Heritage.
"Harrogate's heritage is fundamentally about working people," I began. A picture of smiling factory workers from decades ago flashed up. "It is also about a heritage of industry and development." A sepia picture of two of the Harrogate men in top hats and waistcoats standing in front of a factory came up on the screen. "Harrogate's architecture reflected these values." I showed a picture of one of the restored buildings on Main Street.
"Even in its heyday, there were still issues." The next slide was a picture of the old town dump, a haze of smog in the air.
"Things changed. Factories closed," I continued and flipped to an image of the closed chocolate factory.
"New families moved in, and the dump was turned into a new research complex with factories and jobs for a new type of resident." There was a drone picture of the Svensson PharmaTech facility. "And this, too, is part of Harrogate's heritage." I clicked to the next slide.
"But part of Harrogate's heritage is the land." There was a picture of Mace spinning Henry around on the large meadow where he wanted to build the new facility. "We don't want to lose that either," I told the gathering. "You don't want that, and the Svenssons don't either. They're willing to put non-noxious, light industrial factories, research facilities, and office space in downtown Harrogate. While strides have been made to not just restore Harrogate to its heyday but to surpass it, there's still a number of vacant lots. The Svenssons would like to redevelop those lots, obviously keeping any historical structures," I said, nodding to Meg.
"But they need a large assemblage of land on a rail spur." I put up a satellite photo of the parcels Adrian had outlined. "This is where you come in. The spirit of small towns is working together. I know we all want to preserve the green space. This is a viable solution." A few people were nodding along.
"However, while the Svenssons will buy the land at a fair market value, you can't inflate the price a ridiculous amount," I warned them. "Or they won't go for it, and they'll just build their new factories and facilities on the land they own."
Meg nodded and stood up. "Full disclosure—the city can stall the project, but eventually the woods and meadows will get torn up to make way for the new buildings."
Ida stood up. "I'm selling."
"I'm old," Marty said. "My son says the Svenssons give his company a lot of work—saved them really. I know my son wants me to sell."
"At the presentation a few weeks ago, they mentioned a data center," Ernest said. "Where will that go?"
"We'll find a spot outside of town for that," Adrian said. "Obviously a data center doesn't belong in the middle of town. But the rest of the uses will fit right in."
"Sounds fine by me!" said an older woman with blue tightly permed hair. "My kids don't seem to have any interest in the land. As long as the price is fair. Maybe they could throw in another little park somewhere? I love to take my grandbabies to the train park."
"We will absolutely include some green space," Adrian said. "We'll work with the city on the best location."
Bert smiled. "I'll sell as long as the meadow and the trees are saved. I'm all for it." Several people nodded in agreement. One older man looked pensive.
"Art," Ida warned.
"My distillery," he said. "I was going to build it in that old warehouse on my property."
"Platinum Provisions makes that type of equipment," I said, or I was sure theycould. "How about they throw in a custom distillery set for you instead?"
"I guess so," he said. "Fine, I'll sell."
"Sis," Ida said.
Judge Edna had a look on her face that I'm sure had hardened criminals shaking before her. "For me it all hinges on the money. I think they need to pay more than whatever the market value is worth," she said.
"They aren't going to pay an exorbitant—"
The judge held up a hand to cut me off. "However, I don't want the money to just go into our pockets and to be frittered away on bird-watching equipment, trinkets, and alcohol." She looked to her sister, Ida. "I propose that for those who are interested, instead of paying us, the money could go into a trust for Harrogate. Some of us in this room who are responsible"—she glared at her sister—"would sit on the board to provide some oversight and to make sure the money's flowing back into the town in the form of job training, investments, aesthetic improvements, and such. Then we could ask the Svenssons to kick in a little bit more money, with the understanding that it goes to make Harrogate a more attractive place."
"That's a fine idea, Your Honor," Remy said. "I think we should go tell them right now. I know all my brothers would be happy to hear it."
66
Mace
My brothers and I met that evening at the PharmaTech offices. Most people had gone home for the day.
"We need to figure out this factory," Greg said. "We can't just spin our wheels."
Liam pulled up a satellite view on the large screen in my office. "I found a good spot in the next county over. It's on a train line, though it's a different company from the one that runs to PharmaTech."
