Chattanooga Welcome Center Planned Near Volkswagen Plant
Chattanooga Council members meet Tuesday night to discuss the cost of landing Volkswagen. A resolution before the council would allow the city to borrow up to $40 million to cover work related to the VW plant.
One of the expenses is for a new welcome center. A sign just one exit away on Interstate 75 from the planned VW plant already says Willkommen. And one day soon, a welcome center will back-up that greeting just off Exit 9. Council Vice Chair Jack Benson says "we've been talking about a welcome center on that side of town ever since I've been in office, we've thought I-75 needed something to let us slow people down and introduce Chattanooga and the area as a possible place for them to come and work and live and retire."
Millions of vehicles pass through this stretch of Interstate 75 every year, making it a prime location to pass along information about Chattanooga and Volkswagen to visitors.
While specifics for the multi-million dollar facility remain undetermined, Benson believes it will be similar to other welcome centers, with rest areas and brochures and information about employers other than just VW.
"Why the city is taking the full hit on the 40 million?" asked Councilwoman Sally Robinson during an agenda session this afternoon. City leaders debated a $40 million dollar bond issue for the welcome center and a host of other incentives tied to luring Volkswagen. Benson says that bond would include "site preparation, storm water, other things and its got to be there because we've got to be ready to move."
The resolution also lists improving railroad lines, a training center, roads, sewers, fire station and related equipment, and telecommunications as potential expenses.
Turns out, council members aren't being asked to spend all that money. Instead, they'll use bonds to reimburse the city later for actual expenses at Enterprise South.
While obligations at Enterprise South may cost the city and county $40 million dollars each, state expenses could double that.
The council may amend the wording of the resolution tonight to include funds to relocate a wetlands area at Enterprise South. Problems developed this afternoon with efforts to acquire a state grant to pay for that project.
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6 hours 52 min ago
VW Stinks
Hello,
I saw on the news the other day that Volkswagen Of America decided to invest nearly a billion dollars on a new assembly plant near Chattanooga Tennessee. Well for starters I would like to tell the world what Volkswagen Of America has done to the State of Pennsylvania and thousands of dedicated employees, of which I was one of them. Volkswagen opened an assembly plant in New Stanton Pa in 1978, when NBC news was there when the first Foreign car rolled off a United States Assembly line on April 10th 1978, I stood there and watched this historic event unfold.
It was a huge milestone for the USA and Pennsylvania, it was never done before and I was truly proud to have been a part of this historic moment. We produced the Rabbit, The GTI, I drove the first GTI in the United States before the public and dealerships even saw a picture of one ,the Rabbit Truck, the Golf, The Jetta all made with Pennsylvania pride and quality. We produced 1.2 Million cars for Volkswagen from 1978 to 1988 when Volkswagen decided to close this plant after their Pennsylvania Tax Breaks had expired!! They came to the USA and basically destroyed thousands of lives in the process by not doing what ever it took 20 years ago to get a new car design that would sell, and listen more to their employees with their suggestions and concerns on manufacturing and production issues.
Volkswagen has a lot of nerve for what they did to Pennsylvania and thousands of Employees, by bringing another plant to the USA. I am going to get in touch with NBC, ABC, and CBS news and tell the real story on what they pulled and how it could have been avoided. I have pictures of the first car coming off the assembly line, the 500,000 vehicle, the 1,000,000 Vehicle and sadly the last car to roll off the assembly line on 7-14-88. I also have a video tape of the entire assembly plant which was dedicated to me, I have the only copy in the world, this video was made for me due to an industrial accident in which I was not expected to live which took place 14 days before the plant closed it doors forever.
I want to tell the real story on how VW came to Pa 30 years ago, Pennsylvania also invested over 70 million dollars in road and bridge expenses to help VW open this plant in which they did, but left as soon as the Pa tax breaks were expired and destroyed many many lives in the process. I could tell you about 7 friends of mine who committed suicide because when their job left in 1988, so did their lives as a productive member on a assembly line where we gave our best and we gave it our all, all of the time which was not good enough for Volkswagen. What amazes me is that the economy was much better than it is today, but they foolishly closed a great facility, but in 2008 with the economy in shambles, they now want to invest nearly a billion dollars in Tennessee, trust me the people of Pennsylvania will voice their opinions just as I am going to. They say fool me once it's your fault, fool me twice it's my fault. Contact me I will tell the real story!!!
Blaine Stanziana