Back in the day before the FBI raid on Allentown City Hall, those interested in corruption in Allentown were pretty much limited to myself and O'Hare. Missing in action was the Morning Call. Although they would occasionally use this blog as an unattributed source, they avoided my most controversial exposés. Among them was my revelations about the Neuweiler Brewery.
Although the FBI and Justice Department decided to prosecute Pawlowski and Company on nine deals, I suspect that the menu actually had many more choices. Among them may have been the current Neuweiler Brewery deal. When Ruckus Brewing was introduced as an applicant for the Neuweiler Brewery, I wrote about it here, way back in 2013. My research revealed that Ruckus had no experience at the time in either actual beer brewing or real estate. What they did have was a business consultant very connected to the administration in Allentown, Mike Fleck.
Although Pawlowski and Fleck were indicted and convicted, the Allentown Commercial Industrial Development Authority proceeded with handing over the brewery to Ruckus. Ruckus received numerous deadline extensions on their application, and represented the brewery as a done deal to raise cash. All these irregularities were previously reported on this blog, and ignored by the local press. They are currently permitted to rent out space as is in a building in which the previous owner was arrested and jailed for not correcting code violations.
When shenanigans occur in Allentown, this blog is often the first source to chronicle the questionable activity.
For the full story on the Neuweiler Brewery, please follow the links provided below.
Post on Neuweiler Brewery from May 29, 2008
Post on Neuweiler Brewery July 11, 2012
Sequel to July 11, Post (July 16, 2012)
Post on Neuweiler Brewery May 2, 2013
Post on Neuweiler Brewery Jan. 31, 2013
The Neuweiler Brewery, A Pawlowski/Fleck Shenanigan, July 8, 2015
Morning Call Catches Up To Molovinsky On Neuweiler Sept. 30, 2015
Enjoyed the historical context of this Pawlowski/Fleck failed development project. Over the weekend I began to investigate other Pawlowski projects with his connections to area contractors, legal authorities and potential developers. Hopefully, this investigation will weed out more "pay to play" activities and keep these individuals away from city government.
ReplyDeleteGoing over a plethora of public information, not City Hall's files, one can make generalizations of the deceit and graft permeating from city hall. After numerous hours of researching you can conclude that the FBI's investigation only touched the surface of this operation. [I guess they didn't want to over saturate a jury with more counts]. It is plain to see that the Chicago slickster had local contractors, with regional labor unions help, were lined up to build, demolish and reinvent the phase 2 waterfront project led by Jaindl properties. As far as Ruckus, these alleged developers and investors were in line to make money the way another developer did down in the old pigment factory along MLK. The current council and possible proposed mayoral candidates, [except for one or two] have financial connections to Pawlowski, as noted in his campaign filings, and will follow the playbook laid out by him.
fire@7:37, i would not call the ruckus deal failed. they are lined up with ACIDA to receive $250million approved from ANIZDA to develop the brewery.
ReplyDeleteMM, thanks for the info. That is a lot of money for a brew pub and micro brewery. Of course, Atty. Jerome Frank, ANIZDA board solicitor, was a big supporter, as was his firm, King, Spry, Herman, Freund & Faul, of the great deceiver, Ed Pawlowski.
ReplyDeleteWith all respect, if there ever is a true money pit, it's restoring the Neuweiler Brewery. This building had value in 1968, when it closed due to the management of the brewery in debt. It's 50 years, and anything of value in the buildings has long since dissipated
ReplyDeleteImplode it, turn it into a park and let it become a part of history.
Kudos to your for seeing through what so many "urbanista" bloggers refused to.
ReplyDeleteWould probably venture the most valuable piece of that property is the land, which with the right OPM could probably be developed into another high-cost, low-demand office building. Paying 100 grand a year, plus whatever minimal taxes are owed annually, is probably small change if they feel like they could fob it off to someone else's development.
What's most notable about the story is how quickly it faded. A lot of fuss early on, and then basically an annual story in the Morning Call about how they were still working on it. Trying to get investors to rebuild a building that had been falling apart for fifty years? For nearly half a decade...obviously a tale that ANZIDA wishes they hadn't been a part of, but too expensive to admit the mistake.