Wednesday evening, as citizens lined up at City Council to speak against the plans for Cedar Park, I saw both the Chief Planner and Community Development Director leave the meeting and make frantic calls from the hallway. By the time Council members told the citizens that they would summon Weitzel, Weitzel was summoning the bulldozers. By Thursday morning the old fashion garden was dug up. Never mind that the garden is in full bloom, Weitzel doesn't care about that. This is an insult to the City Council, and the Citizens of Allentown. This is an insult to Friends of the Parks and anybody who supported these plans as well intended.
Addendum: Allentown has two flower gardens, side by side, rose and old fashion. So far, only the old fashion, which is in full
bloom, has been closed off and dug up, in both directions. Thus far, the bulldozers haven't reached the rose garden
photocredit: image borrowed from blogger Andrew Kleiner
That's a great picture, Molovinsky.
ReplyDeleteMy only regret is God does not let YOU have 48 hours in one day. I think he should subsidize the photography divison of your operation, too, so the public may be treated to even MORE outstanding photographical journalism such as this piece here.
(schoenes arbeit, Herr Kleiner)
So, what are we doing here, putting in a practice facility for the Jamaican bobsled team?
Jamaicans and others from the Carribean are nice people. They make great beef pattie things you can purchase at certain corner stores in the city.
On seventh street, in between Walnut and Union is one. Owner is a nice lady. Parkway Carribean in the strip mall at 2nd and Hamilton is another with the beef patties. Nice people in there, too.
Maybe it's not a practice facility for the Jamaicans, on second thought. Jamaicans are plenty smart enough to know a proper bobsled facility needs a hill with a measure of slope.
But, no matter whose bobsled practice facility that IS ---
WHY DID THEY PUT IT IN THE MIDDLE OF A WHAT USED TO BE SPECTACULAR ROSE GARDEN???
Surely, the bust of Malcom W. Gross in the Rose Garden is leaking tears uncontrollably at this very moment...
You are so correct. Roses are in full bloom right now, The finest of the summer. Just remember folks, if Wetizel can do this, he can destroy just about everything. How was he permitted to do this much w/o council approval? isn't council's okay necessary? if he destroyed the roses, remember, he did so with
ReplyDeletePawlowski's approval. Nothing is done w/o Pawlowski.
Someone said Gross is living in Allentown. Is that true? Rumored future mayoral plans?
ReplyDeletePlease take more photos of rose garden destruction if you can because they definitely are worth 1,000 words.
You can bet that the bulldozing at the Rose Garden was done at the behest of the Polish Prince. Having dealt with Weitzel in the past, I can assure you that his next original thought will be his first. Where is the outcry from City Council?
ReplyDeleteAllentown has long been on a hiring freeze, and as of March it had roughly 70 positions unfilled. With the layoffs, retirements and vacancies, the city may have more than 150 positions unfilled or eliminated by the end of the year. It currently has about 940 employees.
ReplyDeleteMorning Call. Saturday.
Grading, Not in full bloom. What a bunch of blooming idiots. I would fire the community development director. Any changes should be made in the fall. This path will fill in with water this week from rainfall. By the way, where are the erosion controls? Again, somebody needs to be called to the carpet (grass). Mike S
ReplyDeleteWeitzel should go.
ReplyDeleteCommunity development director and her politically contributing husband Pawlowski buddies.
ReplyDelete"if Wetizel can do this, he can destroy just about everything."
ReplyDeleteSouth Mountain woods in danger! If Weitzel can destroy rose garden without council's okay, he surely can order the cutting of trees and undergrowth.
Don't forget Afflerbach after giving his word (ha) backed down on forbidding Salisbury Township townhouse builder to connect to city sewer lines under Fish Hatchery Road. Now, huge concrete sewer connections (minus a few cutdown trees) are visible in Parkway by fly fishing area.
ReplyDeleteRegard for Parkway protection is far removed from many in power.
