Although Mayor Pawlowski will officially cut the ribbon today on Allentown's new Destination Playground, Sunday's warm weather and only a mesh plastic fence, proved too tempting to about 75 kids and their parents. The equipment is beautiful and obviously from one manufacturer. It appears to be the Noah's Ark of playgrounds. Park Director Weitzel must have ordered two of everything. Only time will reveal how long everything will last, and how much maintenance and expense this playground will require. I can tell you that the kids yesterday were having a ball.
Today's Morning Call has an article about Paulette Hunter and her role in advocating for the playground. I congratulate Paulette on her accomplishment, but must take exception with some points in the article. We, who objected to the comprehensive Cedar Park Plan, did not single out the playground as the only problem; but those who defended the comprehensive plan, did single out the playground, for the obvious reasons of political correctness. In the article Ms. Hunter defends claiming prejudice, saying the objectors referred to "those people." The accusation is as unfounded and unfortunate now, as it was then. The playground is built. I hope it brings many children and their parents much joy for many years.
Mr. Molovinsky,
ReplyDeleteMight you be comfortable finding out what in the world happened to the public restrooms in the Robin Hood parking lot in Lehigh Parkway? They have been closed five weeks and replaced by two really smelling portables in the parking lot.
We attended the city's first playground plan presented at the Allentown Public Library more than a year ago. Paulette Hunter brought her son to the meeting and spoke in favor of the need for this very special project. Today she must feel great satisfaction. We look forward to seeing Ms. Hunter, her son and hundreds of other families enjoy this beautiful project. Congratulations to all.
ReplyDeleteGreat playground, terrible location for it.
ReplyDeleteThe location is perfect. An easy drive for residents of the city and the burbs. Out of the flood plain. Plenty for the rest of the family to do in the same park.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteThe location is perfect. An easy drive for residents of the city and the burbs. Out of the flood plain. Plenty for the rest of the family to do in the same park.
October 25, 2010 8:26 AM
What flood plain? Allentown doesn't have any flood plains. Nope. None. Not a single one, especially not at Cedar Beach where the newly expensively laid brick walk is now one destructed mess, not in Lehigh Parkway where human feces recently covered the grassy meadows.
Hope Ms. Hunter and her son get to enjoy the park on opening day.
ReplyDeleteGo Bulldozers - Defeat Racism.
ReplyDelete(Defeat Fiscal Responsibility?)
What about emails, has the Mayor's wife issued any emails about children holding protest signs playing well for the Media's cameras?
What a proud moment for Progressive Liberals (the email fiasco).
Sad to see Ms. Hunter claim Mr. Molovinsky a racist. Such an awful and untruthful thing to say.
ReplyDeleteMr. Molovinsky was but one of many
Allentown born and raised residents
worried about the Rose Garden and parts of Cedar Beach being harmed by the city's park plans. After last week's "Remember" photos taken by Muhlenberg College student Andrew Kleiner, seems
Mr. Molovinsky was correct to be worried.
I would have paid a great sum of money to see the look on your face reading that blatantly obivous and completely biased puff piece about the great Heroine on the front page of The Morning Call, Mr. Molovinsky.
ReplyDeleteWithout her tenacity, you do realize, Mr. Molovinsky, the super-duper multi-generational Destination Playground would have never been realized for those people seeking to beef up the old resume...
...and score some cheap political points with the vast array of uneducated Allentown voters who don't have a clue about priority or fiscal responsibility but respond well to the tried and trusted Progressive Liberal tactic of the (seemingly ever present, these days) race card.
We will see what ther condition of this playground looks like in a year. And then five, and ten.
I think we all know, if even we won't say, what we can expect.
MM -
ReplyDeleteI know of several parents who were visiting Muhlenberg as possible college choices for their children. One former Allentown resident (she grew up on S. Irving Street) told me that the play ground would be a great place for College Students to have sex after dark. I agree, that and other things.
Calling someone a racist is very much like the famed interview question: "When did you stop beating your wife?"
ReplyDeleteI would have paid a great sum of money to see the look on your face reading that blatantly obivous and completely biased puff piece about the great Heroine on the front page of The Morning Call, Mr. Molovinsky.
ReplyDeleteWithout her tenacity, you do realize, Mr. Molovinsky, the super-duper multi-generational Destination Playground would have never been realized for those people seeking to beef up the old resume...
...and score some cheap political points with the vast array of uneducated Allentown voters who don't have a clue about priority or fiscal responsibility but respond well to the tried and trusted Progressive Liberal tactic of the (seemingly ever present, these days) race card.
We will see what ther condition of this playground looks like in a year. And then five, and ten.
I think we all know, if even we won't say, what we can expect.
October 25, 2010 11:06 AM
Anonymous Anonymous said...
MM -
I know of several parents who were visiting Muhlenberg as possible college choices for their children. One former Allentown resident (she grew up on S. Irving Street) told me that the play ground would be a great place for College Students to have sex after dark. I agree, that and other things.
October 25, 2010 11:11 AM
They'll need to be very good at gymnastics.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDelete"The location is perfect."
**********************************
Write back when the first child is hit by a car trying to cross one of the busy streets surrounding the "destination" playground.
I'm glad the Playground is built.
ReplyDeleteNow the laid-off Park employees will have somewhere nice to play.
The play ground is an eyesore. It should have been located somewhere else. As well it is despicable that those who shilled for the administration on this project slandered those who rightly question the wisdom of this project.
ReplyDeleteScott Armstrong
PH has done some good work. However had she not been on the mayors side the impact of her initiative would probably have been mediocre.
ReplyDeleteHer good intentions were exploited by the mayor and his staff, to her detriment.
Her rush to judgement to label all those who oppose her as racist is in my mind reprehensible. It is pointless to sit at the same table as she since one can not trust that she will not employ the same tactic again.
The park. Hope it is what you all wanted, personslly I think it will be an eyesore in give years and completely derelict in ten.
anon 10:13, i would prefer at this point if the comments were directed at the park, instead of ms.
ReplyDeletehunter. however, i do think that a playground would have been built in cedar park with or without her. weitzel built a large playground at his former position in lewisburg. perhaps, because of her efforts, some items were chosen which are geared more to the disabled. it should also be noted that all playgrounds in allentown have been handicapped accessible.