Polo theater group to investigate if it can afford to assume ownership of former Buffalo Township building

POLO – Members of a local theater group have a month to convince the Buffalo Township Board of Trustees that they can raise enough money to stay in the building they have called home for almost 20 years.

Township trustees agreed Tuesday, April 8, to table a decision on what to do with the former township building at 117 N. Franklin Ave. so members of the Polo Area Community Theatre can determine whether they can afford to assume ownership of the building if the township donates it to them.

Buffalo Township’s operations moved in November 2024 to a new building after the city of Polo and township officials built a joint municipal building. Both contributed to the cost of the $1.93 million building at 118 N. Franklin Ave., Polo, about two blocks north of the old city hall.

On Tuesday, Buffalo Township officials invited public input on what to do with the old “Town Hall” building – across the street from the new building – during their annual meeting.

Moderator Tom Suits told the 22 people in attendance that the township could sell, lease or donate the 10,000-square-foot building that was built in 1898.

“The township would like to not own it any longer,” Suits said, adding that the building could only be gifted to a not-for-profit organization.

Another option for the township would be to have the building demolished, Township Supervisor Phil Fossler said.

Hart DuBois, a PACT board member, said the group would like to see if it could raise enough funds to assume ownership of the building.

“We don’t want to see the building torn down,” DuBois said. “I don’t know if we can do this, but we’d like the opportunity to try.”

Other PACT members said the community theater was one of the reasons they moved to Polo, providing a family-friendly venue that has become a safe place for children and teenagers. They said not owning the building themselves has limited their ability to raise funds for improvements.

Mark Scholl, recently elected Polo’s mayor, asked if PACT could afford the building, even if it was donated to them at no cost.

“Is this something you can financially absorb? You are taking on a big responsibility,” Scholl said. “It is a great building with a lot of history.”

Betty Obendorf, representing the Polo Historical Society, said her group was not interested in acquiring the building.

“We don’t want the building. We just cannot take on anything else right now,” Obendorf said. “But we would be willing to do some type of fundraiser for PACT and be supportive of them.”

Fossler provided a sheet to attendees that outlined the costs of the building from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025. Those costs totaled $17,083 and were listed as: garbage, $261; ComEd, $2,349; Nicor, $4,899; insurance, $3,900; pest control, $322; snow removal, $254; repairs, $908; and custodian, $5,000.

He said the building’s current insurance policy was through a company that only insures municipal buildings and was not transferable. He said the building had been appraised at $35,000, noting the township had spent up to $100,000 on the building during the past 19 years.

He said PACT pays the township $400 to rent the building for each performance, adding that the township had subsidized the theater group every season because they felt the organization was good for Polo.

“Someone needs to take care of it,” Trustee Richard Faivre said. “We have no issue donating it, but we don’t want to see it fall down if you are bankrupt in five years.”

“None of us wants to see you [PACT] fail. We’re just being realistic here,” said Hunter Gray, township highway commissioner.

After the annual meeting, the township board held its regular meeting and agreed to table its decision on the building for one month.

“I think we table it for now and give them a chance to see if they can get something figured out,” Faivre said.

Fossler agreed.

“See if you can afford it,” he said to DuBois. “See what can be done. Come back in a month and tell us what you found out. That gives us both some breathing room.”

The next township meeting is at 7:30 p.m. May 14.