More police before a new music hall

The mayor and city council are exploring either revamping Hemmens Auditorium or building a new music auditorium for the Elgin Symphony Orchestra and other groups. I read that the mayor said the city should not raise taxes to do it and would probably need donations from others to raise all the needed funds.

As a longtime Elgin taxpayer, that would be music to my symphony-loving ears.

The only problem is finding the money to pay for the new $80 million music hall and the large operating budget it would require.

We all know that Elginites are a minority of the patrons who go to the symphony. I think we all know that tickets and season passes won't be able to cover yearly operating costs. So I would encourage all the movers and shakers on the council and elsewhere to put their collective brainstorming heads together and figure out a way to get out-of-town symphony patrons and corporate sponsors to donate a very large portion of the construction and operating costs.

I am now in the Elgin Citizen Police Academy and I am learning of some of the needs the Elgin police have for which there is not enough money in the budget.

I would hate to see Elgin get stuck with a new symphony music hall while knowing our police and fire departments have need for more money in their budgets for more street patrols and more life-saving equipment.

The theme from "West Side Story" might sound great in a new symphony hall, but it won't put anymore police on the streets of Elgin.

Clarence Hayward

Elgin