Down Old Aquatech building

Here’s another game where the math just doesn’t add up. The old Aquatech building, which once provided jobs for roughly 300 people, was purchased in 2007 by Oster to use as a warehouse. This move was trumpeted by our folks from the economic development department who proudly proclaimed a vacant building had been taken off the market.

However, Oster doesn’t have plans to add a large number of jobs to staff its new warehouse. I’ve heard 25 jobs tossed around as a possible best-case scenario and those would 25 jobs that are certainly welcome.

But why should anyone be happy with this? We’ve taken a facility that’s in solid condition, and one that’s proven capable of providing jobs for 300 people and turned it into a warehouse that might employ 25. That’s an 88 percent decrease. I don’t think that calls for chips and salsa.