See "Jehovah's Witnesses moving to Warwick"
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091116/NEWS/911160318
See also
Watchtower Headquarters Planning the Big Move
by Kenneson 23 Replies latest watchtower bible
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AllTimeJeff
By now, this is no surprise to anyone. Regardless of which rural community they pick, they are leaving NYC.
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Lost-In-Translation
They are moving to both Warwick and Ramapo. As the saying goes, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." I think the Committee they established to restructure the organization worldwide recommended splitting personnel. After 9/11 almost every large organization in New York decentralized - moving staff from Manhattan to other boroughs or even to New Jersey. I think that same line of thinking motivated the "Committee" to suggest a move from Brooklyn to different location upstate New York.
I'm sure another major factor is the expense of maintaining operations in New York City. There is no justifiable financial reason to keep such large operations running in New York City.
Another benefit is getting young bethalites away from the "corrupting" influence of New York City. There are just too many distractions and temptations.
The Service Department has been consolidating English speaking congregations in the New York area in anticipation for a major move. With most bethalites moving upstate, there will be fewer brothers to help out the congregations in the New York City area. They even put a call out for witnesses to learn Spanish to help Spanish speaking congregations since many of the brothers who take the lead in the Spanish congregations in the New York area are bethalites.
Financial considerations are the driving force for all these changes. The "Great Recession" really made the WBTS see that they could not continue operating as they were.
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Lady Lee
Checking on a link on the Warwick site opens a PDF of the WTS application to the town to move in. Check out the plans
The Town of Warwick Planning Board, as Lead Agency, is reviewing an application from the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York for a proposed relocation of their World Headquarters from Brooklyn, NY to a 257 acre site that was previously occupied by the International Nickel Company. The redevelopment site is located involves 12 buildings on a 30 acre portion of the site as follows:
- an approximately 195,000 square foot three- to four-story office building/place of worship;
- four five-story residential structures totaling approximately 400,000 square feet; and
- approximately 137,000 square foot three- to fourstory service building including kitchen, laundry and support functions;
- a two-story 100,000 square foot maintenance shop; and
- additional smaller buildings including
- an additional maintenance shop,
- vehicle repair shop (for on-site vehicles),
- heating/cooling and generator house, and
- a recreation services building.
The campus structures would be built to the three Green Globes standard, promulgated by the Green Building Initiative (comparable to LEED Gold Standard). The majority of the 750 parking spaces would be accommodated in subsurface parking with approximately 100 surface parking spaces provided for convenience. The site consists predominantly of ±195.4 acres of forested land (76 % of the site), ± 11.3 acres of meadow or brushland (4.3 % of the site), ± 36.7 acres of surface waters (Blue Lake) including wetlands (14.2 % of the site) and ± 13.6 acres of roads, buildings and landscaping (5.3 % of the site). The applicant has proposed that the development will be largely contained within the area previously developed by International Nickel, leaving almost 90 percent of the site in its natural condition.