tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67685074122484128732024-03-13T16:16:35.944-04:00Letters to the EditorThis is the Letters to the Editor section of Newslanc.com.Doug McVayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210970631875633898noreply@blogger.comBlogger457125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768507412248412873.post-52620293082884386322009-04-05T07:48:00.002-04:002009-04-05T07:50:51.418-04:00Commissioners neglecting libraries and educationStunning, and saddening, statistics in Gil Smart's front page story, "Where we stand in a shaky economy."<br /><br />The article continues on page A4, where there is a graph and table showing various information about the funding and use of the library by the residents of Lancaster as compared to the region and the state. Here in Lancaster, "cardholders as a percentage of population" are about 10% higher than the region and higher than the state average.<br /><br />Lancaster's "per capita circulation" is higher than the state average by about 10%.<br /><br />Smart notes F&M professor Antonio Callari's observation that "Lancaster County lags significantly behind both the region and the state, as it long has," when it comes to spending for education and learning, as evidenced by it's library expenditures.<br /><br />This article goes on to quote Commissioner Martin as stating that "everyone is struggling right now and having to do more with less." Perhaps I missed it, but I don't recall the commissioners cutting their own salaries.<br /><br />More evidence of the wrong mentality by county officials. It's as if he is proud of Lancaster's backwards attitude on spending for education and learning, particularly as it applies to children in the city of Lancaster. But then, with his large county salary, I suppose he can afford to buy his children their own books and doesn't need to rely on the public library as a resource.Robert Fieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10605992173204476976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768507412248412873.post-5657789436897000662009-04-03T10:36:00.004-04:002009-04-03T10:46:14.012-04:00Lest we forget: New Era editorialized against State hotel subsidyFolks that's right !!! The New Era wrote an editorial that said inpart, "But $10 million is not a grant. It is a windfall. It is a lottery jackpot. It is an unconscionable amount of money for one facility in one city."<br /><br />Oops that was the year before their bosses started pushing for their own largess that would make that 10 million look like a pittance!<br /><br />The complete editorial: LANCASTER NEW ERA (LANCASTER, PA.) January 14, 1997, Tuesday<br /><br />It's old news that Gov. Robert Casey, on his last day in office, signed over millions of dollars in taxpayers' money to his home town friends and political supporters. The going-away gifts that he used your money to buy included a downtown hotel and conference center in his hometown ($10 million); a Lackawanna County visitor center ($1 million), and an arena in a Luzerne County business park ($1.2million).<br /><br />Two interpretations have been made of his largess: (1) that thegovernor used the power of his office to give a figurativenose-thumbing to the rest of Pennsylvania; (2) that the governor courageously provided one final economic boost to an area ofPennsylvania that has been struggling to revitalize itself.<br /><br />An argument could be mounted for answer number 2, but the facts that the governor waited until the final day in office to sign the give away and that the money was targeted for his home area are convincing evidence for the nose-thumbing.<br /><br />Now, years later, his give away is the center of a controversy in - of all places - his hometown of Scranton.<br /><br />Specifically, the $10 million he designated to turn a derelict Scranton hotel into a downtown conference center/hotel is being attacked by other hotel owners in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area.<br /><br />Their protests make sense. How can they compete, they ask, with a hotel that is being infused with $10 million of public funds? How can they pay the going rate for renovations in their own hotels, and pass those costs to customers, when the operators of Casey's project don't have to worry about recouping their renovation costs?<br /><br />Of course, one purpose of state grants is to help boost downtowns inPennsylvania cities. Lancaster is hoping to obtain a small grant to help change the vacant Bon-Ton building into a branch of Harrisburg Area Community College.<br /><br />But $10 million is not a grant. It is a windfall. It is a lottery jackpot. It is an unconscionable amount of money for one facility in one city.<br /><br />If the convention center is built with that grant, we have no doubt it will be filled with tourists from Pennsylvania and the rest of the country. Thanks to Congressman Joseph McDade and former Gov. Casey, the Scranton area has been the beneficiary of millions of dollars in public funds. If for no other reasons, tourists will flock there just to visit their money.