THUMBS UP FOR THE THEATRE?

As the Village Board continues to debate the merits of giving a grant or loan to owners of the "historic" La Grange Theatre -- from either Tax Increment Financing or General funds -- one payback mechanism has emerged: a possible 50-cent "entertainment tax" added on to the existing $3.50 per person admission ticket.

The seat tax or user fee would be specifically designed for the theatre, for the village to recoup its investment over time.

Theater owners John Rot and David Rizner revealed the idea of a proposed user fee recently to the La Grange Business Association recently, 10 days after publicly addressing elected officials.

And they didn't get by easy, as one LGBA member questioned their motives, their plans and even inquiring why the $1.725 million request is so controversial.

Rot, in turn, put up a good case. They are not "looking for a profit" off La Grange just to get free money and they didn't ask for help for any reason other than to afford the estimated $3.4 million revitalization the 83-year-old movie house they contend needs to survive.

"You hear about a lot of negative stuff, but David and I never started this out to become a target," Rot told the crowd. "We do truly believe ... this is a community asset."

LGBA President and (theater neighbor/Roly Poly owner) Michael LaPidus told his peers the theater renovation and funding request was an easy decision to support.

He said La Grange Theatre brings more than 200,000 people here annually, noting downtown consultants consider a theater a natural asset to those lucky enough to still have one that's open.

"It's an economic engine that brings people to town," he said. "They are willing to keep it (operating as) a theater as long as it has community support."

I am not sure whether people really back the idea or really care one way or the other except to be assured the place will remain open. We might not know that until years from now.

But I have to agree with LaPidus. The theater owners have a vested interest in La Grange. They have been here for years operating the seemingly successful Horton's and they've already invested nearly 10 percent of the estimated "project cost" into updating the theater -- with promises of dropping another third of the total cost of renovations into the building.

So they want help from the village, kind of like a sports stadium or hotel (with its own special room taxes) that contributes to the local economy and creates jobs. Even though most of them are in other businesses.

While it seems Rot and the Village Board should be more publicly forthcoming about his business finances if he wants money from the public and they want to give it, one can also understand his desire to conduct his business in private. But he is asking for a lot from the town -- regardless of whether it will ever be reimbursed -- and the project deserves some public attention.

I've spent a lot of time in La Grange and see Rot and his staffers everywhere (just like his friend and retail neighbor Steve Palmer and Co.), but most importantly at civic functions, restaurants and most importantly, like any successful entrepreneur, around the businesses he owns and operates.

I believe him when he swears the subsidy is not being sought to bail them out of a bad business decision, that they are really just trying to save a community asset -- and that they don't want to turn the property over to another developer, especially if it only means more condos and vacant storefronts built by one of the two developers he says have expressed interest in the property.

But Something's Got to Give. And while the village may be that very entity, so should Rot and Rizner. We know the only way the CTA got the General Assembly to budge when it needed a cash infusion earlier this year was to give something back to the riding public -- and that turned out to be free rides for seniors.

Maybe the proposed developers of the old YMCA property should give something back to the community, other than a new mixed-use development, if they end up buying park land they desire. That gift could be another 2-3 acres they can buy elsewhere in town and give away to be used as park land. Perhaps on the East Side where there are more than a few available parcels.

But like I've said before, that's another story we'll discuss soon enough.

So back to the theater and its gift, other than new auditoriums, accessible ground floor rest rooms, a new concession stand, community room and modern marquee on the village's dime. Since the only thing missing since they upped ticket prices from the long-standing $2 appears to be seniors (and we don't mean LTs), bring 'em back. In droves. Let them reminisce and pay the old price for a flick, every weekend. Senior Sundays, or something like that. Then maybe the theater wouldn't be a target of critics and the village's gift might seem more palatable.

After all, Rot likens the theater to more like a public institution than an individual business, and such institutions do give back to the community quite a bit, in more ways than one.

It's nice to see the LGBA stepping up to raise money to help replace the marquee by more visible and nostalgic and even nicer to see Rot & Rizner's vow to update inside and out.

Whether the village recovers its investment is not as vital to a town that has handled its finances as well as La Grange, but it's an appropriate use of TIF funds which are typically used to bring business to town and help existing ones stay.

If they go with the entertainment tax instead, fine. Especially if raising ticket prices even more means better releases and a vastly improved environment. After all, they do it in Hodgkins and those flicks are $9.75 apiece.

Through its facade improvement program, the village has given out many loans to business and property owners who have improved entryways and window displays; they assembled Triangle properties to assist in the private development of Trader Joe's, Caribou Coffee, Pier One and Borders and they have improved streets and train depots with benches, lighting and kiosks.

It's already clear four of the seven Village Board members are in favor of some kind of subsidy for the theater, which seems to keep kids off the streets and surrounding businesses thriving.

Just think of the downtown without the theater. Ask the folks in Hinsdale or Lombard what it meant to them. In Lombard, the village bought the DuPage Theatre, then later demolished it.

The village appears in favor of the request, so what method of financing should they choose? Should they make it a loan? Seek a payback of some sort? Or just make it a gift?

Realtor Dean Rouso, who represents Classic Cinemas -- owner of the Lake in Oak Park, Tivoli in Downers Grove and the York in Elmhurst -- said in his view the theater is the "biggest" economic engine of downtown.

And, he told the LGBA, if La Grange loses it, they will never get it back. How true.