In an incredible act of fiscal desperation, the Pawlowski Administration is preparing to justify harvesting timber on the South Mountain Reservoir. It is being filtered through the Park Department as woodland management, blah, blah, blah, but make no mistake, they're selling the tree's because they need money. Currently the timber is being surveyed. I must have missed the public announcement for the meeting on that plan. Our heritage, our parks, are being threatened by the perfect storm. The Parks and Recreation departments have been administratively combined. The director's background and training is in recreation. The administration has created no less than two cover groups; The Environmental Advisory Council and Friends of the Parks. Both groups have unwittingly failed in their own mission, as stewards of the parks. In the first phrase of the Cedar Park Plan, the structural integrity of the Mirror Ponds has been compromised by under digging the stone walls. A contractor now will apply gunite in an attempt to stabilize the walls. The Administration and Parks Department is using surveys and studies to justify the pre-determined master plan; for example a survey taken on the east side of Cedar Parkway of young people at the basketball courts may be used to justify extending recreational venues into the traditionally passive Rose Garden side of the park. Press conferences will be held, awards will be won, resumes will be enhanced, but what kind of park system will our grandchildren inherit?
above reprinted from July 2, 2009
Although there is an article in today's Morning Call, what has been lost in the forest, is that the newspaper learned of the contract FROM THIS BLOG.
related posts:
from this blog; Timber, Blogs and MSM
from Morning Call; South Mountain Forestry Study
"....paved paradise - put up a parking lot."
ReplyDelete-----------------J. Mitchell
MM: Just wait for the pink hotel, boutique and the hot spot. Don't let them open a tree museum, please.
Instead of getting rid of "hazardous" trees, why don't we get rid of hazardous politicians who seem to think the short term gain outweighs the long term implications.
ReplyDeleteReaders may want to know that there is a public meeting scheduled on this matter, as reported in the Call's article:
SOUTH MOUNTAIN MEETING The Pawlowski administration will unveil Allentown's South Mountain Reservoir Forest Stewardship Plan next week.
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: South Mountain Middle School, 709 W. Emmaus Ave.
What: Representatives from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Bureau of Forestry and the Wildland Conservancy will talk about the plan and recommendations. Public comment is welcome.
Blue Ribbon Panel recomendation - Keystone status to all massage parlors kicked out of Berks County and relocated to Center City Allentown.
ReplyDelete