Will children's museum be asked to repay $50,000 to Lake Villa?
A long-envisioned plan to convert a former car dealership in Lake Villa as the permanent site for Busy Brains Children's Museum may be ending.
Everyone agrees reviving the long-vacant 14,000-square-foot Chrysler dealership at 130 Cedar Ave., would boost continuing efforts to reinvent and refresh what is regarded as Lake Villa's traditional downtown.
But more than three years after supporting the idea with a $50,000 incentive for building repairs, village leaders are running out of patience and may want their money back.
The village board on Wednesday will consider a resolution declaring Busy Brains in default of its obligations under the incentive agreement, and demanding the $50,000 be repaid within 90 days after written notice is sent.
"We still support them but it's not our money - it's the taxpayers' money," Mayor Jim McDonald said.
"We're between a rock and a hard place," he added. "We want to help them but we have a fiduciary responsibility."
Whether Busy Brains will be declared in default and/or whether there is any wiggle room is up to the village board. The meeting is at 8 p.m. at village hall, 65 Cedar Ave., across the street from the proposed museum.
A decision to proceed could end the idea of a permanent home for the museum, which has been under consideration almost since the nonprofit organization was founded in late 2003 by two teachers at a kitchen table.
"We get their frustration," said Alison Price, one of the co-founders. She said the organization expected to have been open years ago but anticipated funding has fallen short.
"It's not like we're signing agreements we know we can't live up to," she added. "We're talking to a bunch of people but we're not getting the financial commitment."
Busy Brains takes its exhibits to parties, day care facilities and other locations. The organization was gifted the building and used the incentive to replace the roof, although the cost was higher than the amount provided, according to Price.
Other renovations have included the repair of seven huge trusses that carry the load and allow for clear floor space inside.
Originally inked in May 2015, the incentive agreement called for the museum to be operating with three full-time and four part-time employees by Dec. 31, 2017, among several other conditions. The term was extended to this past Dec. 1.
"They failed to meet all of those requirements except one," Village Administrator Karl Warwick said.
The village also waived construction permit fees, allowed the group to use the Lehmann Mansion for fundraising events at no cost, and bought and upgraded a parking lot across the street for an additional total investment of about $50,000.
"We would love to have it. That's why we've been so involved with Busy Brains," Warwick added. "We had nothing but hope."
Price said the organization is awaiting final word on a construction loan to convert the front of the building to a pop-up museum, which could generate revenue and open grant opportunities.
What happens next depends on the whether Busy Brains will have to repay the $50,000.
"We most likely would have to sell the building to pay that back," she said.