When Allentown leased it's Water and Sewer Systems to LCA, did our knowledge and memory go with the lease? We learned recently that Allentown must now form a new department for the storm sewer system, which was part of the water and sewer departments. When West End Theater District residents complained last week of the recent flooding, Public Works Director Richard Young told WFMZ that the new Storm Sewer Department would survey the system, and have a plan within one year. Holy memory Loss, this is the same man who directed the departments last month, before the lease. Holy memory loss, this is the same man who works in the same building, with all the city plans and blueprints of all the pipes. LCA is now operating the water filtration plant, will it take them a year to figure out how to purify the water? Will the residents of the West End Theater District accept this nonsense as a legitimate answer?
Mike, Thanks for shedding some light on this issue. In one of your early posts you hit the nail on the head, DEVELOPEMENT. You posted a great picture of the area from the early 20's. I believe the storm sewer in question dates back to that era and at that time was adequate. One of the biggest contributing factors to the problem ironically is that the Lehigh County Agricultural Society left unchecked has " Paved over Paradise and put up a parking lot". The Fairgrounds is a big slope from Chew Street to Liberty Street and all that water overwhelms the system. I wonder if they were granted permits to pave this large area and connect to the insufficiently sized storm sewer?
ReplyDelete@6:20, i have no doubt that you're correct about the fairgrounds contributing to the problem, but the fairgrounds has been paved for over 70 years. as noted by a resident, and verified by me, the city acknowledged the problem back in 1985, and never did anything about it. for the current administrators to now claim that a study is necessary is disingenuous.
ReplyDeleteMM -
ReplyDeleteYou ask if residents will accept such nonsense. Let me make a not-so-bold prediction.
Not only will they accept it, but they will overwhelmingly vote for those perpetrating it, come November and beyond. I wish I was wrong, but it's a story that has played out in election after election in this town.
There simply isn't any political memory in this town, and seemingly no desire to hold the current crop of elected officials accountable. In the weeks prior to the election, residents will be hypnotized by glossy candidate mailings and will be unable to identify the outright lies contained in them regarding what is going on in the city.
I wish I could explain it better or understand why it happens. The best possible answer that I can come up with is pure speculation - it must be something in the water.