People love nostalgia, and they hate thinking about the mechanisms of government. That combination has already wasted untold $millions on the Neuweiler Brewery, but just a drop in the bucket compared to what is to come.
I have criticized development, or the lack thereof, at the brewery for almost a decade. Pawlowski bagman Mike Fleck ushered in the first developers to the brewery. That group was given the option on the property, with no actual experience in either operating a brewery or real estate. They were, however, proficient in website building, and did manage to raise money with their option. They were also given a couple $mil to modernize the distribution portion of the building, now recently demolished.
The current option owners do have experience in real estate, and are rehabbing a nearby former factory into apartments. The problem with Neuweiler is that the building is in such poor condition, especially the upper portion with the iconic dome. However, being an NIZ project, money, aka our diverted state taxes, is no issue. Allentown will end up with a very expensive nostalgia parcel.
It’s the same old story with these NIZ taxpayer funded building projects. The taxpayers who pay for everything get NO ownership rights.
ReplyDeleteThese are not financial investments by us that can be used for other purposes, nor sold by us to get back some of our monies when they no longer work as described.
Sorry, I don't see the engame in this being positive. The current redevelopers of Neuweilers are planning high-end apartments in the former brewery building.
ReplyDeleteQuite honestly, if I were making a good income, the last thing I would want is to live in is a redeveloped old brewery that was abandoned for 60 years in the first ward paying New York rental prices. Also I have a very nice car and I like it without it being vandalized
These are all field of dream projects, being built with our tax dollars without our consent.
ReplyDeleteHere’s an interesting fact! My mom who just turned 100 back in April worked for a pest control company back in the 50’s. This company regularly would go into the Neuweiler Brewery to bait for RATS!!! After the poison would do its job they would go back to clean up the dead carcasses. Once in a while the guys would bring the RATS back to the office to lay them out to show the boss. She remembers them as sometimes as being as large as a small cat. The hunt would sometimes net 40 to 50 RATS. She said the poison would cause the RATS to want water… so it wasn’t unusual to have to scoop some RATS out of a vat of beer. “Kinda gave that Neuweiler Beer that special flavor, that you couldn’t seem to put your finger on it!!!”
ReplyDeleteOoo… hope if they open a Microbrewery in the basement of these high end apartments they might consider my suggestion! They should call it the “THE RAT’Z KELLAR”. Just Saying!