To the editor:

I have been following the progression of the Maple Leaf Performing Arts Center and I would like to offer my two cents.

First of all, I don’t believe than the government should be in the entertainment business. Don’t they have enough on their plate?

Back in the ‘80s, Greenfield backed a large entertainment facility and the first two events were snowed out, one being a Roy Clark show. Being that these events had to be prepaid, the project went bust. It became a flea market and several other venues.

If you don’t believe that Brown County is not sticking its neck out like the Thanksgiving turkey, call the William Morris agency in Chicago and ask them to tell you what the odds are for the performing arts center to survive, especially run by the government.

Has anyone really given thought to the traffic problems that this will cause? Picture yourself standing by McDonald’s in October when the traffic is bumper to bumper and there is a concert at the performing arts center.

Do you really believe that if this project goes bust, that the taxpayers won’t be paying for the losses?

Finally, the thing that really bothers me is that the Maple Leaf Performing Arts Center will be competing with other businesses in Nashville. What can we look for next, government-owned shops and restaurants?!

Always hope for the best and plan for the worst!

Thank you,

Mike Smith, Pendleton Correctional Facility

P.S. Ask all of the involved government officials to personally co-sign for the loan to build the Maple Leaf Performing Arts Center. See what happens! Also, ask them to guarantee that there will never be any additional taxes of any kind to fund the arts center.

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