The Morning Call has written some pretty good articles on the Arena, but not today. In today's article, by Matt Assad and Scott Kraus, they are like baby birds who ate regurgitated worms from mother Pawlowski. The article is the straight Transformation presentation put together by a professional public relations company, and repacked today as a news article. It includes the whole show; New offices, stores and apartments, changing Allentown into a successful Pleasantville. Back in 2005, Pawlowski was selling, what was a baby step compared to this, the Weed and Seed Program. I asked him if he really believed that Weed and Seed would change Allentown. He avoided the straight question, but said "At least it's a strategy." Pawlowski has graduated in the use of public funds. He is enabled by baby birds; In City Council and The Morning Call.
Michael, In reading the morning call article on the arena, if the plan will cost 800 million as projected in the article,paid with tax dollar sent to Harrisbur to pay off the loans, city tax payers will have to pay more real estate taxes or city will need to consider bankruptcy same as City of Harrisburg and their capital spending was less than what will be spent on Capital Projects in Allentown. I believe the article fails to mention that in the 15 Year Plan that after a few years, Pawlowski,Hailstone and council will of left Allentown and will not be contributing to Mayors vision. Allentown Taxpayers need to get to council meetings and voice their support or disagreement with the Plan. Since 1970 each Mayor came up with a plan for downtown Allentown, where did it end.This coulde another.
ReplyDeleteRetired ASD teacher here.
ReplyDeleteWhile a vibrant, new Allentown as depicted here would be a remarkable Phoenix-rising event, I place today's puff piece in the the category of science fiction.
A follow-up article could examine an actual case study of a similar city demographic that has already bloomed this way due to a small- time arena seed.
Reading, Wilkes-Barre, Trenton?
Any other suggestions?
if the earned income tax and sale tax revenues from the NIZ district fall short of the debt service, then real estate taxes can be used. if real estate taxes are used (which i have no doubt they will be) then the city, county and school must raise the millage to offset those lost revenues.
ReplyDelete1976 was the year the situation worsened, and when crime of all types started to flourish. The Center City infrastructure started crumbling in earnest. Take it from one who spent 35 years purveying food products to retailers in this City, and later throughout the Valley.
ReplyDeleteIn reading the morning call section on Lehigh County Deeds, O Reily bought 3 more properties and paid over 1,500,000. Will A.C.I.D.A. approve the 3 properties in N.I.Z., If yes,is Reily paying the mortgage on the 1.5 million or will city,school district and state taxes be used to pay the 1.5 million and after the loan is paid in full, will the taxpayers become the owners of the property, it is there money or will Reily flip the properties and walk away with a profit and stick the Allentown taxpayers the bill of the new owners of the propertySome on City Counc il needs to come forward on behalf of the Allentown Taxpayers.
ReplyDeleteanon 12:06, so far there are two private parties approved for NIZ loans. Reilly was approved for $20 million on a blanket loan, on which i'm sure those new deed transfers will fall. also Butz was approved for $10 million, for a new addition to his building at 9th and hamilton. in both cases all earned income tax and sales tax generated will go toward their debt service.
ReplyDeleteIf the Morning call property is sold since it is in the N.I.Z., and the Morning Call proprty is then leased back to the Tribune,will taxdollars be used to pay the mortgage and Tribune gets the money from the sale. If accurate, could be the reason of the fluff articles.
ReplyDeleteanon 12:22, not all the articles have been puff pieces, like today. Today's piece, to my knowledge, has no new information which hasn't been presented before. the headline asks if it's a dream or real? the first sentence acknowledges the arena may be an "unrealistic ambition" ; from then on it's 25 paragraphs of arena public relations. not one critic was cited or quoted. i believe my Filler Article title to be fair.
ReplyDeleteAnon 12:22's point must not be taken lightly.
ReplyDeleteMichael, I have been following this money pit from afar as I don't have a dog in this hunt I see that the cost is up to 800 million and with no serious opposition will get higher as more tax dollars go to the local crooks.I don't understand why all the elected officials are in lockstep over these boondoggle unless they all are getting their fair share
ReplyDeleteMike,
ReplyDeleteThere was some important information, perhaps inadvertently, brought to light with this article. 650 new housing units, mostly apartments will be part of the final stage. This should send shivers up the spine of anyone who owns real estate in the city. 650 new dwelling units easily convert to at least 1000 new students. That equals at least a new school and additional teachers and staff to educate the increased enrollment. Guess who pays for that?
By the way, is there a worse paper than the Morning Call?
Scott Armstrong
The Morning Call building is included in the NIZ.
ReplyDeleteSo there's absolutely no way that they don't have a horse in this race.
Enough said!
lvci, when you study the map, their inclusion is logical and geometric, unlike the sacred heart hospital, which stands alone.
ReplyDeleteHow do individual businesses benefit from being in the NIZ?
ReplyDeleteWhat a great piece of writing.
ReplyDeleteTASS must be so jealous!
VIKTOR TIKHONOV
momma, so far there are two of the them, and are being treated like the arena. they are getting a loan from municipal bonds which can be repaid from the taxes generated from their property. the initial taxes are earned income and sales. real estate can be used if those are not sufficient to meet debt service. the butz loan will apply to his new addition (plus another state grant). the reilly loan is a blanket, on whatever properties he decides to buy within the NIZ district. all such private loans must be pre-approved by the arena authority, which will decide which applicants enhance their vision for downtown. if it sounds vague and full of favoritism, that's because it is.
ReplyDelete