Tenants of the financially strapped Harvey Tech Center were back in business-at least temporarily-as gas service was restored Tuesday to the building, thanks in part to some string-pulling by the governor`s office.
Tenants of the sprawling complex, which houses 70 small businesses with 700 employees, say they now plan to ask a bankruptcy court judge to help them keep the doors open permanently.
The action came one day after a group of south suburban ministers and community activists demonstrated in front of the locked doors of the center, 400 E. Sibley Blvd.
The center was bought by South Suburban Business Campus Inc. and Technology Enterprise Center and converted into a small business ”incubator” after it was abandoned as a research facility by Atlantic Richfield Co. in 1985.
The operators filed for bankruptcy in May 1990. Last week, tenants were notified that the building would be shuttered because of mounting debts and an inability to attract new tenants.
All of the building`s utilities and telephone service were turned off last week, but all except for gas were restored by Saturday.
According to tenant Michael Perry, Northern Illinois Gas Co. was owed
”about $150,000 and wanted a $50,000 deposit” to restore service.
But Perry said that the Illinois Commerce Commision reduced the deposit to $3,000 when the governor`s office intervened.
The next step, said Perry, will come Friday when attorneys representing the tenants ask U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Erwin Katz to declare the center in receivership and assign someone to collect rents and pay utility bills.
”If the judge does that, we can then ask the Cook County Board to come in and take over the center because of back taxes,” Perry said.
Perry said the only way the center can be kept open is for the County Board to deed the facility to the City of Harvey, which then would attempt to find a new owner.