<br /><br />As for the other hotel owners who have to deal with unfair competition....well, they can join the rest of us on the other side of that nose-thumbing.<br /><br /><em>(Editor's note: The Scranton hotel referenced above has been in economic trouble and on the market place virtually from the time it opened its doors.)</em>Robert Fieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10605992173204476976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768507412248412873.post-63737347838619902272009-04-02T15:29:00.002-04:002009-04-02T15:32:35.705-04:00PRESS RELEASE:'Taxed Enough Already' Party GatheringTaxpayers in Lancaster County Gather for a 'Taxed Enough Already' Party Gathering in Musser Park on Tax Day, April 15 from 4pm-7pm<br /><br />Taxpayers in Lancaster County will gather on April 15 at 4pm in Musser Park to meet others who might be outraged, scared, confused, feeling alone, or who take exception to their freedom being threatened because of actions occuring in Washington DC. Attendees are asked to bring sealed Tea items for donation to the Milagro House. <br /><br />The party is another outpouring of grass roots activism, joining with over 1,000 other Tea Parties nationwide. More information can be found<a href="http://www.lancasterpateaparty.com/"> here</a>.<br /><br />Lisa Armellino comments: “We are being taxed for almost everything, and in return we have been forced to finance the toxic assets of shady business practices performed both domestically and internationally. If we don't stand united against this now, there is no telling what could happen tomorrow. Please join us, and let the movement begin.”Robert Fieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10605992173204476976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768507412248412873.post-36203291762883858462009-04-01T09:58:00.000-04:002009-04-01T09:59:14.837-04:00Everyone likes something for nothingNo offense but your most recent story with the barber shop "CC straw poll" fails to ask the most important question, and lacking that question, your story could have just as easily come from the hallowed pages of LNP.<br /><br />When inquiring of downtown merchants regarding the CC and its potential impact on their businesses, I want to know if they would be willing to charge a tax/fee, turned over to the LCCCA, to each and every one of their customers on each and every day of the year for this potential benefit? <br /><br />I think that question would change quite a few opinions about the CC. When its free, or paid for by the hardwork of others, it is easy to say it will be a positive, you have no downside. When you, or your customers are forced to pay the tab, reality sets in quickly.Robert Fieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10605992173204476976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768507412248412873.post-55529078744998335662009-03-31T18:11:00.001-04:002009-03-31T18:14:21.638-04:00State list missed WalmartSaw your article on drugs. The State apparently doesn't list Walmart.<br /><br />Walmart has an awesome <a href="http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=546834">deal</a> - $4 a month or 10$ for three months on hundreds of prescription drugs as well as 1000's of non-prescription drugs. <br /><br />I personally saved over $100 a year on two prescriptions!Robert Fieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10605992173204476976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768507412248412873.post-77655151764177500392009-03-31T17:54:00.003-04:002009-04-01T09:11:37.394-04:00Bulb-outs not a good ideaCity administrators are planning curb extensions (called bulb-outs) at East King and North Queen Streets as well as other downtown locations. Bulb-outs were recently completed at the intersection of S. Queen and Vine Sts. However, there are numerous reasons why bulb-outs, especially at intersections, may not be a good idea. Some of these are:<br /><br />When bulb-outs (curb extensions) are placed at intersections on narrow streets, they tend to make left or right turns from one street to the other more difficult and dangerous. If at mid-block locations, they will eliminate some parking spaces. Bulb-outs have other disadvantages, including:<br /><br />Bulb-outs can cause accidents. Cities are liable for personal injuries and damage to vehicles caused by bulb-outs. "I hate bulb-outs – they do nothing except increase the likelihood of an accident (put a nozzle on a wide hose and you merely increase the pressure)" – comment from a citizen of Atlanta, GA.<br /><br />Bulb-outs make snow removal and street cleaning more difficult and also more expensive in terms of time and labor. (Tax dollars pay for these services.)