A landmark brewery in St. Marys is getting a big state grant to help modernize its facility.
We have more on the potential impact on tourism in Elk County.
“Cook Forest draws people in. The elk draw people in. The Clarion River. The Allegheny,” says NW PA Great Outdoors Visitors Bureau executive director John Straitiff.
In marketing a five-county area to tourists, the Visitors Bureau has a long list of attractions.
One of them is the Straub Brewery in St. Marys. The brewery has a small gift shop and offers tours that give visitors a look inside the family-owned business that the company says dates back continuously to the first batch made by Peter Straub in 1872.
“It’s a beautiful place, but it’s in a factory,” says Straitiff.
Now, State Senator Joe Scarnati’s office says a $1 million Redevelopment Capital Assistance (RACP) grant from the state will help upgrade production, including a potential for a new can line.
And, the grant will also make improvements in the Eternal Tap and other areas of the building to help attract visitors, and Straub Brewery will match it with $1 million more, Scarnati’s office said.
“The eternal tap! We get foreign travelers that go, ‘Where’s the place where the beer never stops running?'” says Straitiff.
The tap is actually much simpler than those tourists may imagine, but it does offer a free glass of beer.
“This grant’s going to help them expand that operation, make it more visitor-friendly. I think it’ll be great for tourists that come into the region,” says Straitiff.
The brewery declined our request for an interview, but said through a statement from Scarnati’s office that this will help the modernization they’ve been doing for five years, and expand the accommodations for visitors.
The state’s online RACP records show the brewery had requested more money, $3.5 million dollars, hoping to retain 33 jobs and add 15 more in a six-phase redevelopment, modernization, and expansion.
In the end, a smaller grant came in. The 2015 round of grants was also delayed by last year’s state budget impasse. Scarnati’s office says the brewery currently has 24-full time and 5 part-time employees here.
