The shows at the Fulton are great! This facility is quite an asset to the county. Hope you all get out and show your support!
I almost wanted to say "support the arts", but that's WAY TOO PC for me!!!!
So...go to a play and enjoy.

The proposed streetcars in downtown Lancaster as currently would depend completely on corporate sponsorship to make up a half-million dollars or more every year in operating deficits, in an attempt to avoid the controversy that would be caused if Lancaster City taxpayers would be expected to pay the bill.

What would happen to the streetcars when their corporate sponsorships would drop below the amount needed to keep them running?

If frequency of service would be cut back, it would reduce operating revenue, possibly requiring even more corporate contributions to make up for fixed costs. This cannot make sense.

Does anyone believe for one second that the promoters of the streetcar system would allow it to be shut down for lack of corporate contributions?

Neither the State nor the Federal government will subsidize operating losses of an extremely short-line limited-purpose streetcar like the one proposed for downtown Lancaster. Otherwise, the system might have been built three years ago, when grant money for construction was much easier to obtain than it is now.

Since the proposed streetcar system would be entirely within the Lancaster City limits, it would fall on Lancaster City taxpayers to keep the streetcars running. Yet Lancaster City residents already pay the highest taxes in all of Lancaster County.

Brace yourselves...

At a time when corporations are laying off, its certainly not a time to bring about that trolley system. In fact, I can't think of a good time to start the trolley system. That's just a bad idea all around.

What is at issue is that the Fulton brings (on average) 700 people into downtown Lancaster every "lit" night. The abundance of activity helps give the crime discouraging life to the city night that is needed. The audience is not bussed from out of town, nor are they tourists on a whim, but regalar devoted customers.

I wish all my colleagues at the Fulton (and all of us in the arts) the best of luck in thriving in a discouraging economy.

Even 26 people remaining on the Fulton payroll is a tough nut for a little company in tough times.

Payroll taxes, unemployment contributions, workman's compensation contributions, health insurance contributions plus other governmental mandatory fees (and taxes) are all going higher. I guess a pay raise is probably out of the question to help pay for higher bills and personal taxes at home ......

I wish them luck - they're going to need it.