<br /><br />Bulb-outs are expensive to build. Each pair of bulb-outs may cost $7,000 to $10,000, plus the installation of warning signs (quote from the Va. Dept. of Transportation, year 2002 report). In addition, storm drains may need to be re-located or rebuilt, at taxpayer expense.<br /><br />Bulb-outs are expensive to maintain. Bulb-out curbs are frequently struck by large trucks as well as snow plows and street cleaners. (Take a look at the chipped and cracked bulb-out curbs on College Ave. and at the intersection of N. Prince and W. Chestnut Sts., near the Police Dept. building). Maintenance is paid for with tax dollars.<br /><br />Bulb-outs pose a clear danger to bicycles and other non-motorized vehicles. "What’s dangerous about bulb-outs is that they make it necessary for a biker to veer towards moving cars at certain points, and the motorist and/or the cyclist may be unprepared for that" – a biker in Atlanta,Ga. "Bulb-outs may make it difficult to accommodate bicycle lanes" – The PA Traffic Calming Handbook.<br /><br />Bulb-outs constructed in mid-block locations for the purpose of traffic calming result in only a small reduction in speed. "Most curb extensions result in speed reductions of 1-2 mph." – quote from The PA Traffic Calming Handbook, Pa. Dept. of Transportation.Robert Fieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10605992173204476976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768507412248412873.post-40673768758382561512009-03-31T11:37:00.001-04:002009-03-31T11:38:48.680-04:00Reason HDC is sticking with CC date?I couldn't help but notice that the head of HousingDevelopment Corp that is sticking with the convention center is none other than Mike Carper - the FORMER executive director of LCCCA before David Hixon. <br /><br />He left after only six months and I speculate they bought his silence with another cushy job.Robert Fieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10605992173204476976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768507412248412873.post-63869418956210148942009-03-31T11:37:00.000-04:002009-03-31T11:38:48.379-04:00Reason HDC is sticking with CC date?I couldn't help but notice that the head of HousingDevelopment Corp that is sticking with the convention center is none other than Mike Carper - the FORMER executive director of LCCCA before David Hixon. <br /><br />He left after only six months and I speculate they bought his silence with another cushy job.Robert Fieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10605992173204476976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768507412248412873.post-61010659522687773902009-03-31T09:04:00.001-04:002009-03-31T09:06:44.464-04:00Lenders abandoning housing collateralI read this<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/30/us/30walkaway.html?ref=business"><strong> story</strong> </a>this AM [in The New York Times] and thought NewsLanc viewers might find it interesting. A development in the residential mortgage market.<br /><br />"City officials and housing advocates here and in cities as varied as Buffalo, Kansas City, Mo., and Jacksonville, Fla., say they are seeing an unsettling development: Banks are quietly declining to take possession of properties at the end of the foreclosure process, most often because the cost of the ordeal — from legal fees to maintenance — exceeds the diminishing value of the real estate."Robert Fieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10605992173204476976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768507412248412873.post-84502518357468163062009-03-30T20:14:00.001-04:002009-03-30T20:16:53.677-04:00Interstate Hotels Professionalism<em> The following email was received by Lancaster First on March 30, 2009:</em> <em><br /></em><em></em><br />"To Whom it May Concern,<br /><br />"I wanted to inform you of unprofessional experience that I had while looking into a management job at the new Marriott Hotel and Convention Center. I formerly worked for a major hotel chain in the United States. I have since left the hospitality industry to pursue other endeavors. <br /><br />"When I heard about this hotel opening the sheer size and magnitude of the project lit a fire inside me to be part of it. As it turns out, the company managing the hotel and convention center may have their hands full not only with delays in the opening, but their managers as well.<br /><br />"During my time in the Hospitality Industry I was always taught that a potential employee is always a potential customer and as such they should be treated with the same respect. In my dealings with Michelle Reynolds of the Rooms Division I received no such thing. I have never been treated so rudely by someone.<br /><br />"I only spoke with her via email, but her arrogance and unprofessional manner shined through in these encounters. I question whether J.W. Marriott, a man whom I once met, who is a man of great pride and integrity would approve of this person working a property of this magnitude and exposure..."Robert Fieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10605992173204476976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768507412248412873.post-40857865056781287492009-03-30T15:24:00.000-04:002009-03-30T15:25:35.977-04:00Bulb outs worsen downtown intersectionsBelow is [an excerpt from] the 2nd letter/editor I’ve seen opposing bulb-outs (the name given to extended curbs at intersections) in downtown Lancaster.