Wheaton park board wants second look at theater feasibility study

Wheaton Park District board members are getting a second opinion before making any move to purchase and renovate the Wheaton Grand Theater.

Commissioners on Wednesday night agreed to hire consultant Jim Hirsch to independently evaluate a feasibility study that concluded the historic building in downtown Wheaton could compete "as one of the premier theater venues in the region."

"I submitted a proposal that will help to vet some of the assumptions and the assertions that are made in the (C.H.) Johnson Consulting proposal for the renovation and operation of the Wheaton Grand Theater," said Hirsch, who is the executive director of the Chicago Sinfonietta.

Phil Luetkehans, the park district's board president, said the $5,000 fee paid to Hirsch will be "money well spent," adding the park district will ask the city to pay half the cost. He said the report is a "necessary first step" that will help answer a variety of questions.

For example, Hirsch plans to scrutinize the "optimistic" projection that audience attendance could reach 85 percent.

Ray Shepardson, the theater's project manager, has said that number is achievable because free tickets will be given to regular subscribers. So, while the theater would be close to full, only 62 percent of the 1,150 seats would be purchased.

Until Hirsch completes his assessment, parks officials say it's unlikely the board will vote on a plan to have the park district take ownership of the theater along Hale Street and borrow $19.3 million to renovate and expand it.

"The board wants to get a second opinion," said Mike Benard, the park district's executive director.

Ray Morrill, the park board's vice president, already has said he's not sold on the predicted success of the theater. He called the attendance and financial estimates "overstated."

If the park district took ownership of the theater, the Grand Theater Corp. - the not-for-profit group that oversees management of the venue - would pay an annual licensing fee to the park district. Money raised from the fee would be used by the park district to repay the 20-year loan.

Meanwhile, the city and Downtown Wheaton Association have been asked to serve as a partial financial "backstop" in case the theater fails to raise enough cash for the loan payments.

If the association and city agree, they would each provide payments of up to $250,000 a year if the theater fails to generate enough revenue to cover the debt payments.

However, the entire project hinges on the park district moving forward. At Wednesday night's board meeting, no one indicated what deadline, if any, Hirsch has to complete his report.