DuPage Theater

Believe me Melders – I was not trying to sabotage the Dupe plan to put the library there. I was never a fan of the plan for all the reasons that have been mentioned time and time again on this board. The bottom line is this plan was the last resort for saving the structure as a whole and I and many of my neighbors thought it would be a disaster for our neighborhood and our town. My only stance on the library is that it should go before the voters to possibly use the site for the new library. If it doesn’t pass, so be it, but the residents should have a say. Unlike the condo plan where no referendum was ever put forth. The developer and the Friends DIDN’T want one. They KNEW it would fail.

I have always felt that if the theater could be sold and developed with mostly private dollars (and perhaps a reasonable percentage of TIF dollars) and could stay within current codes, I would have been all for it. This was FAR from that. The best chance the theatre had was when Classic Cinemas (York, Tivoli) came to take a look. It would have been a cinema again and would have been privately owned but they weren’t interested due to the severe neglect and damage to the building.

Also – the marquee and facade are not being destroyed but are being removed for a railway museum in a nearby city. That is, unless another group formally comes forward to pay for the removal and storage. Also, all items of value inside will be removed before demolition as well. This information came to me in an e-mail reply from the Village board. Perhaps, the Friends or the Historical society could throw their hat in the ring and acquire these items for future use. I would gladly make a donation if they made the effort.

Also – trying to compare the new convention center to the former theatre plan is ridiculous and not worth debating.

Have a great night all.

It’s hard to believe that the Village Board DOESN’T have alterior motives considering the latest news in the Village…
DebDupe says “…The theatre would have been operating as a not for profit and, for the most part, village owned in the end”. A $195 million dollare convention center is being planned, that the Village is issueing bonds for, that will be run by a Public Facilities Corp (for tax reasons) that will run it and get ALL tax dollars rebated to it. At the point the bonds will be paid off, the Village will then (supposedly) own it. One of the Trustees was once quoted that “The Village doesn’t belong in the entertainment business” well, what’s a convention center? Mr. Tross also voted against a additional sales tax that would be rebated to the Yorktown Mall, a private development, to pay for infrastructure improvements, “Trustee Richard Tross opposed the measure because he felt it tantamount to the village subsidizing private enterprise, with no benefit to residents. He was not convinced the area qualified as “blighted” given the fact that redevelopment plans are in the works and at least one new restaurant has already spent substantial money toward constructing an eatery in the proposed area.

“I really think more thought should go into this,” Tross said. “This money is not for public good. It is not a partnership. It is a handout.”
All that hot air and yet he basically said there is no public good in a restored theatre and shops in the downtown. That does not seem to make sense to me…

I don’t think anybody wanted the current building for the Library. I think the plan was to incorporate the facade/marquee. 90% of the outside of the building is just plain old ugly brick, only the 30, or so, feet pictured above is worth saving. It would be cheaper to build a new building that try to fit the library into the old one.

A library is a long shot, at best. Referendums are 4-letter words around here, and that is what will be needed to be passed for a library. BUT the location makes sense, AND we need a new library.

Please note that I am NOT speaking for Marisa, but I think you are making more assumptions melders. I believe she was against their ‘plan’, for the same reasons as the rest of us. She was NOT out to destroy the theatre just for the library (correct me if I am wrong Marisa).

Melders, just scroll up a few and read, where is deb dynako’s apology? She attacked somebody, called them out by name, got caught being wrong, and then signed off.

I understand the reasons people opposed the condos, and I don’t have a problem with that. It seemed to me though, that she opposed the condos because she wanted the building for the library. If that is the case, then I have a problem with that. Those that wanted the building for a library should have stayed out of the debate until the “Friends” lost. Then they should have gone after the building. I think that since both sides tried to sabatoge the others plans, they both have now lost.

I should have written “their side winning” in my previous comment.

Is this Lombard or Peyton Place? I never was a big fan of saving a few historical elements of a theatre or a marquee or facade unless the place is structurally unsound or unsaveable. It’s sad in 2005 a good 45 years after the Roxy was demolished we are still letting this happen. In Europe they preserve treasures thousands of years old and here people want to tear down a great old theatre to build a Walmart or condos.

If the trustees were going to save any part of the main building, then they shouldn’t have rejected the Save America’s Treasures grant. Because if they kept any part of the building standing, they could have used it to restore whatever they decided to keep. But since they cut out the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and were too obtuse to allow them to negotiate out of the normal terms of the grant, the grant is now gone. If you ask me that is egotistical and petty.