<br /><br />Both Mayor Gray and Charlotte Katzenmoyer have made public statements in favor of bulb-outs. Perhaps you can look into this.<br /><br />Does [the City Engineer] actually research the advisability of a bulb-out at a particular location, or merely check to see If the design conform to PennDOT requirements?<br /><br /><em>"....One of the heaviest intersections in town is the corner of South Queen and Vine streets. It's bad enough as it is with traffic turning left onto South Queen or onto Vine, especially when people are backed up leaving the parking garage of the newspaper. The traffic gets backed up when someone is turning onto South Queen, and, if they do not stay to the center, no one can get by if they are traveling Vine Street to Duke Street. If they do stay to the center, traffic can go around them. Now with the extended sidewalk, no one can pass...."</em>Robert Fieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10605992173204476976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768507412248412873.post-74054686065035308742009-03-30T10:02:00.001-04:002009-03-30T10:03:19.457-04:00Why just the 1999 Ernst & Young article?In answer to your question: <a class="rss-item" title="http://newslancpa.blogspot.com/2009/03/judge-for-yourself-was-this.html" href="http://newslancpa.blogspot.com/2009/03/judge-for-yourself-was-this.html" target="_blank" for="">Was the New Era 1999 article re Ernst & Young disingenuous?</a>, the answer is a no-brainer. The question is why you selected only one article when there are now almost 10 years of disingenuous, one-sided, self-serving, narcissistic, and irresponsible reporting on the entire project. <br /><br />From content, the total lack of reasonable questioning, timing and a generally unbalanced, flawed, and incomplete logic behind almost all stories, the question applies to almost every story on the CC within LNP.<br /><br /><em>Editors response: We are just getting started!</em>Robert Fieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10605992173204476976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768507412248412873.post-14035146038588967812009-03-29T16:18:00.001-04:002009-03-29T16:22:08.228-04:00Questions LCCCA marketing efforts and opening datePersonally, I do not think Interstate put really seasoned management here from the presentations that the current sales and management provided. <br /><br />Also, the over one million dollars that the LCCCA gave for their services was spent mostly on attending shows to drum up business. That money could have remained in the area and brought much better bookings that may generate outside shopping dollars and recreational dollars. <br /><br />My opinion of the bookings that are on the record are just business TEMPORARILY taken from other sites in the County and will return to those sites IF the food, parking, safety and management are not up to standards that they have received elsewhere.<br /><br />A person invited on a tour said IF they hit JUNE they will be fortunate.Robert Fieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10605992173204476976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768507412248412873.post-28732887726010130392009-03-29T08:56:00.001-04:002009-03-29T08:58:09.776-04:00Unrealistic Convention Center scheduleNote that the previous end of March opening date - which itself had earlier been changed from January 1 - was set while Ted Darcus and Dave Hixson were still running the LCCCA with iron fists.<br /><br />But who actually had demanded such an unrealistic date? Was it someone from the Penn Square Partners?<br /><br />Art Morris and Kevin Molloy have done a fantastic job of working under impossible conditions. But the demands which have been placed upon them were clearly not humanly achievable.Robert Fieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10605992173204476976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768507412248412873.post-60753544477012895912009-03-28T22:46:00.000-04:002009-03-28T22:47:11.333-04:00CC delay may not be sufficientTalking to a contractor tonight - he said he did not think they will not make the new deadline.Robert Fieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10605992173204476976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768507412248412873.post-17630923215978415942009-03-27T07:57:00.000-04:002009-03-27T07:58:35.485-04:00Businesses must extend hours to benefit from CCALL business should open and close with longer hours and be consistent for at least the first 6 months. That would give a consistent shot to drawing visitors onto the street. <br /><br />Otherwise, forget it, they will not leave the building unless they are staying at the Brunswick or the Arts Hotel and are going to walk back.Robert Fieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10605992173204476976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768507412248412873.post-78166423156265391682009-03-22T20:19:00.001-04:002009-03-22T20:21:26.076-04:00Slow deathIt is a shame that we could have made state and national history by saying to Gib Armstrong and Dale High, "thanks but no thanks, we do not need a convention center downtown."