Elgin not ready yet to cash in its gambling chips

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Updated: March 1, 2012 8:08AM

It hasn’t even been a year since the Rivers Casino had its grand opening. If you remember, Des Plaines Mayor Marty Moylan cut the ribbon last July by exclaiming “Cha-ching,” Rivers Casino’s advertising catch phrase.

Until last year, the Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin was the place to hang out for great gambling, entertainment and restaurants. Should anyone be surprised that Elgin’s very own riverboat has been sent down river with a lot less cash for the Fox Valley? Of course not, because we all knew that when Des Plaines got the go-ahead for another riverboat casino, the cash was only going to go so far.

So as Des Plaines celebrates its “Cha-ching,” Elgin already is feeling the crunch. One thing already determined is that this will be the final year for those $200 senior tax rebates. Eligible Elgin residents had to be 65 or older, live in Elgin, of course, have a Senior Citizen Homestead Exemption, and own a home or mobile home for the 12 months the rebate became available.

Two hundred dollars might not sound like a big hunk of change, but to a senior living on a fixed income, it most likely was a welcomed windfall. That $200 or so could pay some utilities, help pay for a month’s worth of groceries, or provide some extra cash for an evening out to dinner followed by some entertainment at the Hemmens Cultural Center.

Luckily, the owners of the Grand Victoria and the city of Elgin are not quite ready to throw in the towel. Presently on the table is a proposal to conduct a partnership study to delve into the possibility of building a multipurpose entertainment building that would bring people back to the Grand Victoria by providing better competition for the Rivers Casino, and recoup revenues back to the Fox Valley.

We already know that the Hemmens Cultural Center, with its 1,200 seats, is becoming antiquated with its outdated heating and air conditioning systems, lack of first-floor restrooms, poor acoustics, and not enough aisles. A new, 2,000-seat facility could be home to the Elgin Symphony Orchestra as well as special events.

Like most progress, a study must be conducted before the work can get started. If the planned study shows that a new cultural center is worth the money to put up and a boost to the lagging attendance at the Grand Victoria, why not take the plunge?

If the study shows a new cultural center is way too costly for what revenues it can bring to the city, then it should be back to the old drawing board. After all, there is a lot more at stake here than a $200 senior tax rebate.

Linda McDaniel-Hale is a Sleepy Hollow resident.