The City Council really doesn't care about the Historic Preservation Committee or about historic preservation.

According to the ordinance, changes that are requested to take place to designated historic landmarks must be referred to the Chicago Heights Preservation Committee for consideration.

The procedure is that the committee makes its recommendation to the City Council and, of course, the City Council has the final authority on this.

In 10 years we'll regret it, just like we regret losing the other buildings in Chicago Heights -- the Victoria Hotel and the Lincoln-Dixie theater. We have demolished enough masterpieces. That is a wonderful, wonderful building.

It's no more of a hazard than any derelict building, and Lord knows we've got enough (of them).

Saturday night we had five young Italian people in here. They were heading to the casinos and stopped here. They got espressos, but they saw this and went crazy.