(CelebrityAccess MediaWire)-
The troubled Mountain Laurel Center for the Performing Arts in Bushkill, PA is in jeopardy of closing. There is an agreement in place that might save the venue, which the Pocono Record refers to as
"the final chance to save the dormant, cash-strapped arts center in Lehman Township." The PAC's 2004 program has already been canceled, and there is no assurance that any shows can even be booked for this year.
The Mountain Laurel board of directors, the Pike County Industrial and Commercial Development Authority, and a group of bondholders, who previously loaned $17 million to the arts center, have reached an agreement on a memo of understanding detailing plans to try to get the arts center running again. The bondholders will provide limited funding this summer to help the arts center pay its bills and possibly hire more employees, according to the plan.
The other side of the agreement centers on the 11-member board, formally known as MLC Corp., which will try to raise funds from corporate sponsorship and individual donations and will develop a three-year operating plan by the end of the summer. However, if the board is not successful in raising approximately $300,000 over the next few months, MLC Corporation's 50-year lease could be terminated. And, if that happens, it might be the end of the Mountain Laurel Center for the Performing Arts, according to the paper. –Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen
