The Culver Town Council met in a work session Wednesday afternoon to hear information from the owner of the Culver Movie Theater in his attempt to sell the landmark to the town.
The owner, who would only be referred to as Tom, said he’s put $30,000 into the property in the installation of new sewer and water lines as well as other maintenance measures to shore up the building. He said he paid $100,000 for the property and will sell the property to the town for the amount that he’s into it which is $130,000.
He went on to present production figures if the facility would resume as a movie theater and even gave the council some names of people who would be able to give the town money to finance renovation efforts. Town Council President Ginny Bess Munroe asked why Tom hadn’t utilized those avenues during the three years he has owned the building. He replied that a lack of effort was to blame.
Munroe also mentioned that she was hesitant to include the movie theater project into the Stellar Communities Designation Program grant plans because there isn’t a concrete focus for the facility. While the council has agreed that they’d like to see it function outside the prospect of a movie theater, no comprehensive plan or action plan is available to support a reason for grant funding.
Tom has attempted to revitalize the Maxinkuckee Theater Association and create a 501 (C)(3) organization to obtain grant funding but it hasn’t made up any ground.
The council did not take any action on the proposal, but Munroe did mention that she would talk about a potential starting point for a comprehensive plan with the town’s OCRA representative and other leaders. This could kick-start discussions on funding and occupancy plans. The council will discuss the issue again when they meet for their regular council meeting on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. ET at the Culver Town Hall.
