planning & development
La Grange Theatre seeks aid from Village
to finance structural renovations
Last October, the owners of the La Grange Theatre, a landmark in the downtown business district for more than eight decades that in recent years has operated as a second-run movie house, approached Village officials for financial assistance in making major structural renovations in order to sustain and expand the theater's operation.
In two public workshops conducted late last year by the Village Board of Trustees, owners John Rot and David Rizner explained that as much as $3.5 million dollars would be required to bring the building up to current code. They stated they could provide $1 million from private sources and asked the board to consider a loan or a grant for the remainder.
The board felt strongly enough about the theater's value in attracting visitors to the downtown shopping district, thereby benefitting nearby restaurants and other businesses, that it decided to explore ways the Village might extend fianancial aid. Most discussion centered on using TIF funds in either in the form of a loan or grant.
Additional board sessions were held in 2008, including one closed session on April 21 that came under scrutiny after the publisher of this website, Thom Rae, questioned the validity of the exception to the Illinois Open Meetings Act cited by the board.
You can read remarks Rae delivered to board members prior to their voting on whether to adjourn to that closed session
The board subsequently approved the closed session by a vote of 4 to 1, with a sixth board member absent.
Rae later filed a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General's public access division, which prompted an investigation into whether the board's action had fully complied with the law.
The attorney general July 2 concluded that a violation had indeed occurred. On July 9, the attorney general announced that an agreement had been reached with the Village to resolve the matter.
You can read a statement Village President Elizabeth Asperger read at a regular board meeting July 14 addressing the violation and agreement to resolve it.
For the latest coverage of this issue, read our newsblog, the daily.
Your comments as always are welcome. You can respond directly to any of our posts in the daily section. Just click the Comments link at the end of any post.
Or if you prefer to send us an email, you can do that, too