Bloomington has recently been losing places of local cultural significance. Places such as the Von Lee, the Gables, the White Rabbit and Mustard's have given way to either such commercial successes as a Starbucks or Steak n' Shake or to just an empty space waiting to be used. While the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre has not been a Bloomington staple for years, it is something that gives the community a unique and intimate venue to see a play or band perform. The Buskirk-Chumley Theater started out as a movie theater back in 1922 and was eventually bought out by Kerasotes in 1975. After building a pair of multiple-screen theaters by the mall, Kerasotes eventually donated the building to Bloomington Area Arts Council under the stipulation that it never be used as a movie theater. Upon receiving the theater, the BAAC decided to make it a place for live music and theater to be performed and renovated the theater for $3.5 million. The theater was reopened in April 1999, and much of the costs were covered by family donations, the largest donations coming from the Buskirks and the Chumleys, thus the namesakes of the theater. At first, the theater did quite well and was meeting its financial obligations. But as of late, the theater has fallen on hard times -- the arts council has not been able to pay off the two mortgages it took out on the theater. Donations have trickled off, leaving the BAAC in a perilous position with the bank. In order to ensure that the downtown area doesn't lose its character and the city another cultural landmark, Mayor Fernandez has proposed a $1.2 million loan for the theater from taxpayer money. A question exists of whether or not public money should be going to subsidize a place of entertainment when there are other areas, such as schools, road repair or safety concerns, that could take the money and put it to use in perhaps more beneficial ways for the community. Many of the mayor's conservative critics argue that the free market should just take its course. Yet part of what makes communities great, especially Bloomington, are the cultural aspects that exist and define it. And the Buskirk-Chumley is inarguably a cultural center. With so many cultural attractions falling by the wayside here in Bloomington, it is important for the city to hold on tight to those remaining, such as the Buskirk-Chumley and the John Waldron Arts Center, and make sure that they don't disappear from the Bloomington landscape. Otherwise, before you know it, Bloomington will be a cookie-cutter college town with no visible unique traces left.
yes - no - abstain
