Misinformation provided on Fox at finance meeting is cleared up
By Taylor J. Hale
Staff Writer
STEVENS POINT – District 1 Alder Tori Jennings has stated she misspoke about the IONIC Structures and Design report on the Fox Theater at the Jan. 13 Stevens Point finance committee meeting.
Jennings said the report recommended that the city raze the entire building.
Susan Lasecki, IONIC owner, said the report recommended the exact opposite and outlined a path to save the structure.
“The city reached out to me to look into ways the Fox could be saved,” Lasecki said in an interview with the Gazette. “The report doesn’t mention a raze anywhere. I don’t have any idea where she could have pulled a complete demolition of the building from my report. It was upsetting to me when she said it at the meeting.”
The report was completed in late December and saw the building receiving a standard first and second floor, removing the stadium seating and balconies, along with many other structural changes and updates. The report does not state any recommendations for demolition.
“Everything at the meeting was completely fabricated by Tori,” Lasecki explained. Lasecki noted she has a passion for preserving historic structures and worked to find the best route of action to save the building.
Jennings said that she misspoke at the meeting, but still stands by her concerns about government transparency.
“It was an error on my part to say the IONIC report states to demolish the building,” Jennings said. “I concluded from the report two paths: (a) demolish the entire building because it is too costly to stabilize it and the same problems apply to the entire structure, or (b) carry out the stabilization and reuse procedures recommended in the report, which according to the author would cost $2 to 2.5 million for the entire building.
“Again, staff simultaneously requested this report and chose to ignore it since there is no plan to replace the trusses and reroof the front one-third of the building and brace the walls.
“I maintain the city has made a significant mistake in demolishing the Fox at this time and in this way. The city has failed in its obligation to ‘protect historic and cultural resources by assisting in the preservation, rehabilitation, and awareness of historic and cultural resources.’ Once the demolition crew gutted the building and the walls, roof joists and trusses became fully visible, a different understanding of the building became possible, however, the wheels of demolition were in motion.”
Moving forward
The Fox Theater’s back two-thirds of the building is still being demolished. The city will maintain the front one-third and look for a developer that can work within the usage restrictions set by the Sanders family, limiting the property to cultural, civic spaces.
The city requested the report to find alternative options as demolition progressed and to be prepared for future situations.
To read the full IONIC report, visit: https://cityview.stevenspoint.com/cityviewportal/CodeEnforcement/StatusReference?referenceN umber=CEGEN20191218&fbclid=IwAR0mRQGOy6qr3JyYAkfxzeqq9eIRa24hbL-5gCvb7Ri0zy6 NQ7vENh_WPTY.