Joliet City Council Meeting on Rialto Marquee Donation Cancelled

After one donor backed out and another said his offer of $350,000 for a new marquee was rejected, the Joliet City Council had scheduled a special meeting to address the issue.

• Would-Be Donor: Rialto Turned Down $350,000 Offer for New Marquee

On Monday afternoon, the city issued a press release saying the meeting, which had been set for Wednesday evening, was cancelled.

“Since the Rialto has responded to the new donor that the the Rialto Board (WCMEAA) is concerned about public input regarding any new marquee and scheduled a Rialto Board meeting the same day at 4 p.m., the City Council meeting would be redundant,” the city said. “The Mayor and Council have been encouraged to attend the Rialto Board meeting.”

However, the Rialto board’s agenda for their Wednesday meeting does not include discussion of the donation.

On Friday, Joliet businessman Jay Bergman, owner of Petco Petroleum, said he had offered to donate $350,000 in the wake of controversy over a new marquee for the theater. His offer came weeks after original donor Ed Czerkies withdrew his funding after residents complained about the design for the new digital marquee, which would have included a memorial to Czerkies’ late parents.

But Bergman said Rialto Manager Randy Green and Rialto board chairman Jim Smith told him they had spoken to Rialto Foundation members and agreed not to accept the donation.

Rialto officials did not return a call from Patch over the weekend, but the governing board told WJOL that the rejection was the result of a disagreement over the public review process that would need to occur to make the donation process transparent. The board claimed Bergman “rejected the process” and said he would withdraw the offer, as he wanted the transaction to happen as quickly as possible, WJOL reported.

On Monday, Bergman did not immediately respond to a message from Patch seeking comment on the board’s statement.

Mayor Tom Giarrante, who said he plans to attend the Rialto board meeting, said that prior to Bergman’s offer, he has spoken to Smith, who said the Rialto board was looking to put together a committee to come up with a solution to the marquee controversy.

Giarrante said the Rialto board hoped the committee would consist of two Joliet city council members who are not currently up for election, two Rialto board members and two members of the outspoken “The Rialto Belongs to the People” group, along with University of St. Francis President Arvid Johnson and Lewis University President Br. James Gaffney.

“In the process of setting up the (committee), they were between a rock and a hard place,” Giarrante said of the board, adding that as a result, Bergman pulled his donation.

Members of the Rialto Belongs to the People group were vocal about their opposition to the original design for the marquee, saying the new marquee should better reflect the historic theater’s architecture.

Earlier this month, the Rialto board tabled finalizing a donor agreement with Czerkies while a new design could be created, prompting Czerkies to ask for his money back. The marquee was already under construction by Indiana-based Landmark Sign Company when the donation was pulled.

The Rialto board meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday at 15 E. Van Buren St. in Joliet.

Also read:

• Joliet Mayor Taking Applications for Rialto Board
• Rialto Marquee Donor Asks for His Money Back
• Man Investigated For Girlfriend’s Disappearance Pleads Guilty To Blowing Up House