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Post by father of two on Oct 7, 2014 17:32:52 GMT -6
It could be used as a civic center. Open for receptions, banquets, dances, concerts etc.
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Post by cityslicker on Oct 7, 2014 17:41:18 GMT -6
fot, dreaming again. there already is a place across from the park that was sold because of high upkeep and someone fixed up. Lots of money for an investment.
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Post by Jaded on Oct 7, 2014 21:26:53 GMT -6
Actually a friend of mine is one of those soldiers...He is not going to Machesney Park, he will be on his way to Springfield.
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Post by dumdave on Oct 8, 2014 9:26:34 GMT -6
The utitlity bills would be staggering. It is a very large building and Boy Howdy, when we practiced there....NO STREET SHOES ON THE FLOOR! I can't imagine how large the basement must be. I never went there. I wish someone could find a use for it.
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Post by dive61364 on Oct 8, 2014 10:45:57 GMT -6
I remember playing basketball there back in the olds days.
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Post by dumdave on Oct 9, 2014 9:35:32 GMT -6
Before my day,I think SHS played their BB games there. Then in '63 they built Pop's Dale Gym @ SHS.
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Post by dive61364 on Oct 9, 2014 11:18:29 GMT -6
I remember at one point we started using the old YMCA gym to play the basketball games for a short period of time. we were eventually moved to the SHS old gym for the church games.
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Post by roman on Oct 9, 2014 12:05:49 GMT -6
Before my day,I think SHS played their BB games there. Then in '63 they built Pop's Dale Gym @ SHS. At one time, the games were played in the crackerbox gym in the high school. The move to the Armory was a big improvement.
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Post by helencrump on Oct 9, 2014 12:20:10 GMT -6
St Stephen's bb games used to be played at the armory, before they built their gym.
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Post by roman on Oct 9, 2014 12:20:19 GMT -6
Good old Garfield did not have a gym. We had to practice in places like the high school gym, the Sherman gym and the Salvation Army's gym. The latter gym was a real piece of work: unpainted floors, dead spots and splinters everywhere.
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Post by dumdave on Oct 10, 2014 9:24:13 GMT -6
We used to practice at the third gym at SHS. Four walls and a court. No showers nada. I remember having to go down a flight of step to get to it. Bill Davies got his way and the HS sock hops went from Pop's to the gym facing Bloomington St. (It had/has a swimming pool under it that was used for swimming class and swimming sports.) My Church League games were played at the YMCA gym every Sat. morning.
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Post by ~MnM~ on Oct 10, 2014 10:44:19 GMT -6
Several years ago, I saw in the paper that John Botcha had died. When I was a kid, he was great. Like the John Wayne character in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," nobody seems to remember him. Later, a friend of mine, Bill Ryan was a good fighter. One of my cousins was the heavyweight champ one year. I think there was a Reno Pence and Bob Wade. So many more, I can't remember. Went to HS, w/ a boxer, and can't think of his name. I'll tell you a good one about Reno. A good friend of mine was in the checkout line at Krogers's, he was behind her and they struck up a conversation. She informed him that she was buying alot of groceries to feed her son while he was home on leave before being deployed back to Afghanistan. After Reno heard her story, he went to the manager and paid for her cart of groceries. What a great story.........and what a great way of "paying it forward". M
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Post by capncrunch on Oct 10, 2014 16:51:17 GMT -6
Instead of the city having another empty building, I think it would be nice that the building be used as a casino. Good revenue for the city.
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Post by ~MnM~ on Oct 10, 2014 23:57:20 GMT -6
Instead of the city having another empty building, I think it would be nice that the building be used as a casino. Good revenue for the city. A casino, a casino, huh? Seriously is that not pretty much around every corner that you turn with the "video gaming" machines, what's the difference? M
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Post by dumdave on Oct 11, 2014 9:18:52 GMT -6
It WAS and could be again.... A CIVIC CENTER. But it would require a lot of venues to make it work. Concerts, trade shows,sports, roller rink.... whatever. If it is not used, it will cost the owner a lot in taxes (If not government owned.) and utilities as well as plain upkeep. The reason it is such good shape has been the Federal Government paying for it. Same reason it is closiing.
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