Farr Road Fakers

For several months readers of the Morning Call have read articles and have been submitted to advertisements soliciting funds to purchase for preservation acreage "adjacent" to the Pool Wildlife Sanctuary. In reality this effort is an disingenuous attempt by several influential people to maintain the view from their houses. The land in question does not abut the Sanctuary or the Little Lehigh Creek, but is separated and isolated by Farr Road from both these entities. The land in question fronts on Cedar Crest Blvd. and is an island created by Farr Road both entering and exiting Cedar Crest in two spots about 1/2 mile apart, about two miles south of the hospital. The fakers claim "This land is a high-priority conservation area due to its location as part of the Little Lehigh corridor,its proximity to a high-quality cold-water fishery....." Ironically, the big-shots who have organized this effort, do live on the creek and adjoin the Sanctuary, perhaps they should protect the sensitive area and tear down their houses. Shame on both the newspaper and the Wildlands Conservancy for promoting this myth.

UPDATE: Apparently the newspaper doesn't have much shame; todays' editorial is entitled "A neighborly way to preserve land". It should be entitled, "Using our sway to help friends protect their view with public money." Among other distortions in the editorial, it suggests more houses would be built on Cedar Crest Blvd. I think it is far more likely any houses would be built closer to, and facing Farr Road, and so do the Farr Road Fakers. Below is my comment on the editorial.

"Perhaps it would be more genuine for the Morning Call to buy this land and protect the view for your influential friends on Farr Road, certainly 9 houses on 7 acres will not affect either water run off or traffic. Perhaps your former publisher, who is the current Art Museum Director, could discuss this issue when she visits Museum officials at their homes on Farr Road. The donations should be returned."


UPDATE 2: The Conservancy planned on asking Macungie Supervisors for the money to purchase the land. I was hoping the township had more consideration for their taxpayers than to spend money for this purpose; how wrong I was. It now turns out the supervisors are trying to shove more money in their pockets(Conservancy) than they ever hoped for. It turns out the Conservancy controls an easement on former land of Mary Leister that the Supervisors want for recreation. Below is my comment on the recent article.

"Mary Leister and Harvey Farr must be up in heaven shaking their heads. Down here on earth, Macungie officials are throwing taxpayer money around like water to circumvent everyone's original intentions. The township paid seven thousand an acre to make land for recreation that is deeded to remain agriculture. To make the deed restriction go away on that parcel, enforced by the Conservancy, their willing to donate over $125,000 an acre to the Conservancy to buy the Farr Land. Harvey Farr probably would have donated it, had they asked."