Challenger, you’ve got a strange fascination with numbers—-and so far all of them are wrong.

Now, I’ll be signing off for a few days. But I’ll miss ya when I’m gone…

Excuse me, Mrs Dynako but I would appreciate if you would kindly leave my name out of the childish accusations that take place on this website. This is the second time you have assumed a poster here was me so I felt the need to finally speak out. I have never posted under the name DebDupe and I don’t appreciate you throwing my name into your mudslinging game.

You don’t like my editorial? That’s fine because I don’t like the way you and Ms. A have treated the village board and I certainly take offenses to the lies printed in our yellow local paper.

For those of you who haven’t read my editorial, let me clue you in. I am petitioning the board to SAVE the historical elements of the theatre INCLUDING the marquee and facade for use at a future time and I challenged the editor of our paper because she lied and told the readers that this was no longer a possibility. Boy – you’d think “preservationists” would follow suit and do the same but they haven’t and who knows what will happen next? You see Mr. Fortini, this is more about pride now. No one wants to lose.

The theatre is being torn down and yes, I fought vehemently against the condo plan developed by the Friends. I also support and will lobby for a new library on the site. I would love to see if the marquee and facade could be saved for use on that or on another development. There is no middle ground on this issue for either side and I personally think they are all acting like children.

We’ll have to see what happens next – the board meets again tomorrow. In the meantime if Mrs. Dynako or any other of the Friends would like to make accusations about me – make sure you have the right target next time and anytime you want to talk about joining forces to save portions of the theater, send me an e-mail Otherwise – please leave me out of this pettiness.

Please! duper the $1 million was NEVER coming anyway, and the other 300K had so many stipulations it was not even worth it.

I have already answered you question, but I will answer it again. Yes! I think another group would at least stand a chance. Face it your group is done, so let somebody else try.

Again I am waiting for your answer! I will ask again.

Do you think your constant threats, bashing, name-calling, and parade of mindless drones at each Board meeting will get you one vote?

duper…there you go..more assumptions. I never said they would reverse their decision.

What I said (again) is that your group has burned too many bridges. Perhaps another group of individuals could do a better job. They could stand before the Trustees and present their ideas with professionalism, something you group has lacked from the beginning. Maybe they could work WITH the Village and the Trustee instead of against them. Maybe they could bring harmony to the Village.

All I have seen your group do lately is flood the local paper with your threats and name-calling.

Perhaps another group, one void of any friends, could get the trust of people and the Trustee’s, and maybe get that vote.

Now I answered your question, please answer one from me; Do you think your constant threats, bashing, name-calling, and parade of mindless drones at each Board meeting will get you one vote?

Whose plan sound better now?

duper, I already answered that so I will again fro the hard of reading:

I sad that a new group of residents given a very short specific time period give it one last go…No ‘friends’ involvement whatsoever. You guys have burned way too many bridges, so maybe a new group with some logical, professional, and mature people might be able to do in 30 days what you guys failed to do in 7 years.

I answered your question, and as I stated this is just an idea I had, so I tossed it out there. BUT as with the big ego’s you guys have if an idea did not come from you then you don’t want to hear it.

It’s better than sitting around waiting for the bulldozers which is all you seem to be doing. All the while you stick with your failed plan.

DebDupe, I think you finally outed yourself. You sound just like Marisa Schoff who got her letter to the editor printed in our local “tabloid.” You spout nothing but angry loathing. Name calling? You guys are the best at it. And it actually sounds like you want the building saved, you just don’t like the people trying to save it.

I am not on a high horse. And I repeat that the only people to be blamed for the wrecking ball are the four trustees—-Sebby, Tross, O'Brien and Soderstrom who voted in favor of it. Tross wants absolutely nothing saved. Now that’s a HIGH HORSE!

It’s too bad that the NHL is no longer locked out. Because we really need their referees and linesmen to separate both parties from all the fighting going on here! (And, by the way, BOTH sides should sit 5 minutes in the penalty box). It truly amazes me that both sides think they’re right and neither one is willing to see the other’s point of view.

This “all-or-nothing” approach is actually hurting your cause. When you go “all-or-nothing”, “nothing” is what you usually get! Would you not be willing to see the theatre put into adaptive re-use? Don’t you think that using the facade and marquee for a libary (or something else) is at least better than total demolition?

BOTH SIDES should have stopped the bickering and name calling a long time ago and met with your city council and tried working out an amicable solution.