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"I think we should all chip in and make an offer. Think of the wonderful publicity that could be generated".

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Frankly I agree entirely. Even minus the publicity. Property anywhere is valuable. Let alone property with an illustrious history. Not too far in the future people will be kicking themselves they didn't act on this. Who wants to help organize?

The Detroit Packard factory plant - Ask the Man Who Owns One.

(o{}o)

Count me in.

Buying the property isn't that hard, the problems begin when you own it:
- securing the property
- removing of hazardous materials
- cost having hazardous materials environmentally friendly turned into non hazardous materials.
- epa would have a hey-day with you.
- (back) taxes
- most likely the soil is drenched with chemicals, so that has to be hauled to be cleaned snd replaced with clean dirt.
- as big as those buildings are there will be a lot of concrete in the ground that needs to come out.

And what if you cleared the whole property; you have several blocks of real estate in 1 of America's most impoverished city. Crime is high, local economy is terrible, half the city is vacant. Even if you were able to put apartments or an amusement park on it who is gonna come? Its not the field of dreams: when you build it they will come.

I really don't think the picture is being interpreted accurately.

If a legitimate buyer were to own the land the city of Detroit will shake them down for every last penny in their pocket without regard for the public interest.

If a drug dealer sleaze bag like Bioresource owns it they will leave him alone as long as he makes his payoffs.

I find it hard to believe that people expect reasonable behavior from the government. The government does not act on anything that is in the best interest of the public. Case closed.

Now, you might think this is a little severe, however, political campaigns are won based on lies and deception and the reference frame of mind required for politics is not conducive for altruism. Thus, inside the brain of a government official, doing something for the public good is like giving something away for nothing. A perfect example is the case where a woman was forced by the police and district attorney to undergo surgery that killed her. The DA later said it was a good result.

When I posted yesterday evening saying "Frankly I agree entirely" about buying the Packard factory I was half kidding. Actually LESS than half kidding.

Many young guys spend much of their time in a virtual reality anyway playing video games so why shouldn't I do the same. I'm going to use the Packard Factory as my virtual reality and have some fun. Nobody really knows how serious I am or am not.

Several months ago we visited a microbrewery in Colorado. A person working there was involved in an art community. And told about hanging out at the Packard factory in Detroit. It was a fascinating story.

Quite a while back I can't remember exactly when I had this idea about Harlem. Here was all this real estate just a few miles from Manhattan with deserted buildings. Manhattan -- probably the financial capital of the world. Who could go wrong. I actually went so far as to phone a real estate enterprise in New York and they gave me this line about people out of state not being able to own property there or something. Of course a little thing like this wouldn't stop the big guys. What do you suppose that Harlem property is worth now. Plenty.

In the 1990s I bought a little over 100 acres in southern Ohio. I wanted this to be my hippie farm. I liked the 60s and early 70s. Remember hippies? Remember Vietnam? Remember Nixon? Remember Carter? I paid $450 an acre. It included a house a barn outbuildings wells cisterns a stream loads of walnut trees hickory trees butternut trees a great view. Nobody else wanted it. Now that land and the mineral rights are worth at least $800k. No it's not for sale.

The biggest problem as I see it is environmental remediation. But one doesn't have to do the whole place at once. Do just part. Then what? Put there Packard Artworks and Museum. Where Packards are on display. Where devoted artisans build new Packard clones new custom Packards and neoPackards. Don't you know a few people who like to design build and work on cars? Sell them for $300K apiece. I'll bet there'd be some interested buyers. Buicks are big in China. Remediate the balance parcel by parcel and sell leases.

In a world where CEOs get millions and millions of dollars PER YEAR all it takes is ONE wealthy Packard owner to land this historic property.

Or a few Packard owners willing to invest a hundred thousand or so.

Or a moderate number of Packard owners willing to invest a thousand dollars or so.

Get Elon Musk involved. The leading edge with Tesla and the classic with Packard.

When I was a kid the owner of the largest trucking company in the whole USA lived in our village. His net worth was around $500 million. His advice was "Buy low and sell high" I remember him saying it. Sounds glib doesn't it. But there's great wisdom in those words. Some people are so dense they just don't see the obvious. BUY LOW SELL HIGH.

These anecdotes all are true.

The Dow reached an all time high today. 21st November 2013. The stock market leads the economy. Interest rates and inflation are low. People are sitting on piles of cash. Even better times are on the way. The stock market has been going up for a century and all things considered it will continue to advance.

Only two things hold the human race back. People who have no vision. And people who won't work together.

Let's not forget why we're all here. I'm the proud owner of two 1954 Packard Patricians. Which I haven't even seen yet! One is in great shape and the other needs to be restored. Both belong in a Packard museum. How about in Detroit Michigan. These cars are priceless.

Well, Detroit's woes have been a regular feature in the New York Times, but finally the Packard Plant story is important enough to make the 1st page of today's Business section. It's less a story of Packard than a story of Detroit's agony; regarding the Packard plant it's fanciful plans that have little chance of success. All the more reason for us to make our contributions to see that the Packard Proving Grounds continues it's restoration and survives on a sound financial footing.

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Hi

If this vandalized pile of crumbling concrete and rusting steel in a dangerous urban no-man's land were any other carmaker's facility, would anyone care what happened to it?

Preserve the history and cars that we're fortunate enough to have left, forget that miserable monument to failure that can't go away soon enough.

So, support the Packard Proving Grounds preservation with your donations and voluntary labor if that's possible. It's the most realistic thing that one can do to preserve a physical presence of Packard into the future.

Steve