end to it. The fantasy is over. Historical preservation at any cost (taxpayer cost that is) was not going to be tolerated in Lombard…and the board has spoken loud and clear. As has been said time and time and time again, private dollars should drive historical preservation, not our TAX dollars.
Not that any of this matters at this point since demolition is days away (maybe in middle of the night…quietly so as to not allow the supporters time to chain themselves to front door) but your analysis on the TIF scene is flawed.
When $9.5 million is the supposed tax collection and nearly all of it was being diverted to the theatre TIF until 2024, there was no victory for any other taxing body with the theatre plan. The only “winner” would have been the theatre. There is a huge difference in assessed and fair market value for a vacant parcel versus 86 condos, parking garage, and retail space.
And the Lincoln Square development and TIF/tax agreement was certainly part of the public discussion and the numbers were readily available for public scrutiny. As any action by our village board it is all public record. They were not cutting an under the table type deal as you have implied. When the deal makes sense and does not involved MILLIONS and MILLIONS in TIF and tax rebates like the RSC proposal, it goes through. Where was your outrage when the other TIF districts were discussed and ultimately approved?
TIF is not a bad thing…applied correctly it truly drives development for the public good in our downtown area. Applied incorrectly and it gets “PUBLICLY SCRUTINIZED,DISECTED, DEBATED and OPINIONATED” just as it did in the case of the theatre TIF.
But given that this site is dedicated to “Cinema Treasures” and NOT tax funding kindly take the TIF and tax discussions elsewhere.
Dude..you are wrong on TIF. The increment is the total amount in this case. The theatre TIF area pays ZERO today…the increment is every penny over ZERO. A BIG chunk of state and federal money? Really? A million from the nearly broke state of Illinois where a Democratic governor would NEVER release funds to Republican DuPage County. That million is such a long shot and you all know it…the funds are NOT sitting in the bank waiting to be wasted on the theatre dreams. And the federal funds…what a joke. $296,000 in so called Save Our Treasures grants that leave the village tied to a sorry theatre for 50 long years. The BIGGEST chunk came from the millions and millions and millions in TIF! That’s right folks…TAX INCREMENT FINANCING from an incremental tax base of ZERO.
And to compare the Elmhurst Hospital project and the variances is wrong. That facility does NOT back up to residential. The upper space is “architectural” only and not occupied space above the fourth floor.
Folks worked so hard to destroy the project? Not the case Dude..the only ones that destroyed it were the friends themselves. The only work was clearly showing the mistruths and mis-steps of their theatre plan. Quite simple and stress free really according to the sources in the game. But victory sure is bittersweet….at least the marquee and other salvagable treasures will be going to better use than the scrapyard.
When the current property is generating ZERO tax dollars, the incremental increase is ALL the property taxes that would have been diverted…nice try “Duper”. Development or redevelopment..it’s all the same really. “Redevelopment” could have included components of the theatre but we all know that is not going to happen since the “all or nothing” mentality persevered. There is also a huge difference in $400,000 in TIF for an 80 unit development and $6-8 million in TIF for a theatre with 86 units.
And “Melders”…you certainly won’t see a big box store take the Dupe site. It is less than three acres so certainly not big enough for a Wal-Mart or other large retailer. You will see a transit oriented mixed use development with retail and, yikes, maybe even more condos given that the Metra rail station is just steps away.
And the Friends of the DuPage Theatre support a plan that demolishes the theatre itself….how ironic is that? A new theatre building, a new marquee, and saving a few so called relics to incorporate into a generic cinder block box surrounded by overpriced condos and empty retail space (do we really need another Subway or Quizno’s or hair salon or dentist office??). How sad…..but that is what the friends and preservationists have called a victory for their cause (at a cost of nearly $10 million thanks to the village TIF designation). The shallowness of this so called victory truly dictates that the place should all go the way of the wrecking ball…and sell the parcel off to the highest bidder for a project that does not need $10 million in village tax handouts.
PRESERVATION ALERT….don’t be fooled by the Friends. The latest plan for a black box theatre to be dedicated to civic group use is a new building….not a restored Dupe. The marquee is on the way to dump any day now along with the wrecking ball taking down the theatre. All that is being “restored” is the lobby and some of the rotting terra cotta facade. What kind of victory is this? A few years back the whole 800+ seat theatre was to be restored with this much and now all Lombard gets is a 299 seat box with folding chairs and lights. What a pathetic compromise from the theatre supporters and village board. This deal will fall apart just as every other pathetic attempt to develop this property. When will the village learn that it is best to clear the site and put it out to the highest bidder….not the highest TIF taker!
Find someone to finance your theatre dream and go for it…and fascinating that the official communications director for the group that is suing the village along with the historical commission now says save the building for adaptive reuse as a community center or “maybe many things”. Unreal and a little late their Ms Dynako. Should have taken that stance before filing the lawsuits and continually berating the board for their actions like your cohorts have done so often both in the press and at public meetings. The friends lack of compromise on the site is what did this in all along.
