Village of Lombard Legistar System

Clerk Suzan Kramer reported as President of the Board of Local Improvements that the

Board last met on Thursday, September 12 and approved the following items of

business:

For Special Assessment 216, Ahrens/School/Norton/Highridge/Wilson; payouts totalling

$317,939.17, and a change order in the amount of $6.10. For this project, Highridge is

fundamentally complete, and the remaining streets are nearing completion. Staff

worked closely with the contractor, R.W. Dunteman, to have Highridge substantially

complete for the start of the school year, and the rest of the project is moving alont in a

particularly timely fashion. Our staff is doing a exceptionally fine job with this project.

Staff provided an update on issues involved with Special Assessment 217, and it is likely

that some of these items will be brought to the Board of Trustees' attention.

Under other business, staff clarified some of the legal expenses involved with local

assessments.

The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 10th.

Trustee Sebby commented regarding the September 11 ceremony, saying he was

extremely moved and impressed by the number of people who turned out.

Trustee DeStephano reported that she and Chief Seagraves, Chief Byrne, Deputy Chief

Cuny and Officer Panagiotarios had met with downtown business owners and discussed

the homeless situation around town. Also at the meeting were the Chamber of

Commerce's Cindy Davis and Pads representatives. Trustee DeStephano reminded the

group that we need to be aware and sensitive to situations of safety from these people.

Trustee Tross echoed comments about the 9/11 events. He said that looking down

Main Street was unbelievable with the large crowd of people who came to the silent

parade. He said he hopes we will continue the remebrance every year. He thanked

those who put it together and the residents who participated.

President Mueller thanked Ellen Balsamo, Carol Bauer and Joelyn Kott for their

assistance, the Fire Department for their bell ceremony at Station One and the Police

and Fire Department personnel for the parade. He stated that there had been Bagels

provided for employees and an opportunity to gather and view the presentation put

together by Dirk Christensen in remembrance of September 11. He expected 500

people and the number of people was incredible. The President again thanked all who

worked on it and those residents who participated.

President Mueller also announced that the DuPage Mayors and Managers' Transit Plan

was approved last night. It will go to the DuPage County Board Tuesday. They hope

that by 2005 the plan will be in place. The Mayors and Managers of all the DuPage

Municipalities have participated in drafting the plan.

Dennis Mc Nicholas, 630 E. Central, said that he is an advocate for proponents of the

referendum petition. He stated that the first amendment to the redevelopment

agreement placed no restrictions on how the Theater property is to be used. He said

that the property had been put into a trust and the Village was given time to decide

whether to take the gift. He said the Village received one million dollars from Big Idea to

pay for RFP for development of the property, but all of the proposals requested too

many public dollars. Mr. Mc Nicholas said that the property is worth at least two million

dollars that could be invested into municipal bonds at a rate of 6.0%, which would give

the Village a return of one hundred and twenty thousand dollars per year in funds. If the

property was developed, the Village would receive three hundred and fifty thousand

dollars in real estate tax. We need to consider what the Village is forgoing in this time of

fiscal responsibility and the Trustees need to say how they can justify all of the dollars

lost over the last three years. Residents have their say in the way their tax revenue is

used. Fiduciary Responsibility calls for the Village to eliminate non-productive items. He

recommended that the Village publish an explanation of what TIF is with no compound

sentences. He also said that he would like each Trustee to address why they are

foregoing funds that could be available to the Village and what the contingency plan is if

the Theater does not succeed, as most new businesses fail. What is the plan to recoup

the dollars lost if it fails? You can't proceed without a contingency plan. He said that we

all deserve sufficient information to make an informed decision. He wants to hear from

each Trustee what the worst case scenario would be, accurate and realistic as to the

positive gain and the negative

Lillian Mundt, 225 E. Parkside, addressed the community; saying if something is said

that offends it may be true. She said that she has no connection with the theater, but

she is disgusted at the lack of vision and that we are divided on this issue. We should

be ashamed. She said that we have lost the character of the Theater due to the

laziness of owner and the Village and have destroyed it. She suggested parking on the

Hammerschmidt property, that people need a reason for people on the south part of

Main saying that commuters don't shop and the stores there are all closed. She

disagrees that the Theater could be a tax issue. She felt taxes would go up if the

building were destroyed. She implied that someone was on the take to want this to be

destroyed.

Steve Murrow, 116 N. Charlotte, enthusiastically endorsed the restoration. He feels that

this is an existing opportunity, while new communities are trying to figure out how to

have a town center. He said that though there is risk, that is why we have leaders. He

stated that because he can't vote in the issue, he had to speak.

John Nolan, 406 W. Maple, said that John Egan is an icon and saluted him. When the

property was donated, developers said give us the property and 5 or 6 million to develop

the property. He said that when President Mueller established another Ad Hoc

Committee, he was upset and yet respected Bill Mueller and thinks he is one of the best

Village Presidents. He said that after working for 22 months, the Ad Hoc Committee

have a plan approved and ninety eight thousand dollars in donations and a million from

Pate Philip's office due to President Mueller's standing in Springfield. The Ad Hoc

Committee's plan was built to support their goal. Not all of the Committees were in

support of the project, they simply agreed to the feasibility. We started the referendum to

get a feel for the people's opinion. He said that he is disgusted at the accusations of

fraud and forgery regarding the referendum petition, it was not the Friends of the

Theater's finest hour. This little group is very noisy but there is a huge part of the Village

that is against this project. He said that there is an Elephant in the living room in

Lombard and it is not going away.

