[PRCo] Re: Merry Christmas Westmoreland County

[Schneider Fred]

Thank you for the summary.   Learned a lot from it.

On Dec 11, 2008, at 8:10 AM, Dennis F. Cramer wrote:

> 650 acre sight in North Huntingdon & Hempfield Twps
>
> Chrysler buys sight in the 1960's for an ill fated assembly plant
>
> 1976, Volkswagen picks up the sight for 1st American assembly  
> plant.  They
> received $70 million for opening the plant and it closed July 14, 1988
>
> Nov 1990, Sony takes ownership and invests $300 million to produce  
> 1 million
> color picture tubes
>
> July 1992, first cathode-ray tubes roll of assembly line
>
> June 1995, American Video Glass is established at the site.  A  
> joint venture
> by Sony, Corning & Ashai Video to make glass for picture tubes
>
> March 1996, Sony changes name of the plant from Sony Pittsburgh
> Manufacturing Center to Sony Technology Center-Pittsburgh
>
> Jan 2006,  Sony announces plan to close American Video Glass,  
> eliminating
> 300 jobs
>
> March 2007, Sony announces plan to move production of rear projection
> televisions to Tijuana, Mexico
>
> August 2008,  Improved demand for flat panel TV's cause Sony to  
> increase
> employment form 600 to 850.
>
> December 2008, Sony confirms it will close the plant.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------
>
> Pennsylvania spent $33.5 million to lure Sony here to invest $300  
> million on
> the plant.   Under that deal, the Pennsylvania Industrial Development
> Authority took ownership of the property at a net loss of $10  
> million in
> exchange for VW's $40 million low interest loan that extended to 2007.
>
> Sony was to rent the property for 20 years for $21 million.  They  
> still owe
> $5.5 million.
>
> Another perk to entice Sony was a state-approved, 15-year loan for $10
> million at 3 percent interest, to help renovate the plant. A second  
> $10
> million, 20-year loan at 2 percent interest from the PENNVEST clean  
> water
> program went toward infrastructure improvements.
> The state agreed to provide $3.5 million in customized job-training  
> tax
> credits to train workers for the plant.
>
> More taxpayer-funded help came in subsequent years.
>
> For example, Rep. John Murtha, a Johnstown Democrat, was  
> instrumental in
> obtaining $10 million to build an intermodal rail facility for Sony  
> and
> companies in nearby industrial parks. An additional $10 million was
> allocated to build an interchange from Route 119, to improve access.
>
> The company has been paying more than $1 million a year in lieu of  
> property
> taxes to host communities, Southmoreland and Hempfield Area school  
> districts
> and the county, because the state industrial development authority  
> owns the
> plant.
>
> But the $845,989 payment from Sony in the 2008 school year was well  
> under
> what would have been paid in taxes to Southmoreland School District  
> for such
> a facility, said Bill Porter, the district's business manager.
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> ------
>
> Westmoreland is not the only county to feel the closings.  I know  
> people
> from central Armstrong who drive to New Stanton every day and I am  
> sure the
> same occurs from Washington & Fayette.
>
> The best part of living in Pennsyltuckey is things have been  
> horrible for so
> long, there are few good jobs left to lose.
>
>
>
>
>
> Dennis F. Cramer
>       Trombone
>
>
>
>