You know Rita with people like you who needs friends? You must be that nut case Rita on the Historical Commission. Have you realized that the game is over and you and your old timer cronies lose? Go save an old house or something before builders tear down all the old ones in town. If you have been here in town for 30 long years then you must have lived in a rat hole in the ground to not see this dump decay like it has for the past 15 long years! Bring on the dozers NOW!
Sure Deb…yeah right. When will you realize that without private capital the theatre is going nowhere except the dump? You failed for the last five plus years and you think that by putting out an olive branch at this point is going to find a solution in six months? You friends must smoke something pretty potent if you truly think something will happen. Once the judge tosses the suit it will be literally days if not hours until the demolition begins once and for all since the village staff has had it with this place. You all blew it….your pennance is a day late and $10 million short.
How fascinating that the leader of the Lombard Historical Commission seems to have resigned his post due to disagreement with the pending litigation against the Village of Lombard in regards to stopping the long overdue demolition of the DuPage Theatre.
The only dignity to be bestowed on this site at this time is a quick and quiet demolition. That will finally put this issue that has divided this village for so many years to its final rest. It is the only solution given that no one has come forth to save the day!
With all the connections that the National Trust has one would think this would be a piece of cake to fund. Not the case so instead they tie up the courts with outrageous lawsuits that make a mockery of our democratic system.
And DuPageDude…you got it so right, dude! If the friends had embraced the community it would be done by now.
What mis-truths, distortions, and lies could you possibly be speaking of? The biggest lie continually posted to date are the dreaded three words “fully funded plan”. Does one need go any further?
And “ANTI-PRESERVATIONISTS theatre haters” are such strong words of discontent towards the truth seekers that strive to show what is really going on with the theatre. How sad…and this attitude as put out by “ghamilton” and “duper supporter” shows why their pet project failed so miserably.
Well guess what, you failed anyway since it did not pass test with four of the trustees (TOSS I believe is what you named them). Bids for demolition are forthcoming to the board agenda in the next few weeks so your mindless rants make no difference. Goodbye DuPage…it’s been a good run but time for something new. And, for the record, it has been the same dozen or so supporters for years and years going before the board time and time again with there allegations of underhandedness and desparate pleas to save the place with their ever new “fully funded plan”. Your latest development failed the test in the public opinion polls and it is finally over.
Gee GHamilton..why not become the knight in shining armor and save us from our sad, small-minded, culture free lives? How pathetic your posting and most others in favor of saving this dump have become since you all fail to come forth with the millions needed to save it. Talk and posting on this site come cheap….put your money behind your near lunatic rantings and save the day. The only thing that stinks is the musty interior of a long dormant theatre. A theatre that failed to make it for whatever reasons…mismanagement, poor conditions including falling plaster, filthy restrooms, a real fire trap in its day. We have not missed this dump for the nearly ten years that it has been vacant and we certainly only have memories of the shoddy interior, sticky floors, and uncomfortable seats and over-priced concessions. Where was the outrage from the so called friends and the historical commission when the place was going down the tubes? Where was their outrage when it was tri-plexed? Where was their outrage when the place was constantly shut down for building code violations? No underhanded deals here in the Lilac village…just a civic-minded board that knows that enough is enough. Give polygraphs to all…nothing to hide. No inside deals or under the table payoffs. Just reality finally settling in and progress taking its toll on a once shining showplace that has quite simply outlived its usefulness here in our “small-minded” town. I, among with literally hundreds if not thousands of others, are thankful that our trustees have not caved in to the “small-minded preservationists” that have dragged this ordeal on for far too long.
This town is dying? NOT. One of the jewels of the western suburbs of Chicago and it does NOT take a theatre to make it a great place. Neighboring suburbs including Naperville and Wheaton have, oh my God, libraries in their downtowns! The theatre has not been operational for nearly ten long years….and our town is not dead yet. In fact it is home to all kinds of new development. Builders can’t build the new high end ($600,000+) homes fast enough…..bulldozers tearing down many old decrepit houses and replacing them with stunning new homes. And this is all happening blocks from our downtown core. Come visit before posting such crap…RobertR. As the editorial in the real local paper said this past week just because something is old does it make it worth saving. That is the case here…so if it is such a gem and such a sure money maker, why oh why hasn’t some builder or developer or theatre operator come to save the day? Because the reality is what it is…no hope left for this place since the taxpayers smartly REFUSE to support it.
And you are right, Lombard is home to the nationally acclaimed AMC Premium Cinema. Check it out…great place to see that action flick in comfort! But with a cold beer or cabarnet instead of a Slurpee from 7-11.
