NEW BERN, N.C. (WNCT) — No news is not necessarily good news for the future of a Pepsi museum in New Bern.
On Tuesday, the New Bern Board of Aldermen discussed the possibility of building a museum for the soft drink, which originated in the city. However, Mayor Jeffrey Odham said he was not prepared to decide on a location for it.
Odham also said the grant money that would be used to build it will probably be about half of what the town originally expected.
“I’m not interested in applying for a grant for a few hundred thousand dollars that could be a million-dollar mistake,” Odham said.
Bradham’s Legacy is requesting the City of New Bern apply for a $950,000 rural transformation grant. They want the city to use those funds to build a Pepsi museum. The city currently has the Birthplace of Pepsi-Cola, which has been in downtown New Bern since 1998. It’s dedicated to Caleb Bradham, who in 1898 invented Pepsi-Cola.
The purpose of the new museum would be to inform people of Pepsi’s impact on the city. City officials said the museum would be a big attraction and an economic boost for New Bern.
Town officials also said Tuesday they would consider fundraising to reach the amount needed for the museum.
