Lot of funds going into a building that was going to be torn down. Gotta sell a lot of Pizza to pay back all this money. Good luck Firehouse, wish you luck in 2013.

Late payments, NSF checks...yeah, I can see this is going really well! I'd be preparing to write-off that genius of a loan.

Co-owner skipped out on Mason Square a few years back too. I hope the Village did credit checks, etc. before granting the loan.

How about we pay our share back "gradually" in the form of money off of each monthly loan payment ? they get their money back, and we get our monthly guaranteed until they paid off their loan.

The Village really needs to think about how to invest in the downtown development, and this is part of it. The Downtown area could and should be a major source of revenue and pride for the village, but instead it hosts both new and dying businesses alongside vacant lots and eyesores. Look at our neighboring cities for examples of what a downtown area should be. The Village needs to make encouraging the right kinds of businesses a priority.

Good call ayar! That way village gets payments on time and the business has a chance to grow and gain clientes to establish and great and successfull business which downtown is in desperate need of!!!

A full year of the loan has already been paid and the loan is current! Using common sense, they had to put up an extra 24k, that was part of there reserve, to do repairs and upgrades on property that is not theres or part of there leases property! Lets not forget the 300k in cash put in on top of the 130k loan! And the reality is, the property is worth 3 times the 130k now that Firehouse has renovated it. Seems to me the Village is sitting very safe! 130k at risk on a 400k renovation and they did not have to spend money tearing down the building and continuing to not collect property taxes on it. Oh and lets not forget the TAX revenue its bringing in!

By the way, there food is amazing! Lets not forget the positives! Hopefully we support this place and not forget this is a community which is suppose to support each other and support these local businesses that risk alot to help build our infrastructures!

All I can say to the Village of Oswego board members is you are all hypocrites, I've lived in this town for 14 years and my collective experience is village employees treat the tax payers like crap. I personally witnessed a village employee use foul language toward the owners of the pizza pub during the construction phase of development. As a municipal employee of 25 years of service if I had ever used that kind of language toward a resident, tax payer or business owner I would have been fired on the spot, yet our village seems to embrace this type of treatment.

As for now wanting to back out on our agreement to the pizza pub I say shame on you, you clowns represent me as a tax payer so stop all the BS and pay what you agreed to pay. You complain about two missed payments which are part of a repayment deal not unlike the deal you made to share the cost of water and sewer upgrades, guess what that makes you hypocrites! The leadership in this town is a joke, yes lets get rid of the pizza pub so we can get another thrift store or model train store in downtown as these are major tax revenue sources, right Mr Mayor? Sure sounds to me like a personal grudge against small business owners in Oswego.

Here is an idea, how about the Village board members clean their own closets before chasing out another sales tax generating business from our poorly planned downtown. I have driven by the pizza pub on the weekends and that place is packed every Friday-Sunday so please don't try and tell me the Village of Oswego isn't raking in money! This business opened in the most difficult time of the year so maybe lets give them a chance to thrive and bring in people who are now spending their money in Aurora, Plainfield and Naperville. If this seems confusing I can come to the village meeting with crayons and construction paper to make it easier to understand.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if we as individuals were to borrow money from a bank to purchase a home and then we were late on 2 payments and another with a NSF check - do you think the bank would be very open to lending us more money if we're already having issues paying the original? The estimate on the water pipes was $9k - pay the half based on that (I'm sorry but $35k is a long ways off from the original $9k). I'm not familiar what was negotiated on the retaining wall. Aren't these guys supposed to have successful restaurant operations elsewhere? That being the case, I don't know why there are so many issues with late payment, NSF, etc.

But, I DO AGREE that our village is inept at best when it comes to figuring out what to do downtown or anywhere else in this town for that reason. I see we just hired a new OEDC - wonder how long he's going to sit around accepting a paycheck for nothing before he's gone. We've had very valuable real estate in this town (notably all of Orchard Rd and Route 34) and we've not brought any real industry business here other than retail, restaurants and we loaded Orchard up with all banks that provide nothing to the city in means of revenues. Although it was totally unorganized when I visited there and took over an hour to get our pizza, I hope Firehouse Pizza does make it. But, I'd be leery of giving anyone more money if there are issues already...

@ Kevman a estimate is just that a estimate it means what we think it will cost. When you car is damaged and they give you an estimate that amount is NEVER what it ends up being. Ever hear of governmental estimates being exceeded by Millions yes MILLIONS of dollars? I have maybe we should ask the village how much the construction of the new village hall was compared to the estimate sold to the tax payers.

The money owed to the Firehouse Pub is based on an agreement it's not negotiable or is it another loan it's money already owed. If your sewer line broke and the village said get it fixed and we will pay half, then it came time to get paid and the village said oh wait never mind we are not paying because we are inept will you be ok with that? Last year the village mowed down my park way tree and replaced it in the worst time of the summer, guess what it died I bet they won't be replacing it even through these clowns planted it at the worst possible time. This Village does what it wants no matter what they agree to do.

@kev, who's asking for another loan? Your comment makes no sense! Do you own a business? Or do tou just sit back and collect a check and incur 0 risk?

The details to this whole scenario seem a little bit confusing. If the village agreed to certain repairs then why didn't the village oversee those repairs themsevles rather than having the pizza business arrange for them, then getting reimbursed.

This is the problem you run into when government starts interferring with the free marketplace. The village should have just sold the building and/or made the necessary improvements to the building prior to the sale. Now, they're apparently in the real estate business and using taxpayer's money to compete with private businesses.