You are so right….the “friends” object to any efforts that do not include the theatre being a theatre. That is why the building is coming down after the “joke of a lawsuit” is dismissed and the village board awards the demolition contract next week. No one else to blame other than the ones that went about it the wrong way to try and save it.
Not so fast…the only “dying town” and decay is the fenced in long rotting theatre. Thanks for the vote of confidence RobertR. You “preservationists” are a strange lot…must be brain rot from the mold and mildew of the old run down theatres you spend way too much time in. New condos, new retail space, few empty storefronts, more vibrant than ever….all this without a restored theatre. Why raise the funds when the taxpayer were going to be left holding the bag? That was the attitude of the supporters for five plus years. And a new 7-11? We already have that right around the corner. How about a Starbucks?
Wow, we can finally agree with “duper supporter”….you are so right that downtown Lombard needs a destination facility. A new library would do just that. Thanks for the support.
Several small side streets with many, many businesses? Really? Besides the dead ended Park Avenue, what other side street has many businesses? None. The downtown core is mainly St Charles Road from the post office to Elizabeth (where the new Walgreens is going). Main Street south of the tracks is made up mostly of the long vacant theatre, a funeral home, a run down office/apartment building, and the now vibrant Elmhurst clinic. And oh yeah, the offices for the local tabloid next to the run down building with the florist and yet another hair salon. Don’t forget the drive-in bank. North on Main really does not offer much…other than the bank and the neon signn store. Glen Ellyn and Wheaton have blocks and blocks that comprise a REAL downtown. Lombard’s is basically a few long blocks.
Once the theatre is redeveloped it will finally bring some foot traffic to that side of the viaduct with retail, restaurants, and the like. No need for the theatre since there is no many to pay for it.
We’ll wait and post a few pictures of the BIG pile of bricks that will be there sooner rather than later…..I hear the roar of bulldozers and dump trucks coming down Main now.
There is no proof that the money would have come…just becasue the state released the first batch of “political pork” does it mean the Dupe’s funds were part of it. And even if it was, they were still millions short of what it would take. At this point in the game the Friends of the theatre are too busy filing ridiculous lawsuits to even worry about the facade, the marquee, or anything else! The building will go down and they will still be bickering and accusing and “smelling something fishy”.
Ghamilton and RobertR…come see the mess on Main Street for yourself and you will quickly see this building is falling apart. Go see some good shots of the building at www.dupagetheatre.com if you are not close enough to come see it for yourself. I for one drive by it several times a day and just cringe at the site of it. Read the local biased press to see the nonsense the supporters put out week after week in support of their sorry cause. Our village leaders and residents have put up with this boarded up eyesore for well over five years so enough is enough…let Union and the PRIVATE railroad museum do with it what they want. Better than going to the landfill in a few short weeks.
And if you know someone who can ride into town and be the white knight to save the day then tell ‘em to act fast….the building is coming down sooner rather than later.
You forget to mention that the funding gap disappeared by reducing seating from nearly 800 seats to less than 500….not from securing any real money towards the project. And the TIF extension just may benefit some other project at the DuPage Theatre site in the near future (but not to the tune of nearly 25% of the total project cost).
The good news of late is the building facade, marquee, and other historic elements will likely be heading to the railway museum in Union, Illinois. The preservationists should applaud this as it is likely the only salvation at this point. The “hysterical” commission lawsuit to block demolition will likely be dismissed since it fails to lack sense and provides not one penny of funding to restore the building. This commission has watched this building fall apart for 10 years and only now comes forward? What took them so long? The writing has been on the crumbling walls for years and years….
The signs mean nothing if the sign holders were not financial supporters of the theatre effort…putting a sign in the yard shows your support but a show of REAL support is a financial pledge to the cause. That simply did not happen…and many today chuckle every time they see 2-3 or more signs in a single yard because what the signs tell us now is that they support the new plan (which, according to the village, is to demolish the “horistorical” building). You may have put in 75 signs but I bet most included 2 or more in the yards they were put in!
As for the signatures, again unless these “armchair” supporters made a financial commitment to the cause then who cares how many or where they came from. At that point in the game it was a day late and millions of dollars short! Where was this same drive for support a year or two ago? Where was the drive to get your “friends” on the village board or even village president to sway the board decisions and direction? It certainly has not done the supporters much good to have a “friend” on the library board given they have voted against her sorry wishes of not pursuing the theatre site for a new library. But just think if that one vote had been on the village board…the RSC plan could have been moving forward by now and the only activity you would see is restoration and renovation instead of demolition. (oh but wait, it couldn’t have started yet because Springfield has yet to approve the TIF extension to fund the theatre so it would still be sitting in its vacant run down sorry state until the next legislative session decides what to do)
As for the rally count, one would contemplate only for a split second what papers count to believe….200+ from the local one sided “theatre coverage no matter what else is going on” paper or 65 from the highly respected and balanced Daily Herald.
