Public subsidies totaling $950,000 for the construction of
16 condominium units and a micro-distillery in two Norristown buildings were
approved unanimously Tuesday night by council.
A $100,000, job creation grant from federal Community
Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds approved by council will pay for
distillery equipment for a new, microdistillery at the former Humane Fire Co.
building at 129 E. Main St.
The $576,212 conversion will be called “Five Saints
Distilling.” John George of Lower Providence and Louis Rachelli of Phoenixville
have an agreement of sale to purchase the building from the fire company for
$133,460. The real estate purchase is scheduled to close in mid-June and the
distillery will start brewing and selling several distilled spirits in January
2016, George said.
A $7,212 municipal grant for facade work was also given to
the project.
“The potential of this business has exploded with the
appetite of foreign customers for spirits,” said Jayne Musonye, director of
planning for Norristown. “Naming the business ‘Five Saints’ is a story that can
be promoted. It will be the only distillery in a firehouse. The reuse of the
historic building is critical. This will be a magnet for tourism and bring
pride to Norristown.”
There are already six distilleries in Pennsylvania,
including locations in Philadelphia and in Bristol, Bucks County.
“Our hat goes to you for making this kind of financial
commitment,” said Councilman Gary Simpson.
“It is so nice to see other people share the same vision of
Norristown that we have,” said Council President William Caldwell. “Welcome to
Norristown.”
George said, “Norristown is ready for revitalization. We
want to make it happen. When we are distilling you will know it. We know we
have a lot of work to do. We will brew that Black Ball bourbon together.”
Two videos about the distillery and the condo conversion are
www.tout.com/embed/touts/dsognp and www.tout.com/embed/touts/srxilt
An $850,000 grant from the state Redevelopment Assistance
Capital Program (RACP) was approved to subsidize a $4,050,000, project to build
16 condo units in the fourth and fifth floors of the seven-story office
building at 1 West Main St. The “Residences at Courthouse Square” will be
developed by Mike Alhadad of Ambler and Sam Madi of New Orleans, Louisiana. The
building was purchased for $2 million by Alhadad in 2012 and One West Main
Street LLC will invest an additional $1 million for renovation costs. The
company has already spent $200,000 on building repairs.
“We had to induce Alhadad to bring condos to Norristown. He
put in over $2 million to buy the building,” Musonye said. “He has over $60
million in condo conversions in Philadelphia with market rate housing.”
Musonye said Norristown officials were attempting to rebrand
the downtown area around the building as “Courthouse Square.” A former PNC Bank
branch was located on the first floor.
“This building has 69 parking spaces on the side, so there
will be parking for the condo owners,” she said.
In other business, Frank Ludwig was sworn in by Council
President William Caldwell as the assistant fire chief in the Montgomery Hose
Fire Co. on West Freedley Street. Ludwig’s wife, Angela, held the Bible.
Ludwig, 33, has been a volunteer firefighter for 16 years,
including 10 years at Fairmount Fire Co. and six years at Montgomery Hose Fire
Co. He has served as captain at Montgomery Hose for four years. The lifelong
Norristown resident has served as the East Norriton Fire Marshal for the past
seven years.
“It has been a family tradition. My uncle is the fire
chief,” Ludwig said. “He got me involved in the fire department when I was
young. I stuck with it. When I was a kindergartner I wanted to be a firefighter.”
Ludwig replaced Brian Vanbuskirk, who served as the
assistant fire chief for more than four years.
“It has been my lifelong dream to reach this position,” he
said. “I want to serve as long as I can.”
Norristown Fire Chief Thomas O’Donnell said Ludwig had been
the captain at Montgomery Hose for four years.
Source: The
Times Herald
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