The home of Black Rock Brewing Co. in downtown Pottsville is no longer a condemned building.
A condemnation notice that’s been on the business’s front door since May 17, 2023, was removed on Friday afternoon, a day after City officials conducted an inspection of the select violations that prompted that condemnation notice.
The business has been closed since an overnight small kitchen fire was doused and the condemned sign was applied.
Since then, the City and the majority owner of Black Rock Brewing Co., Bobby Weaver Jr., have been involved in a very public battle with each other over the business reopening.
Pottsville Code Enforcement Officer Justin Trefsger, City Fire Chief Jim Misstishin, and a third-party building inspector made up the team that inspected the property on Thursday. The inspection lasted less than 2 minutes, according to Weaver, who posted a video of the process to the Black Rock Brewing Facebook page on Thursday night.
Thursday’s inspection was the result of a settlement agreement between the parties that was signed on Wednesday but still must be approved by City Council.
An inspection report sent to Black Rock Brewing from Trefsger reads as follows:
“On August 29, 2024 [an] inspection ws scheduled to look at three items. The removal of the flat top grill, the fryer and fire suppression system over the flat top grill and fryer. The inspection was conducted by myself, Fire Chief Misstishin, and Jeff Farro, our third party inspector. An inspection of the kitchen revealed that the flat top grill and fryer were removed. No fire suppression system was installed in the kitchen and the existing vent hood was removed. The three violations identified in the May 17, 2023 Notice of Violation have been abated. No violations from the May 19, 2023 notice were inspected.”
The final sentence in that notice means that the City did not look at any of the other code violations that existed in a May 19, 2023, inspection of the Black Rock Brewing property that allegedly revealed dozens of code violations.
The scope of Thursday’s inspection was simply to look at the violations that prompted the condemnation notice.
Friday’s removal of the condemnation notice also doesn’t mean the business is reopening as it was prior to that May 2023 fire. Weaver and the City are still locked in a legal battle over approving building plans for the business property at 325 S. Centre St. Until building plans are approved, the doors to Black Rock Brewing will remain closed.
Weaver told The Canary on Friday that the company is considering its next steps with regard to possibly opening the outside portion of his business in the short term.
Free Beer events held while the condemned sign was on the front door led to several summary code violations filed against Weaver. On Wednesday, Weaver lost an appeal of a citation stemming from the first Free Beer event held on March 16, 2024. He said he’s appealing that decision to Commonwealth Court.
District Magistrate James Reiley found Weaver not guilty on two other citations filed in connection with that specific event.
“We are taking the weekend to consider reopening outside only this Fall. We want the live music, fire pits, outdoor seating, and great times brought back to the City of Pottsville at Black Rock,” Weaver said.
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PTFloridian
August 31, 2024 at 11:25 am
Why is the City of Pottsville so stuck on this battle… and why?
…is it personal somewhere along the line?
…doesn’t someone oversee the City of Pottsville and its preposterous conduct
…i thought the City might do everything in its power to help encourage growth of business and the generation of revenue and taxes… this whole thing really has a strong stench of something underlying. Please explain…
PTFloridian
August 31, 2024 at 11:36 am
… furthermore, if Bobby could present evidence of wrongdoing, personal vendetta, or other, he should proceed with a lawsuit seeking a breadth of compensatory damages, due to the City’s coordination of malfeasance and misconduct.