Des Plaines not buying Sim's Bowl after all
In a surprising reversal, the Des Plaines city council Monday night voted not to authorize bonds for the purchase of Sim's Bowl and Lounge in downtown.
The vote Monday was 7-1 against authorizing $895,000 in bonds. Aldermen Patti Haugeberg (1st Ward), John Robinson (2nd), Matt Bogusz (3rd), James Brookman (5th), Mark Walsten (6th), Dan Wilson (7th), and Rosemary Argus (8th) cast "no" votes, while 4th Ward Alderwoman Jean Higgason voted to issue bonds.
On Jan. 19, the council approved buying the iconic bowling alley at 1555 Ellinwood St., for $862,500 from Midwest Bank to spur redevelopment. The vote then was 5-3 in favor of the purchase.
Haugeberg, Robinson, Brookman and Walsten changed their votes.
"In this case, the folks who changed their minds did so because it was the right thing for the city and there's nothing wrong with that," said Bogusz, who urged his ward residents to come out in force Monday night to oppose Sim's purchase.
"I think a roomful at city hall always helps," said Bogusz, who has been trying to coax fellow aldermen to change their votes. "It's a team effort. And the residents are the ones who were truly persuasive. And they are sick and tired of getting burned, because councils come and go, but the taxpayers are stuck with the bill."
The city council will now have to rescind its earlier authorization to purchase Sim's, which could occur at the April 5 meeting, City Manager Jason Slowinski said.
Slowinski said city leaders could still opt to purchase Sim's using the city's general fund reserves, "but we (staff) would not recommend that."
Sim's was a fixture in downtown Des Plaines for 55 years before it succumbed to foreclosure. Midwest Bank took over Sim's on June 7 from the Caparelli family that had owned and operated the bowling alley and adjacent cocktail lounge and Depot Pizza. The family could not afford to pay the $925,000 mortgage and real estate taxes on the roughly 27,000-square-foot property.
City officials jumped at the chance to acquire the property at that asking price, but didn't have enough money left in the downtown tax increment financing district, or TIF No. 1, to buy it outright. That fund had about $1 million left in it at the end of 2009.
One of the biggest concerns with purchasing the property and reusing it has been the cost of bringing the building up to city code - estimated to be $600,000, officials said.
Some city officials have suggested razing the building and using the site as a parking lot at a considerably lesser cost of up to $100,000. It is likely if the city purchased the property it would be sold to a developer down the road.
Des Plaines Mayor Marty Moylan said Monday's vote does not mean the idea of buying Sim's is dead. "It's still on life support," he said.
The city council's community development committee will discuss possible uses for the Sim's Bowl property should the city move ahead. The meeting is at 7 p.m. March 22 in Room 102 of City Hall, 1420 Miner St.
"We're going to see what comes out of the committee," Moylan said. "There also is a tour of the bowling alley to show the aldermen the condition of the (building). The city doesn't want to get stuck with an eyesore. I think when the council gets all the facts, we'll see what they want to do."
Haugeberg said she is not totally against purchasing Sim's but believes the council should take it slow.
"I think for everyone to feel more comfortable let's take it to the committee level again," she said. "I know we are taking a risk that someone could come and buy it but maybe we need to have more discussion. To have that vacant building standing there for who knows how long, I seriously doubt that anyone would want to invest the money into making it a bowling alley again."