Pam Pulice, 2425 Royal Drive, said that Colonel Plum had a vision for Lombard and

donated his property for the Library and Lilacia Park. The men who built the Theater

also had a vision. She described the vision of the architecture. She said that the arts

can re-emerge in Lombard. She feels that stars will be born in this Theater and she

would like to have oz fest in the Theater. She indicated that with any vision, we will

restore the

Theater. She said the plan will not impact tax dollars and asked for the Board's support

Tom Rawls, 934 S. Lombard, said that as a United States Citizen and registered voter

he is shocked that there is no referendum so that people could vote on the Theater

question. He said that if you are not earning money, you are losing money. The building

has been vacant two years and if it goes on four years more that would be six years of

not earning money. He said the Village should let the voters decide.

Deb Rodeck, 128 E. Hickory, said that she had many fond memories and that

involvement in the arts was responsible for her success. She went on to say that not

one of those memories is reason to restore the Theater and accept the business plan.

She said that the tax issue is a real one. She said that arts can support families and

cited her parents as an example. She asked the audience to reflect on a free verse,

which talked about the lack of value of a liberal arts degree. She said that civic

responsibility is the planting of trees whose shade you do not expect to sit under. She

feels that art is different to everyone and that it would be hard work to preserve the arts

and difficult to decide what should be preserved, what truly reveals our past. To build an

arts center, commitment is more than involvement; we would have to invest our entire

selves. In breakfast, the chicken is involved, but the pig is committed

Don Ryan, 756 S. Finley, said that he had served as Chair of the first Ad Hoc

Committee, which was charged with finding the best use of the DuPage Theater. He

said that only one developer was willing to pay for the land, and that was to build

condos. The rest wanted the land and six to twelve million dollars. He said that although

a million dollars in TIF funding had been promised, a million dollars from the State and

ninety-eight thousand dollars had been raised by the Ad Hoc Committee, it would take

years for an entity to raise the rest of the funds. He said that the Village will be losing

money as the building sits empty and while costs are escalating to restore the Theater.

He said he knows that everyone has worked hard, but the building just sits without

bringing in any revenue. He asked how many additional tax dollars is it going to take?

The money is not flowing in and the building is only getting older. He stated that the

people haven't been allowed to vote on the subject, but he said he did not want his tax

dollars used for the Theater.

Melody Ryan, said that she hates to see that we have different views. As a result of the

recent decision of the Electoral Board, she is upset that some 3,500 voters are unable to

vote on the issue because of a technicality and not because they didn't have the

signatures. She felt badly for the lady who saw the referendum petition and signed it

and woke her husband from a nap because he had been wanting to sign it also. She

also told of the person who asked her to come back with the petition again because they

had 8 neighbors wanting to sign. And she said that a 19-year-old girl who had recently

registered to vote came to her house because she wanted to sign. Ms. Ryan said that

all of these people were not allowed to vote because of two objectors. She urged the

public to call or e-mail the President and Trustees and let your voice be heard.

Steve Spappori, 526 N. Grace, said that he has been professionally involved with the

arts for 18 years. He spoke as a voter, asking what is if the theater fails? He doesn't

think it will be successful. He has been told that admission, concessions and grants will

make it self-supporting, but a he mentioned that most all of the theaters in Chicagoland

are sustained by villages, park districts, or corporations. You will need the Village to

subsidize the operation. He further stated that he is opposed to the Village spending six

to eight million dollars to renovate a building, as that is not about supporting the arts. He

said that grants are extremely difficult to secure and there are no guarantees that they

will be awarded. He said that they are comparing the DuPage to the Athenaeum

Theater, which is located in an artisan neighborhood, a historic theater district. Lombard

is not such an area. Fred Solari said that the profit margin was in splitting into 4

theaters, and live theater is not appreciated at this time. He thinks the great gift is a

white elephant. He asked why do we think that we can make this successful when

companies who are involved in the arts can't. Why not concentrate on developing

programs for our children and our people, not buildings. No one has ever said let's do

what our people want and need. No one should get in the way of our voices being heard

Cynthia Ward wants to see the Theater restored as an arts center. She heard recently

from the group asking her to work with the theater. She did not realize how political the

issue had become. She said she hopes that we will move ahead and repair the Theater,

get the funds from the state quickly and enjoy the theater and downtown again.

President Mueller thanked the committee, he said he wants to accept the report of the

ad hoc committee and dissolve the committee. He called for no further use of Village of

Lombard funds, without Board approval, no further tours of the facility and for the Board

to decide the best use of the Theater in 4 to 6 weeks. He asked that staff look at what

needs to be secured for winter.

Director of Public Works Stan Rickard answered that we do have information from Local

State and Federal agencies supporting the use of spraying. He has read information

from the Center for Disease Control at Ft. Collins, Colorado, which recommends

adulticide at risk level number four, which we are at. He said that we are treating the

problem in accordance with the Center for Disease Control recommendations and have

implemented the program with the help of a grant from DuPage County. With the West

Nile Virus causing illness and death, it is recommended by the County that full programs

be maintained including source reduction, larvacide and adulticide as recommended

with Illinois Environmental Protection Agency approved pesticides, spraying to control

adult populations and all products applied by experienced and licensed engineers.

Trustee Florey suggested that there may be other companies who could perform this

type of abatement program and that over the winter the Board could review the issue to

see if there is another way to go.

Trustee Tross said several years ago an extensive study was done in Lombard and the

surrounding areas and there had been a competitor. U of I did a presentation, and we

began a big change in larvaciding. He agrees that we should look into the options, but

that we must move forward with this during this emergency situation.

Trustee DeStephano indicated that she doesn't think that adulticiding is effective, as it

hits the front of your house not the back yard.