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The Kind of Publicity the WT Loves
by WalkTall 19 Replies latest jw friends
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betterdaze
Did you see the other article?
Like a good neighbor, Watchtower is there
The Watchtower building in NYC Although taxes remain an issue, the tax-exempt religious group makes contributions to the communities where they live and work, By Birgit Bogler
Warwick - Whether it is shoveling snow off the Brooklyn Heights Promenade or putting cows out for the tourists, the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society is, by most accounts, a good neighbor.
Also known as Jehovah’s Witnesses, Watchtower is actively locating new complexes closer to its printery in the Ulster County hamlet of Wallkill and, if all goes according to plan, the religious order will relocate its world headquarters to the old International Nickel Company site off Long Meadow Road in Warwick.
When it fits their way of doing something they will contribute to public benefit, said Judy Stanton, executive director of Brooklyn Heights Association (BHA), citing a playground that Watchtower agreed to build for New York City’s Housing Authority.“BHA appreciates their work,” said Stanton.
And despite its tax-exempt status, the group has a positive impact on Brooklyn Heights, Stanton added.
In the Ulster County town of Shawangunk, where the hamlet of Wallkill is located, the Watchtower helped the town demolish and rebuild its town hall.“They do a lot for the town,” said Town Supervisor John Valk Jr. “They even built wheelchair ramps for the temporary trailers.”
Watchtower purchased 670 acres in the Putnam County town of Patterson in 1984.
“I asked them to put their cows out on Friday night for the tourists,” said Patterson Town Supervisor Michael Griffin. “You tell them what you want and what they come back with is top-notch.”
Griffin described the Witnesses as model citizens. Their facility, he said, is a show piece for the town and they pay more than the old owner did under his agricultural exemption.
Still, the Patterson supervisor added, “I wish they paid taxes or more taxes.”Taxes
Without its tax-exemption, Watchtower would be Shawangunk’s largest property taxpayer, said Valk, who accepts it, saying, “There is nothing I can change about tax exemptions at a town level.”
But Valk noted that the Watchtower donates large amounts of manpower hours to the town and helped nearby Walden complete paving of three miles of rail trails when its grant money ran out.
Watchtower has made concessions with various towns in lieu of paying property taxes. For instance, its Patterson Inn remains on the tax rolls as does Valley Farms.Griffin, the Patterson town supervisor, also asked the order to not canvass in town and, he said, the Witnesses have complied with that request 100 percent.
Compromise and adjustments
According to the Office of Real Property Services, nationally not-for-profits are being looked at more closely. The Town of Ramapo reversed its decision to not grant exemption for a 248-acre site acquired by the religious order in February 2009 after a 292-unit active senior citizen housing development went belly up.
Watchtower made a Community Benefit Agreement with Ramapo and will contribute $1.3 million over a five-year period, paying $300,000 upfront and $250,000 in each of the following four years, according to Ramapo Town Attorney Michael Klein. Watchtower is planning to reduce the development at its Ramapo site by 50 percent, said Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence.“Any exemption will take a piece of the tax base away,” said Joe Hesch, a spokesman for the state’s Office of Real Property Services. “The issue of exemptions is always pretty hot.”
Smaller footprint
If the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society proposal in Warwick goes through, it will provide “a nice opportunity to reduce our footprint in a more logical way,” said Watchtower spokesperson Richard Devine.
Warwick Town Supervisor Michael Sweeton agreed. He said Watchtower officials have told him they plan to use all kinds of recycled materials with a vast amount of open space to remain.The order plans to develop 10-11 percent of the property and leave the remainder in its natural state. Plans include placing all resident parking underground to minimize pavement and storm water runoff.
“We want to do it right,” said Devine, of the Watchtower’s Wallkill Bethel property in Ulster County. “Because of the tax issue we don’t want to be a burden on taxpayers in the local area.”
Klein, the Ramapo town attorney, added these final words: “The Witnesses are very reasonable to deal with and I certainly expect they will be good neighbors.” -
blondie
I might mention that if you post only the link and not the article, most likely a couple years later the link will not work and readers will have no idea what the article said. I just put it in the "print" mode, copy and paste.
Warwick Advertiser > News
A bulls-eye view: Touring Watchtower Farms
Black Angus Bull #590 poses for the camera. Cowboys at Watchtower Farms in the Ulster County hamlet of Wallkill are responsible for more than 400 heads of grass-fed cattle. Photo by Birgit Bogler Published: February 11, 2010 Wallkill - Touring Watchtower Farms in the Ulster County hamlet of Wallkill is an eye-opening experience.
Worker safety, cultural awareness and cleanliness are clearly high priorities to the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The grounds are immaculate, the people friendly and the facility is state-of-the-art.
Watchtower purchased the farm from the Goebel family in 1963, started expanding it in the 1970s when they maxed-out the Brooklyn printery’s footprint, and officially relocated it there in 2004.