Don't know how city will get rid of this mayor since no one is really running against him. One candidate refuses to even go door to door to meet voters or host press conferences.
ReplyDeleteDestination Playground & Rose Garden: Anyone see the report on WFMZ with M. Donovan?
ReplyDeleteAndrew Kleiner said... I do think it looks like path footing but I have been assured it isn't. I guess we will see and thank you.
Looks like Weitzel wasn't being upfront with Andrew Kleiner concerning the walkway.. imagine that!
What else don't we know?
LVCI, can you tell us about TV 69 report?
ReplyDeletecomment from anonymous, in which i edited to remove private property address
ReplyDeleteThis is such an outrage!!! Why isn't the Morning Call running anything on this? Unfortunately there isn't anyone left with both money and a social concience as Bob Rodale who orrganized and financed a movement to protect Trexler Park (around '91 I believe). Oh wait-- there IS someone, but he lives in a huge house at XXXXXXXXXXXXX and this plan isn't disturbing his side of the park so I doubt if he's interested.
Where is the local support?? I can't wait to get rid of this mayor!
How does anyone defend this? Bulldozers in the Rose garden?
ReplyDeleteMy God, and I thought Awfulbach had idiots working for him.
I guess South Mountain and the playground are done deals.
So much for discussion.
For the record, I have not heard anything from Greg Weitzel about anything. He is not my source for that information.
ReplyDeleteandrew, your photo shows the east/west dig out. today i photographed the north/south dig, which goes right to the base of the steps at the garden's main entrance. currently the bulldozers are parked between the two gardens. to have closed the garden and done this digging, now in season, is inexcusable. it demonstrates that weitzel has no sensitivity for the parks, and is strictly a recreation man. thank you for documenting our iconic park system, it's future is truly in doubt.
ReplyDeleteWell, I will continuing documenting our parks and I certainly have more to visit. While my views and the views on this blog aren't always in agreement, we all want the best for our park system. I spent the afternoon on a paddle boat on Muhlenberg Lake and taking a good look at how shallow the water is and how much sediment has built up even in the twenty years I can remember visiting the lake, is frightening. I'll post pictures on my blog soon. While I am not opposed to the playground, issues like the state of Muhlenberg lake and of our watershed in general should certainly be taking precedent over the new "landmarks" in Cedar Beach Parkway.
ReplyDeleteBitten by 10,000 snakes? English type parks are passe? There are no venomous snakes in PA? Is this hyperbole or another attempt to intimidate the local yokels into following the lead of the resume building carpetbaggers who have descended on Allentown.
ReplyDeleteHowever the game commission states: There are 18 non venomous and three venomous snake species in Pennsylvania. Should I believe them or should I believe the good doctor from Walden University.
Just another edition of the Ed, Edd and Eddie show featuring this time Dr. Pomegranate at city council. Yes they know their weeds and indigenous species of flora and fauna.. And how the love to laugh, with joyful glee, at those who do not like the "creepy crawlers".
The grant money must be spent. Damn the need to find funding for the ongoing maintenance. Such foolishness. This is a Pool foundation don't you know!
By the way, no hard data! Who cares about such trifling issues?
Now we move to the budget. No show.
The Ed, Edd and Eddie contract is firm in how long the troops can be out past bedtime.
Run away, run away come back another day to play. No budget today.
We have better things to do. There are visions of destroyed rose gardens in our heads.
Damn the unions. Damn un-employment. Damn the citizens.
The bulldozers must roll and roll they did?
anon 7:29, thank you for your comment, if i may please translate; dr. pattishall from the wildland conservancy gave city council a power point presentation advocating for the riparian buffers. she stated that the buffers will increase the snake population in the parks, that the snakes do bite, but are not poisonous.
ReplyDeleteDare I say it and unleash the hounds of hell, but it sounds like there are at least 18 kinds of snakes working as bureacrats in certain local government
ReplyDelete