The Monster, also known as Allentown Parking Authority, having it's fill of bus riders and poor merchants, now has a yen for the disabled. The Allentown Department of Corporate Welfare, has decided to sell it's "North" lot near the Verizon Building, to develop another tax break, for surely there is no market for these projects in the real(estate) world. Although the disabled workers of Verizon are welcome to plea before the Authority Board and City Council, in reality they will just be a sneak preview of the "Monsters" menu. Until which time the public unites and organizes against the ParkingAuthority/Lanta/CityAdministration machination, our long term assets will be determined by only three or four people.
UPDATE: This post was written in reaction to a story in today's Morning Call by Paul Muschick. Paul wrote " Verizon employees are fighting plans by the Allentown Parking Authority to sell a N. Seventh Street parking lot, saying the sale would put them a risk and would burden the disabled because they would have to walk farther." A petition by the employee's says "If we were parking even a block or two away and had to walk the streets and alleys during these hours, the chance of becoming another crime statistic would greatly increase."
Tamara Weller, director of frankenstein, would consider adding disabled spaces near the Verizon Building(723 Linden). This is bureaucratic speak for "we will not change our agenda, but will give you a peanut if you squeal enough"; much as Lanta provided the merchants with a holiday shuttle bus between Hamilton Street and their TERMINAL
The article by Muschick entitled WORKERS FEAR LOSING ALLENTOWN PARKING LOT apparently is not included in today's mcall.com
UPDATE: Although not listed in the mcall content page, the staff from Queen City arranged an address to Muschick's article
http://www.mcall.com/news/local/allentown/all-b3_5parking-2.6253253feb01,0,1429145.story
last time i checked, verizon was worth $112 billion. why isn't
ReplyDeleteadequate parking for employees the responsibility of (the
wealthy) verizon? employers are required by law to make their
properties easily accessible to all persons, handicapped
included. the city, you should know, has a much broader
mandate. perhaps you need a lesson in civics and private
enterprise. i note also, you failed to mention how many
disabled employess are affected. was the number so low that it
underscored the weaknesses in your argument? or did you bother
to do the research? if you truly want to take on the high and
mighty, you should turn your attention to verizon and its
billions of dollars, hoarded rather than spent on transport
assistance for its disabled workers.
that verizon building is one of the few remaining assets on linden st. and a large employer. allentown would be better off accommodating them, rather than build another KOZ subsidized project. my posting is not an argument, it does not require research and i take on whom i choose. fyi, although i am no expert on verizon, i am very familiar with the parking authority, which is the subject of my post.
ReplyDeletethis blog is an informed opinion about allentown. although i have over the years conducted a few surveys, i do not generally engage in research for my postings. i do attend meetings, consult people and strive to be honest with my writings. i am not a journalist, and this is not a newspaper.
ReplyDelete