After two hours of heated debate Wednesday, the Bloomington city council approved a controversial $600,000 subsidy to the financially troubled Buskirk-Chumley Theatre. It\'s part of a planned $1.2 million acquisition of the downtown landmark, which is deep in debt.
\"It\'s a valuable asset for our community,\" said councilman Anthony Pizzo, who sided with the 8-1 majority. \"It has better acoustics than any other venue in town. It would be a waste to let it slip down the drain.\"
Councilman Jason Banach, who stressed that he has been a longtime supporter of the arts, dissented. He expressed skepticism about the finances of the proposed bailout.
\"I resent that this is being presented as a good investment,\" he said. \"If it were, people would be lined up to Timbuktu to buy this thing.\"
The city has committed $1.2 million to the former Indiana Theatre, which has struggled financially since re-opening as the Buskirk-Chumley in the spring of 1999. The Bloomington Area Arts Council spent $3.2 million on renovations of the performing arts facility on Kirkwood Avenue, which was a Kerastotes theater before the chain opened its College Mall location.
The arts council relied on donations to pay for the improvements, including the restoration of a balcony. But it\'s remained nearly $1 million in debt since last summer.
It became clear that the theater\'s woes might threaten the council\'s other major downtown facility, the John Waldron Arts Center. Mayor John Fernandez proposed paying off the arts council\'s debt and contracting the Lotus Entertainment Group to manage the theater.
After a three-year trial period, the city will either own or reserve the right to manage the theater for a nominal fee. On Wednesday, the council authorized an appropriation of $600,000 from the general fund, the city\'s main checking account.
The remainder of the funding will come from the downtown tax increment financing district. Property taxes from the district fund infrastructure such as streets and sewers. Under the mayor\'s proposal, the theater subsidy would be considered part of the area\'s infrastructure for legal reasons.
Several citizens voiced their displeasure with the subsidy Wednesday, branding it an inappropriate use of taxpayer money.
\"The future of the theater rested in the hands of the community, and people chose not to support it in sufficient numbers,\" said Bloomington resident Tom Butts. \"Now you\'re taking this decision away from us.\"
Butts and many others said the government shouldn\'t force people to support the theater when it hasn\'t survived on its own in the free market.
\"With the money, we only have half the equation,\" he said. \"We still need people to attend the performances. I propose we send police vans out to round them up."
