After weeks of acrimony, concern and harsh statements, the dispute over who will control the River Forest Civic Center building at 8020 W. Madison seems to be headed toward a resolution.
Top officials for the River Forest Civic Center Authority, which is legally responsible for managing the building, and the River Forest Community Center, which has been the prime tenant and de facto landlord in the building for decades, have been holding weekly negotiating sessions.They indicated they are working toward a new management structure for the building that will keep the Community Center, and its popular daycare program, in the building.
“We are pleased to announce that representatives from the Authority and the Community Center Boards met yesterday afternoon and are now embarked on a collaborative effort via regular working meetings dedicated to ensuring that the Community Center will continue its operations in the building through the end of the current lease term of June 30, 2028,” said River Forest Township Supervisor John Becvar who read a joint statement at an Aug. 12 special meeting of the Civic Authority board.
The Civic Center Authority Board of Managers consist of the River Forest Township trustees and supervisor under a state law that created the Civic Center Authority to manage the building after it was purchased with the help of a $1.9 million state grant some 35 years ago. The township offices are on the second floor of the building.
Last month the Civic Center Authority Board of Managers voted 3-2 to terminate the Community Center’s lease as of Aug. 31 if no agreement was reached, which set off a firestorm of concern by those who use the Community Center’s daycare and other Community Center supporters. But now that negotiations are ongoing that deadline has been waived and it seems likely that the Community Center, which has been headquartered in the building for decades, will stay.
However the way the building has been managed is likely to change in the ways that the Civic Center Authority Board has pushed for, with the Community Center giving up its past role as de facto landlord, including subleasing space to other organizations in the building.
“The parties’ relationship would be altered such that the Authority would be more of a traditional landlord and handle all building/maintenance issues, including utilities, with the Community Center paying a share of building utilities in proportion to the space it leases,” the joint statement said.
The Community Center’s rent, which is currently $65,100 annually, would be reduced because the Community Center would no longer sublease space in the two story brick building.
“Both parties envision an amended and restated long term-term lease focused primarily on the space the Community Center occupies on the first floor and a proportional reduction of the Community Center’s rent,” the joint statement said.
The Civic Center Authority would rent out space to other groups that currently use the building such as Opportunity Knocks, an agency that serves people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, the Sunflower Chamber Orchestra and others. Previously such groups have sublet space from the Community Center.
The gym in the building, which has been a main source of contention, will, at least in the short term, likely continue to be managed by the Community Center.
According to the joint statement, “The parties are actively discussing how the gym could be shared for the Community Center to regularly use and manage its usage while allowing the Authority and other River Forest governmental units use of the gym for a certain number of hours per week.”
The Community Center will be able to rent out the gym to groups that have historically used the gym so long as it gets the approval of the Civic Center Authority to do so. Previously Becvar had complained that the Civic Center Authority sometimes didn’t know who was using the building.
Both parties plan to continue meeting weekly until an agreement is reached.
The building has a leaky roof and will need a new roof in the not too distant future. On Aug. 12 the Civic Center Authority Board approved spending $6,521 for temporary roof repair. The joint statement envisions that the roof will be replaced in 2028. The building’s heating and air conditioning system and other building improvements will also likely occur in 2028. How those improvements will be paid for has yet to be determined.
The Civic Center Board has received an estimate that a new roof would likely cost between $791,000 and $896,000. Becvar said that the Civic Center Authority currently has less than $200,000 in cash assets. The Civic Center Authority addresses the funding issue generally in a frequently asked questions document posted on the River Forest Township website.
“Because there is a statewide effort toward governmental consolidation, there are active discussions regarding the possibility of merging the Authority into the Township to provide access to additional funding,” the document states.
“The Authority is meeting with current and prospective tenants to talk about what capital contributions they can make. Last year the Community Center was paying in rent approximately $1.72 per sq ft while the Community Center was charging approximately $15 per sq ft to the tenants who sublease from them. The Authority has also been talking to the Village of River Forest to see what grant funds may be available from the Madison Street TIF District as the building is a public building. The Authority is also working with Cook County and the State of Illinois to understand what resources may be available. The Authority also plans on asking for private donations in exchange for donor recognition.”
Bob Skolnik is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.