The Sad Case Of Our Park's Future

When I appeared in front of Allentown City Council to defend the Robin Hood Dam, I told them something they apparently cannot absorb, the truth. Although the Wildlands Conservancy had a very professional powerpoint presentation, and expert witnesses, facts at the bridge today tell a different story. Wildlands testified that they would be leaving both ends of the existing dam, and only removing the middle. The entire dam has been removed, from end to end. Wildlands told City Council that the dam was built after the bridge, along with the water monitoring station. That news to the USGS, who put their station next to the existing dam. Wildlands dismissed my claim that the change in water velocity could endanger the WPA bridge. In truth, the consulting engineer doesn't know how deep the bridge piers are, and directed the excavator to place the broken dam pieces around the upstream ends of the stone bridge piers, to protect them from the increased water flow. I have a copy of a drawing of the bridge before it was built, Allentown took great pride in it's beauty. I have picture postcards of the bridge, with the stone piers rising out of the creek, as designed. The pile of broken concrete depreciates that beauty, as do the tall weeds growing along the creeks edge. We have a mayor and a new park director from out of town, with no feeling or affinity for our beautiful park system. We are at the mercy of the Wildlands Conservancy and their grant agenda, with a gullible City Council.