<br /><br />We have Ford, Thibualt and Shaub to thank for this white elephant that is only going to take business from other conference rooms in this area for approximately a year then we will have to watch the slow death of a major debt.Robert Fieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10605992173204476976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768507412248412873.post-51911855288032428342009-03-22T20:13:00.002-04:002009-03-22T20:16:26.561-04:00IHR / Marriott determined interior finishes for CCIt seems like the people who designed and built the hotel and convention center project have had no real-world experience with convention centers.<br /><br />Cooper-Carry created all of the structural designs and layouts, includingthe appearance of the outside of the building. Interstate Hotels andResorts (IHR) selected ALL of the materials, patterns, and furnishings inside the entire facility. <br /><br />The LCCCA board was told on many different occasion that all of this was done to Marriott standards, supposedly as contractually obligated.<br /><br />There was absolutely positively never any opportunity for the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority to have ANY input whatsoever into thedesign or appearance of its own convention center. Even the Request For Proposal for artwork was taken away by IHR at nearly the last minute, and IHR employees still control the final selection process.Robert Fieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10605992173204476976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768507412248412873.post-82535931610790497432009-03-21T22:26:00.003-04:002009-03-25T09:51:36.878-04:00More about Convention Center TourI questioned the number of events booked at a recent LCCCA meeting.<br /><br />According to Mark Moosic, the number of events being quoted include ALL fromBOTH the hotel and the convention center, and "events" in the hotel include food-only bookings PLUS blocks of rooms booked at the same time which use *NO* meeting space!<br /><br />Talk about bull$hit!Robert Fieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10605992173204476976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768507412248412873.post-31859533213821221622009-03-21T15:39:00.003-04:002009-03-21T15:44:33.397-04:00Editor's note:<strong><em>NewsLanc </em></strong>publishes civil letters regardless of their stances. We welcome controversy and debate.<br /><br />However it got here, it is now OUR convention center and OUR Marriott hotel. (Both largely built with tax payers' money or guarantees.) So we want to see them do well. <br /><br />We especially welcome communications saying positive things about the project.Robert Fieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10605992173204476976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768507412248412873.post-88514664332202161722009-03-21T09:43:00.003-04:002009-03-21T09:48:07.139-04:00Feed back from CC walk through tourI had a lengthy conversation with a local person who was invited on a Marriott Hotel and Convention Center walk through tour. This person called with tons of information knowing my personal opinion of the project.First of all, the layout is too choppy, too many small rooms.<br /><br />That the convention center is not separate from the hotel brought this person to ponder whether, if the project is not fiscally sound, the perfect replacement would be a CASINO. Also, my friend reflected that in today’s market with the SMALL rooms for meetings, larger groups will not return or even consider.<br /><br />Noted was the VINYL wall coverings, VERY CHEAP and going to need replaced sooner than normal upscale wall covering. The CARPET is definitely LOW grade, the type that is used in a lot of COMMERCIAL jobs. The design is outdated in comparison to current national projects of this nature. The exterior is totally compromised in this person’s opinion.<br /><br />Another interesting tidbit was that the claim that the complex has over 200 events booked to date. I suggested attending a monthly meeting or meeting with Laura Douglas or R. B. Campbell to obtain the TRUE facts of business booked.<br /><br />Also, I corrected my friend’s misunderstanding that Penn Square Partners (Dale High and Lancaster Newspapers) own the hotel. I pointed out that the Redevelopment Authority of Lancaster (City) owns the Hotel and the Convention Center Authority owns the CC. The project is a condominium with Penn Square Partners likely in the distant future to own the hotel, if and when the their investment would not longer be at risk.