Racine plans to auction off its two trolleys

RACINE (AP) -- Want to buy a trolley? The City of Racine is auctioning off two trolleys Wednesday, May 16th that it bought about 20 years ago. The city can no longer afford to run the aging vehicles, and no one has stepped forward to operate them.

Al Stanek is the city's parking and transit-systems manager. He says trolleys similar to the ones Racine owns are priced between $50,000 and $70,000. However, no one knows how much demand there is for these trolleys. The city paid $290,000 for them.

Jay Price Ruff helped the Racine Area Visitors Bureau raise one-fifth of the total, or $58,000, to qualify for a federal grant. She says it's sad that the trolleys never generated as much interest as hoped.

Monitor FOX6 News and FOX6Now.com for updates on this developing story.