One question, if the village is leasing the build with an option to buy doesn't hat make them the landlord? if so they are responsible for the sewer and water lines. The Village shrugged off their responsibility to replace the warned down retaining wall it was an eye sore, lets be honest. All one needs to do is go look at that the portion of the wall that was replaced by the owners of the pub and then look at the section the village refused to fix it's disgusting and typical village BS. I agree with Mike why didn't the village fix or oversee the repair effort? Better yet why hasn't the village completed their section?, believe me if that wall was on my property the village would be sending over their condescending, disrespectful building inspectors mandating its repair (have you ever tried to build anything in this town, the inspector thinks he is the GOD of Oswego). Why the double standard?

* correction worn down :)

Hopefully both parties involved had something in writing and had their lawyer's look this over. Now a days hearsay means nothing just like the good old hand shake.
Since when did the village become a lending institution? I hope they gave every other small business the same opportunity, 3% pretty good rate.

Lets hope so Walt maybe just maybe we can transform the downtown into something that attracts people instead of the eye sore it has become. The old alexander lumber deal the board crushed isn't looking so bad after all. I guess success depends on if the village board likes you or not (big box retailers vs small business owners).

@ KevMan10 your assumption is incorrect I have nothing to do with the Pub I'm not fond of the Village pushing people around and like you I now own a house in this over taxed community that has lost over $200,000 in value firmly keeping me stuck in this GOD forsaken town so don't assume you know everything. I wish to see any business that can generate taxes and thereby lower my taxes succeed, DUH!

LOL on the Alexander comment! Because people would just be beating down the doors to live in condos in downtown Oswego. lol I mean, what with our hopping downtown and walkability, it's just perfect for the exurb resident looking for great shopping, cool restaurants and the chance to just stroll out their condo door to catch the train.

Oh, wait...

So far the reviews for them are pretty disappointing. Hours to wait for food..poor service and a general lack of organization. I strongly say NO to helping them out any further ..especially when the city..ie...us taxpayers, will be eating their original loan.

Ina D K now get your facts straight before posting slanderous statements under a false name or are you a coward. 25 totals years learn to count

@ Jane, bad reviews? I just went on to there facebook site and seems to me they already have over 1000 likes in only a few months open and i found maybe half a dozen to a dozen bad comments! 988 out of 1000. Thats pretty amazing if you ask me! Dont just point out the negatives, also recognize the positives!

Ina D. Know= is a Downer Grove Fireman( not a very good one either) with a personal grudge against the owner of the PUB so his comments are biased... FYI

Whose retaining wall?? Oh the village, let the landlord pay for it!

Who has not bounced a check??! Oh yeah 90% of people have, specially when people that owe you money don't pay!
The village cries that the restaurant bounced checks but they don't pay half (yes only half) of the wall that was put on the villages property! Is this insane?

Loans? Oh wait the loan that they got and put into the building that was about to be demo?
If it cost 130k for the village to do that without one hour of any of their members sweat I think they are getting away cheap. If you haven't noticed downtown Oswego is a ghost town.
As a resident I will say thank you tap house and firehouse pizza for trying to give our downtown a little life!
@jane you obviously are just yapping on FB, I have been in and out of there in less than hr with a full belly.

What about their employees? Offering jobs to young Oswego residents?
I guess that doesn't count right?

if they close, the village gets back a BRAND new restaurant that they can sell or rent! Instead of having a dead building like 75% of our downtown.
You guys all claim to support local businesses but to me it doesn't seem like that, however I see this place packed to the rim every weekend with people from all around (aurora, Plano and Montgomery)
Like someone once said haters will always hate!
Don't worry owners and customers of firehouse pizza people like me have your back and will still go to eat your awesome pizza

Well said MEL

Either side could be at fault here and until we hear the story in detail we can all assume the worse. The back and forth between who owes what should be handled by the lawyers and the contract that was written up. I'm sure in this day and age a legal and binding agreement was set forth between the two. This should protect both sides and make this disagreement come to an end. May we all move forward in the New Year.

Congratulations Jane I have never bounced a check either however I think if you conducted a servey a great majority of people probably have bounced a check that does not mean your a horrible person. Maybe if the village had paid their share ( in my opinion 100% after all they do own the property ) the funds would have been available. Just spit balling here but unless you have inside information it's possible you don't have the whole story.

The village should have torn the place down when they took bids for demolition a couple of years ago - approximately $17,000, and this would not be a problem now.

Just an idea. Put the pizza place in the village taj ma hal. Plenty of space for ovens Plenty of parking. Install some pizza ovens and put up a neon sign above the village hall clock. FRESH pizza. Kinda like Krispy Kreme did. And that worked out really well for them. Right? Throwing some ideas out there.

Went on first Friday, there was mass confusion. But there were huge crowds also. Pizza took over an hour and was wrong. I don't think they expected the huge turnout, lesson learned. I have been back many other times with no problems. It's a NewYork style pizza which is different, but very good. I don't know or care what deals were cut, or voodoo economics were involved. When I go to a store or eat out I don't care what the spread sheet says,nor do I care. People want business in Oswego and when they come they can't wait to bust balls. If I go and the doors are locked then it wasn't meant to be. But as for now I enjoy the pizza. In fact I will be there again today for lunch at noon.

How about the fact that the owners only pay one dollar a month in rent to the Village of Oswego....The owners are getting a great deal and the Village is screwing the tax payers....Really!!