by sosoconfused 67 Replies latest jw friends
"they also said they would bring trade of approx ~$100 per visitor to the site"
That's not bringing much to the area considering the price of a fill up of gasoline. Oh, the visitors are supposed to donate all their money to WT and leave with nothing.
stopping at South of the Border for 5
I know where that is. You must live near me. PM, babycakes.
We must know more about this project than most JW's.
I don't see that this extreme building activity makes any sense.
Step back for a moment and think: they have reduced literature and magazines - greatly. They don't need Branch people like they used to - as shown by so many Branches being shut down and sold off.
Brooklyn Bethel was huge to support a huge printing facility - that isn't as necessary anymore.
And education? Really? Who? They could run their boring elder schools in Assembly Halls all over the country. Whatever arrangement succeeds Gilead doesn't need much space.
It may take time to see it but I wonder if this building obsession could crash and they find themselves with brand new buildings that get put up for sale. A lot of the Branch offices sold weren't that old.
I have personally known construction-fanatics in the Organization. I'm not kidding or exaggerating - they invent any excuse to 'build', regardless of actual need. One elder of this clique actually told me something like 'build it and they will come'.
It doesn't make sense to me - even if they are selling off Brooklyn.
metatron
metatron - "Brooklyn Bethel was huge to support a huge printing facility - that isn't as necessary anymore. And education? Really? Who? They could run their boring elder schools in Assembly Halls all over the country. Whatever arrangement succeeds Gilead doesn't need much space."
That's why I asked if Walkill and Patterson might be closed down eventually.
metatron - "I don't see that this extreme building activity makes any sense."
To give the impression of dynamic growth in the face of economically-mandated consolidation?
snare&racket - "About two years ago, watchtower met with Warwick town council and did a deal, they said they would not preach in that town at all in exchange for the planning permission etc. ... Warwick spoke to the mayor/local governor in Brooklyn, he confirmed that the WT had made the same deal there and indeed had never preached in the local area as promised."
If a rank-and-filer tried a stunt like that, they'd JC his sorry ass before you could say "snare and racket".
They have 253 acres. Only 45 acres will be developed. They state:
Some 800 Witnesses will live and work at the new facility, which will include an office building, a services building, and four residence buildings. A modest museum documenting the modern-day history of Jehovah’s Witnesses is also planned.
That's tiny compared to what they used to have in Brooklyn. There were thousands of bethelites there in lots of huge buildings. Now that they've sold them, I can freely admit that the views from some of those buildings were fantastic and the renovated buildings were impressive for their historic preJW design. Now what will they have? Patterson is a bunch of painted concrete buildings that look like Soviet-era design, but at least it's on a highway and near an interstate. Wallkill is a jumbled mess of buildings patched together in the middle on nowhere... and decorated with flowers.
It will be interesting to see what happens. When Patterson was being constructed, there was talk of the GB moving up there. Once they saw things going up, that decision was changed.
There also seems to be a big push at remodeling halls and even building new to replace older models.
Projects that have been on hold for literally decades are getting a green light, and the society is lending money left and right.
Is this their investment in the future (i.e. Satan's Wicked Ole System o' Things)?
Billy the Bethelite, " When Patterson was being constructed, there was talk of the GB moving up there. Once they saw things going up, that decision was changed."
There was much resistance of some of the older bethel heavies to moving out of NY city. They must have passed or were sent home.LOL
When they built Patterson they could only afford (1) $50 million plus++ project in the U.S. and most other projects overseas were slowed downed to a crawl until money loosened up. I know, because I was overseas fighting to get money for a project.
But, (with the help of the Holy Spirit) they got the building permits for the 30 story building in Brooklyn and the building permits for Patterson. Higher ups were asked since they paid money for and requested permits to do both, the 30 story and Patterson, what happens if they receive permits for both?
The answer was that they would build both, as it was obvious that Jehovah was behind their efforts. Shortly after finishing the 30 story building in brooklyn, they sold it. Hummmm. Why didn't they sell all the other small properties? instead of the 30 story? They could have consolidated their operations and had a minimal footprint in NY City.
If the Gilead school is basically shut down, MTS is also run on the branch level, why even have Patterson? They've cramed my butt before into 12" seats between two fat elders for elders school. (Uuugh, the chaffing on my hips.) What gives, if it is a "Education Center" it must serve as something even though they have drastically cut their "education". Maybe when the PO's come in they are supposed to be so impressed by the material things that their worship of the GB is deepened????? which results in unequivical support in the congregations? Go Figure. I'll bet that most of their building except the orginal farm could be sold as Universities or as developed commercial property.
Its probably been said before but hey , we are here for the long haul ( JW ), if Armagedon comes tomorrow ? So pre armagedon or post armagedon ,it doesnt really matter ,we are providing for their spirituality.and needs. They (JW) have no problem with building expansions ,providing for the future , because they think they are going to be their.
smiddy
