April 17, 1999 -- How's this for community spirit? According to a report from the Wisconsin-based television and radio station WCCO, city officials in LaCrosse are looking at the idea of starting a community co-operative brewery in the Wisconsin tradition of the Green Bay Packers.

The plan is still in its infancy, but apparently LaCrosse city leaders are serious about buying the soon-to-be vacant Stroh brewery in town and reopening it as a community co-op. According to the report, this scheme was hatched just three days after Stroh announced their intentions to close the 140-year-old facility.

The idea appears to be the brainchild of the local Rotary Foundation, a member of which is quoted as saying that the plan "is not that radical." The purchase price of the brewery, which is scheduled to be shut down at the end of July, is expected to be between $3 to $4 million. At present, the plant employs some 580 people in office and production positions, according to the story written by reporter Parker Hodges.

A local resident reportedly owns the rights to the historic but dormant "Peerless" label for both water and beer, but apparently is willing to relinquish those rights should the purchase come to fruition. The plan calls for an immediate entry into the bottled water market and an eventual return to brewing.

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