Joliet officials have backed away from demanding that two local districts send their high school bands to march in city parades in order to collect city grants from riverboat gambling proceeds.
Joliet City Manager John Mezera said Thursday that new language would be added to the annual gaming-grant contract that gives band members the option of participating.
Last month city officials angered some Troy and Plainfield School District officials and parents when parade participation was mandated as a condition of receiving grants totaling $56,153.
An amended contract will say that if bands can’t participate in the annual Joliet Christmas parade, individual band members would be welcome, Mezera said.
“I believe that this should satisfy everyone’s concerns,” he said.
Officials at Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 are waiting to receive the new contract, Mike Kelly, school board president, said Thursday.
Kelly said he discussed with Joliet Mayor Arthur Schultz his concerns that the Christmas parade, held the day after Thanksgiving, is one month after marching season ends.
Councilman Robert Hacker recently said that the decision to add the clause was made by city administrators, not the City Council.
“If we got some options and we would not have to be there (at the Christmas parade) and we would not have to change our curriculum, I’m sure our board would support that,” Kelly said.
On Wednesday night, band parents in Troy Community School District 30-C questioned the school board about the controversy. Otha Lang, board president, repeatedly said that the district’s band would not be required to participate in the parade.
Troy Supt. Roberta Berry, who met with city officials, said she agreed to providing a “musical presence” at parades, whether it be the band or individual band members.
One Troy school board member, however, questioned whether the district should accept any contract that mentions band participation. Terry McFadden, whose son is in the band, said he feared Joliet could make the condition mandatory for receiving the grant in 2001.
“We want to be good neighbors,” he said. “But I’m not sure we can be when Joliet tells us when to march.”
In the 1999 fiscal year, the city received more than $25 million from the gambling boats. In the 2000 fiscal year, the city will issue $1.2 million in grants.
