The River Forest Civic Center has housed both the River Forest Community Center, a private not-for-profit that provides an extensive child care program used and beloved by many River Forest families, and the offices of River Forest Township for nearly 35 years. For most of that time the two groups have cohabitated in relative harmony.
But now they are squabbling over control of the building at 8020 W. Madison in River Forest, causing great angst among parents who use the Community Center’s child care programs because the Community Center is in danger of being evicted.
The two story red brick building was built in 1955 by the Laidlaw Book Publishing Company and became publicly owned, with the help of a $1.9 million state grant, in the 1980s. River Forest Township, the River Forest Community Center and the village of River Forest also contributed $633,333 toward the building’s purchase. To facilitate the purchase a new governmental body called the River Forest Civic Center Authority, known as the RFCCA, was formed to legally own and operate the building. By statute the Board of Managers of the RFCCA is composed of the River Forest Township Supervisor and the four River Forest Township Trustees.
Since the building became publicly owned, the Community Center has occupied a large part of the building, using it for its offices and for its extensive child care program that provides both preschool and before and after school programs. The Community Center has paid rent, currently $65,100 annually for the 94% of the building it has been responsible for, to the RFCCA while River Forest Township uses about 6% of the building for its offices. Under a rather unusual arrangement the Community Center, although it has been a tenant, has had the responsibility of managing the building and has even sublet portions of the building to other organizations. The building was managed by Dick Chappell, who has been the executive director of the Community Center since 1986 and, until he was relieved of his duties in April, was also a part time employee of the RFCCA.
But now, after learning that the Community Center charged Oak Park and River Forest High School $83,130 in rent last year for the use of 7,775 square feet in the building for its transitions program and that the Community Center had reached an agreement to charge the not-for-profit Opportunity Knocks, which serves individuals with intellectual and development differences, $3,650 a month, or $43,800 annually for its space in the building, the RFCCA board moved to take control of the management of the building, charging that the Community Center had breached its lease.
“The challenge is the Community Center was renting it to them at a profit and so that’s the fundamental challenge here,” said River Forest Township Supervisor John Becvar.
Chappell said the rent charged to OPRF was based in part on losses the Community Center experienced while previously running an early childhood program at the high school. Chappell said until the last couple of months the Community Center was responsible for 94% the upkeep of the building, including maintaining the HVAC system.
“The building’s operational costs are significant,” Chappell said.
This spring the RFCCA terminated Chappell’s employment and turned the responsibility for management of the building over to the River Forest Park District. It also notified the Community Center it was in violation of its lease claiming, among other things, it had not adequately disclosed what groups were using the building and what rental fees the groups are paying.
“We dispute that,” Chappell said. “Up until recently I would say it was probably more of an informal arrangement between the Community Center and the Civic Center Authority.”
At a packed July 15 meeting of the RFCCA board, which was attended by about 50 supporters of the Community Center, the RFCCA Board of Managers voted 3-2 to terminate its lease agreement with the Community Center, which had been scheduled to run until 2028, on Aug. 31.
Before the vote, 18 people made public comments either supporting the Community Center and asking the RFCCA not to terminate the Community Center’s lease. One was River Forest mom Leslie Farrer, who said afterwards that she wasn’t sure the RFCCA board members were really listening.
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“Their attitude the whole meeting was looking down at their pages with a disgruntled look on their face while people were pouring their hearts out about how this is affecting our community and all our kids,” Farrer said. “We are the ones that are going to lose child care in the matter of a month and they just did not seem to care.”
Farrer has created an online petition urging the RFCCA to vacate their decision to terminate the Community Center’s lease, which, as of July 25, had gathered 599 signatures.
Principals from the RFCCA and the Community Center, including Becvar and Chappell, plus attorneys for both groups met on July 17 to try to resolve the situation.
“We are actively trying to keep them in the building,” Becvar said. “They obviously provide very valuable programming. No one is questioning the quality of the early childhood programming that they have. We think they’re a valuable asset for the community. Hopefully we’ll have an agreement before August 31st and that’s our desire and intention.”
The RFCCA wants to reassert control over the building. They want all of the groups that use the building, which include the Community Center, Opportunity Knocks, the School of Music, Jazzercise and others, to reach rental agreements directly with the RFCCA instead of with the Community Center as they have done in the past. Becvar said that the Community Center should just be a tenant.
“It’s our job to be the building landlord,” Becvar said, adding that the RFCCA would reduce the rent it charges the Community Center so that the Community Center is only paying for the space it actually uses.
Becvar said that the building needs major upgrades in the not too distant future. He said the current roof leaks and the building needs a new roof and other major upgrades.
“We want to work with anyone and everyone who wants to be in the building,” Becvar said. “What we need to make sure is that the economics are appropriate and that the rent for the building is going to the building to make the capital repairs so that the building can continue to operate for the Community Center, for the public, because if these things are not going to happen then no one will be able to use the building and that’s the challenge that we are facing as a board is how do we make sure that the building stays open for anyone to be able to use. We want this building to be part of the community for the next 10, 20, 30 years and we would welcome the Community Center and the Early Childhood program in the building for that time.”
Although Becvar insists that the RFCCA wants the Community Center to remain in the building, Chappell isn’t so sure.
“I find that actions usually speak a lot louder than words,” Chappell said. “There’s been a lot of words to that effect from the Civic Center Board but the actions certainly speak to the contrary.”
Chappell said because the township doesn’t have any full time employees it made sense for the Community Center and Chappell to manage the building.
“Things have been working well for over 30 years,” Chappell said. “We have been partners since the mid-1980s.”
Until recently the Community Center paid utility bills, until the RFCCA had the utility bills put in the name of RFCCA. Some bills were going unpaid and the building received a shut off notice from Nicor Gas.
Chappell said the bills were paid while the Community Center had the responsibility for paying the utilities.
“There are some bills that we have not seen that apparently have not been paid so it is difficult to pay a bill that we have not seen,” Chappell said.
The gym in the building is another point of contention. Becvar said the gym should be open to all River Forest residents at some times, when the Community Center is not using the space for its childcare program. Currently the Community Center charges for use of the gym when it is not using the gym for its own programs.
Parents who enroll their kids in the Community Center’s child care program have been left wondering whether it will be running when school starts next month. They said the program is essential because the Community Center buses kids to school in the morning and then buses kids from their schools to the Community Center after school gets out in the afternoon.
“It’s really been a lifeline to any dual working parents in the area,” said Liz Muhr, a River Forest mom whose two daughters have been enrolled. “I don’t know what other kind of service any family would have if RFCC were to close.”
Becvar said that the next move is up to the Community Center and indicated the RFCCA is willing to have weekly negotiating sessions. He hoped an agreement can be reached before the Aug. 19 meeting of the RFCCA board.
“The ball is really in their court,” Becvar said. “We made sure they understood the parameters over which we have to operate from a statutory and legal viewpoint, and so if they are willing to comply with those requirements then we are willing to come to an agreement.”
Bob Skolnik is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.