The signatures mean absolutely nothing if they are not registered voters in the Village of Lombard! And signatures coerced at Cruise Nights (oh my God..an event that draws people to the downtown and is NOT a theatre)and Taste of Lombard (one of the most successful suburban fests and is NOT a theatre)are not the droves of supporters you claim it to be. Most likely signed not even realizing what they were signing…because most people could care less about saving the eyesore on Main & Parkside. And no one cares if it is on the national register or not when it looks like a long abandoned ready to fall down fenced in mess of a once was theatre.
And there is no hatred to the friends themselves.just their sorry tactics in trying to save this mess. They tried, they failed. It’s over unless somebody shows up in the next few weeks with a truly FULLY FUNDED plan not dependent on the taxpayers getting taken to the cleaners.
Oh joy…LombardTaxWatch.com should really be WeDidNotGetOur$8MillionSoNoOneElseGetsTaxDollars.com
Give it up…your flawed logic does you in every time. And this latest historical commission threat is the icing on the cake. Why is it at the 11th hour they suddenly come forth? Where have these so called “historians” been all these years? The friends are grasping for anything at this point in the game…go take your final picture in front of the chain link fence and let it end.
Duper..you are wrong. Those six Lombard residents are not against the theatre..they are simply against the tax dollar funded RSC plan that so fails the village of Lombard’s residents despite the repeated claims of it being a “fully funded plan”. But all that really matters at this point is that four of our trustees have seen the reality of the RSC plan and put an end to it. The fantasy is over. Historical preservation at any cost (taxpayer cost that is) was not going to be tolerated in Lombard…and the board has spoken loud and clear. As has been said time and time and time again, private dollars should drive historical preservation, not our TAX dollars.
Not that any of this matters at this point since demolition is days away (maybe in middle of the night…quietly so as to not allow the supporters time to chain themselves to front door) but your analysis on the TIF scene is flawed.
When $9.5 million is the supposed tax collection and nearly all of it was being diverted to the theatre TIF until 2024, there was no victory for any other taxing body with the theatre plan. The only “winner” would have been the theatre. There is a huge difference in assessed and fair market value for a vacant parcel versus 86 condos, parking garage, and retail space.
And the Lincoln Square development and TIF/tax agreement was certainly part of the public discussion and the numbers were readily available for public scrutiny. As any action by our village board it is all public record. They were not cutting an under the table type deal as you have implied. When the deal makes sense and does not involved MILLIONS and MILLIONS in TIF and tax rebates like the RSC proposal, it goes through. Where was your outrage when the other TIF districts were discussed and ultimately approved?
TIF is not a bad thing…applied correctly it truly drives development for the public good in our downtown area. Applied incorrectly and it gets “PUBLICLY SCRUTINIZED,DISECTED, DEBATED and OPINIONATED” just as it did in the case of the theatre TIF.
But given that this site is dedicated to “Cinema Treasures” and NOT tax funding kindly take the TIF and tax discussions elsewhere.
Dude..you are wrong on TIF. The increment is the total amount in this case. The theatre TIF area pays ZERO today…the increment is every penny over ZERO. A BIG chunk of state and federal money? Really? A million from the nearly broke state of Illinois where a Democratic governor would NEVER release funds to Republican DuPage County. That million is such a long shot and you all know it…the funds are NOT sitting in the bank waiting to be wasted on the theatre dreams. And the federal funds…what a joke. $296,000 in so called Save Our Treasures grants that leave the village tied to a sorry theatre for 50 long years. The BIGGEST chunk came from the millions and millions and millions in TIF! That’s right folks…TAX INCREMENT FINANCING from an incremental tax base of ZERO.
And to compare the Elmhurst Hospital project and the variances is wrong. That facility does NOT back up to residential. The upper space is “architectural” only and not occupied space above the fourth floor.
Folks worked so hard to destroy the project? Not the case Dude..the only ones that destroyed it were the friends themselves. The only work was clearly showing the mistruths and mis-steps of their theatre plan. Quite simple and stress free really according to the sources in the game. But victory sure is bittersweet….at least the marquee and other salvagable treasures will be going to better use than the scrapyard.
When the current property is generating ZERO tax dollars, the incremental increase is ALL the property taxes that would have been diverted…nice try “Duper”. Development or redevelopment..it’s all the same really. “Redevelopment” could have included components of the theatre but we all know that is not going to happen since the “all or nothing” mentality persevered. There is also a huge difference in $400,000 in TIF for an 80 unit development and $6-8 million in TIF for a theatre with 86 units.
And “Melders”…you certainly won’t see a big box store take the Dupe site. It is less than three acres so certainly not big enough for a Wal-Mart or other large retailer. You will see a transit oriented mixed use development with retail and, yikes, maybe even more condos given that the Metra rail station is just steps away.