As a resident of Upper Bern Township I find it disturbing that U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser is trying to share credit for the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to abandon the plan to turn a local warehouse into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center. He cites extensive due diligence by local officials working with his office.
Due diligence is to be done before one pays $87.4 million for a warehouse. The congressman is doing damage control for the disaster that ensued. Had DHS done even rudimentary due diligence before the purchase, they never would have bought it. The damage done is significant. The sale will cost Hamburg School District almost $600,000 in tax revenue each year going forward. Berks County and Upper Bern also take a hit. We know where that money is going to come from. Taxpayers
The only winner in this fiasco is the company that bought the warehouse for $57.5 million in 2024 and then flipped to DHS a little over a year later for $87.4 million. I hope someone is following that money.
Richard Cattermole
Upper Bern Township