<br /><br />Also in their presentations they are consistently made told about tax revenue to come out of this. In fact, the hotel as well as the CC is exempt from real estate taxes and sales tax revenues generated are being indirectly returned to the project through an arrangement with the state. I did my best to listen and reply.<br /><br />WHAT A JOKE.Robert Fieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10605992173204476976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768507412248412873.post-67216449449031603772009-03-20T18:13:00.002-04:002009-03-22T20:18:05.720-04:00Marriott portico detracts from Watt & Shand facadeThe Marriott Hotel drop off at Penn Square has one of the ugliest porticos ever designed and, so radically detracts from the facade of Watt and Shand, that retaining the facade seems like an afterthought.<br /><br />Let me re-phrase...It's not that the portico is so ugly as that it is SO inconsistent with the facade, and out of scale with the rest of the square, that it looks like it was ripped from the drawing for another building....and it might have been!Robert Fieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10605992173204476976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768507412248412873.post-56688647463632017062009-03-18T12:23:00.003-04:002009-03-18T12:28:07.033-04:00Protest about Railyard Relocation to officialsTaxpayers who oppose state and federal funding of the Relocation Project of the Dillerville Norfolk Southern Rail Yard should write to their state and federal officials, and let them know how they feel. This includes President Obama, who is opposing the use of earmark money.<br /><br />Following is a copy of the letter that I have submitted to President Obama:<br /><br /><em>This is to let you know that I am opposed to any more government funds going to finance any part of the relocation project of the Dillerville Norfolk Southern Rail Yard in Lancaster County, PA. This project, already in its first stages of implementation, will primarily benefit the two largest and most well-endowed non-profit institutions in the City of Lancaster. They are Franklin and Marshall College and Lancaster General Hospital. </em><br /><br /><em>At the same time that the state of Pennsylvania is reducing the hours of state employees and reducing funding of many of its historical museums and social service agencies, Franklin & Marshall College and Lancaster General Hospital have applied for $20 million of government grant money to fund a project that even they admit is for their own private benefit (as reported below by Michael Yoder, Lancaster Intelligencer Journal reporter, in a by-lined article that appeared on Feb. 27, 2009):<br /></em><br /><em>"F&M wants to move the rail yard so it can consolidate its athletics fields with the land it is redeveloping at the former Armstrong floor plant, and Lancaster General Hospital has planned expanding at the site."</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>F&M College has already been given $10 million of state earmark money toward the project.<br />I want my tax money to be used for public projects, not for projects that will primarily benefit two well-endowed institutions in the private sector.</em><br /><br />End of letter. Persons who want to contact the White House electronically may use the form on the following website:<br /><a title="http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/" href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/">http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/</a>Robert Fieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10605992173204476976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768507412248412873.post-35154262968449931872009-03-16T20:34:00.000-04:002009-03-16T20:35:21.463-04:00Lancaster debtors prisonAre you interested in looking into how divorce lawyers and the county judgeship are milking<br />divorce suits to the point where there is no money left?<br /><br /> About 130 men are in jail right now for failure to pay court ordered support. How does that help the situation?Robert Fieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10605992173204476976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768507412248412873.post-84374508766806434242009-03-16T10:45:00.001-04:002009-03-16T10:45:45.908-04:00Fire department could use the $30,000We have a professional Fire Department with Fire Inspectors that have been trained in the operation of alarms, who are going to be the ones responding to any emergency. Are these gentlemen and women not competent to inspect and test the system and work with the contractor that is doing the installation?<br /><br />Lets give them the money to the Fire Department instead of another outside making money off of Lancaster Convention Center.Robert Fieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10605992173204476976noreply@blogger.com