No city funds for Wheaton Grand Theater

Wheaton voters turned down a proposal Tuesday to put city money toward the renovation and operation of a shuttered downtown theater.

With all 61 precincts reporting, residents voted 4,528 to 3,576 against the city spending up to $150,000 a year on the Wheaton Grand Theater, unofficial results show.

The city placed the advisory referendum on the ballot in an effort to settle a long-running debate over the theater’s future, despite multiple studies that indicated the venue was not financially viable.

“The people have spoken, and we will carry out their wishes,” Alderman Todd Scalzo, who proposed the measure, said late Tuesday. “Personally, I’m disappointed because I was for it and thought it would be a good thing for downtown. At the same time, I have always said I would respect the direction of the community.”

While the city may no longer proceed with the “public-private partnership this referendum envisioned,” Scalzo said he hopes officials continue to work on attracting a private developer to take on the project.

“We all want a better community, and that’s what we’re united in doing,” he said. “We’re all trying to achieve a better town.”