Miner's Institute financing partnership

Miner's Theater/Miner's institute, however it's remembered, the building's future in downtown Collinsville is on the drawing board now.  For the past decade or more the Miner's has seen more than one attempt at restoring and renovating, hopes for bringing it up to code as well as keeping its historic architectural birthright in place.  There was never enough money, never enough follow through and so the building has languished occupied only now and then during the Christmas season for afternoon movies or in the spring/summer for a play or two.

Now the Collinsville Area Recreation District has asked the city to be their partner in reviving it and saving an historic place in the city's history.  The proposed agreement stipulates that the city would contribute $100,000 a year for five years, with a possible five-year extension while CARD would supply all the staffing, find grant money to improve the structure, and head the reconstruction efforts. CARD and the city will also establish a board of directors appointed to the Miner's Institute Foundation which currently oversees the building. Once construction on the building is complete, CARD would continue with maintenance, promotion efforts and establishing events at the facility.

As expected this proposal is controversial.  The city would use TIF funds as their portion of the financial agreement and there are those in the community and on the council who believe this may be too much money for one entity and would hinder funds for other downtown businesses.  Others believe it is too much money over too long a time-period.  One the other hand, those in favor of restoring the Miner's believe it will be a tremendous boost to downtown and that once an historic place is left to die, it is gone forever. 

The vote on this agreement should come at the May 27th's council meeting.  This is one of those issues which come before the council that are very difficult.  No one wants to thumb their nose at history, but at the same time the amount of money is considerable with no real evidence that once done, it will be the success it is prophesied to be.

A decision for the council which is probably causing a lot of individual, inner debate. It is very easy to see both sides of this question.

Comments

Mark Batasch has his hands in it before and it failed, why should CARD own it and the city put in money. Card did not like the idea of TIF for the soccer stadium, why the sudden change.Can it be another stone in king Marks crown

[diane]

Interesting point on CARD being opposed to TIF for the stadium.

[Jamie Krock]

Maybe we could move Miner's down to the stadium site brick by brick. Everyone wins! Just kidding.

I wish they could show the old monster movies again. One of my favorite childhood memories was going and seeing "Gamera" on the big screen.

Moving the theater sounds good to me. We all remember the Miners as a kid, well most of us except Paul Mann, Mark Badasch. Bob Knabel and the several other people who never knew collinsville until they got hired. Lets use our ecomonic expertise instead of our hearts. Can it really make it? Badasch will find something to blame it on if it fails, most likely ther city, nothing is ever his fault. At $100,000 per year sounds like he is just going to pay a freinds salrary to watch the Miners, maybe a freind from Elsha Landing

[Jim]

Interesting comments. I remember summer matinees at Miner's when I grew up in Collinsville. I would love to see it saved. I supported the CARD / Miner's Institute tax initiative several years ago and would be in favor of creating a museum tax for the Collinsville Historical Museum and possibly Miner's Institute. However the reality is that it will take millions of private dollars to save Miner's Institute.

[diane]

Jim, you're correct about the Miner's needing lots of private dollars. The Emporia Kansas historic Granada Theater as one example has been partially restored with work continuing and they are doing this through $2.6 million in private donations and some grant money. The Emporia Granada Theater Alliance was formed just for this effort.

I would be concerned about this arrangement. A million dollars over ten years is just a drop in the bucket for the Miners. They supposedly have an engineering study that says it will take 10 million to fix it. And the partnership between CARD and the city sounds like it is to the benefit of CARD. I've heard that CARD wants the city to pay the purchase price of 50 thousand, too. They seem to always want others to pay for what they are already taxing us to do. I also heard they are already collecting the museum tax. Anybody know the truth on that?

Card wants the high profile projects, and that's okay, but what about the basics like maintaning the sports fields and the parks. And what about the skateboard park? Haven't heard anything about something that would give the kids some benefits and spare businesses and anybody with steps a lot of grief. Wish CARD would take care of the basics better. Even the swimming pool that they finally built at Splash City isn't big enough for a swim team, and I understand that they were begged to do that. Again, the high profile projects are fine, if they can afford them, but don't lose sight of the basic needs and wants of the community.

Saving the Miners is a worthy project, but I don't think this arrangement is the best way.