During the run up to last April’s referendum, I talked to many people who were going to vote in favor of the museum tax. One of the big selling features for many of them was the proposed IMAX theater that would be included as part of the package. The museum group wasn’t shy about touting the IMAX. They included it by name on their marketing materials. When Citizens for Responsible Spending pointed out that the museum group had no contract with IMAX, museum officials defended their use of the IMAX brand name and explained that they couldn’t sign a contract until the referendum passed, but that they had a contract sitting on their desks ready to sign.

It’s now been ten months, and there is still no signed contract with IMAX. More tellingly, museum officials have stopped using the IMAX brand name. In their presentation to the Peoria County Board last Thursday, it was consistently referred to as a “large screen theater” or a “giant screen theater.” When board member Brad Harding asked if it was an IMAX or a large screen theater, Lakeview’s chairman of the board stated that they can’t use the IMAX brand name because they don’t have a contract signed with IMAX yet. He did say they were still negotiating with IMAX, however.

I sincerely hope that the IMAX negotiations are successful. Because if there is no IMAX, it will be one of the biggest bait-and-switch swindles ever propagated on Peoria taxpayers.