The original farmhouse, which dates back to 1690, has been fully restored and serves as housing for the campus workers. Because the Wallkill Bethel is a large facility in a rural area, it even has its own small fire brigade.
Printing network
Wallkill Bethel is part of a regionalized printing network and serves North America, including 12,000 congregations in the United States. In 2008 the printery produced more than three million Bibles, 18 million magazines, 27 million books, and 236 million tracts, all of which are distributed free of charge.
The printery also produces magazines and bibles in Braille and offers American Sign Language videos.
Since it was first published in 1879, Watchtower Magazine has never missed an issue - not even during the paper shortages of the Second World War.
Quality control
The health and safety of workers is built into the design of the printery. Pipes rather than people transport ink and every major department graphics, pressroom, bindery and shipping has its own safety coordinator. Each station has quality control and checks are done every 30 seconds. The bindery has 70 machines and approximately 1,150 workers.
To minimize waste when shipping, barcode readers pick the right box, print labels and direct the box around the floor using a system of lights that lets pickers know what to pack. Inventory is automatically replenished. As of last year, all congregations order materials online. Most materials are shipped by rail.
Environmentally friendly
For all this paper one might expect to see trimmings on the floor or dust in the air. Yet Wallkill Bethel is an environmentally friendly printery complete with pollution control units on the roof and a water treatment plant. Quiet automated cleaning machines sweep the floors and thousands of feet of overhead pipes suck trim waste into a central paper recycling area, which Watchtower spokesmen say saves $500,000 each year on recycling paper.
In residence
In the 1970s, Watchtower officials constructed the first residential building on the campus consisting of studios and one-bedroom units. The residents have onsite optical and chiropractic services as well as a repair shop that services official vehicles and which residents may use to work on their personal vehicles. Laundry services are provided and to conserve water, the rinse water becoming the wash water for the next load.
Beyond the printery and residences along Red Mills Road are fields where the Witnesses grow sweet corn, blueberries, grapes for juicing and apples. Watchtower cowboys are responsible for more than 400 heads of grass-fed Black Angus cattle that are never sent to feedlots.
In the world
The efficiency with which the Jehovah’s Witnesses operate was also evident in the aftermath of the earthquake that struck Haiti in January. The Watchtower’s branch office building in Haiti, which survived the quake, served as a relief center and triage unit as did its three Kingdom Halls in neighboring Dominican Republic. More than 100 Witness missionaries were killed in the earthquake. But within one day after the natural disaster, Witnesses in Haiti distributed prepackaged three-day food supplies to 4,700 people, Watchtower officials said.Take the tour
Visitors are welcome to tour Wallkill Bethel. More than 70,000 people tour Watchtower Farms each year. Guided tours are available Monday through Friday from 8 until 11 a.m. or 1 until 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 until 11 a.m. Call 845-744-6000 for a tour.Watchtower in Warwick
The Watchtower property in Warwick is the 253-acre site of the former Research and Development facility of the International Nickel Company that closed in 1983. Watchtower purchased the property from Touro College. Watchtower is widely respected among real estate dealers for its business acumen and the excellent condition in which it keeps its properties.
The Warwick property has always been targeted as a “high value Highlands property for maintaining continuity of protected land and habitat,” said Edward Goodell, the executive director of the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference.
Although “it’s been for sale several times,” Goodell said, “the conservation community hasn’t managed to buy it.”
If the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society proposal goes through, it will have a minimal carbon footprint and “use all kinds of recycled materials with a vast amount of open space to remain,” said Warwick Town Supervisor Michael Sweeton.He also said members visiting the campus will stay in bed and breakfasts and hotels, eat in restaurants and shop, bringing tourism dollars with them.
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kurtbethel
Watchtower cowboys keep watch over their flocks and herds.
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Chalam
Agreed Outlaw, this is a picture of the WT theological/writing department
Blessings,
Stephen
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Lady Lee
I couldn't read it al leither - just another WT infomercial
Reality is the WTS even loves negative media attention because then they can claim it is persecution and a sign the end is getting closer
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OUTLAW
WBT$ Broke Bum Mountain..
Cowboys at Watchtower Farms in the Ulster County hamlet of Wallkill
are responsible for more than 400 heads of grass-fed cattle
........................... ...OUTLAW
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kurtbethel
Thanks OUTLAW.
A nod from you
has credit.
Next time,
Just send cash please!
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leec
I got a kick out of how JWs were called "model citizens".
You know, if I didn't pay any taxes, I could make a big show out of contributing to the public good too.
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WalkTall
Thanks Blondie...I'll do that next time.
Griffin, the Patterson town supervisor, also asked the order to not canvass in town and, he said, the Witnesses have complied with that request 100 percent.
Does this mean they do no door-to-door work in Patterson? How can they agree to this? What about the 'life-saving' message? Aren't there JW's in banned countries who are risking their lives so as not to be 'bloodguilty' by not preaching the message. But they agree not to do that in a whole town so that they can develop real estate and not pay property taxes! Is that what this means???
