Word from East Side warrior Dennis Pearson is that the Allentown Park Department is preparing to tear down the pavilion and other structures at the East Side Reservoir. I don't know if ownership and responsibility has been affected by the lease/sale of the water system to the Lehigh County Authority, but in recent years the park system has adopted a benign neglect policy. A prime example is the Fountain Park Pool. Over a $160,000 filter pump, a pool which would cost $millions to replace was allowed to decay beyond repair. As often documented on this blog, the WPA Structures have received no maintenance, what-so-ever, for decades. Complicating the infrastructure neglect, there has been a secession of out of town park directors with a background in recreation. Unassertive City Council park committees, and cronyism at the Trexler Trust, have also contributed to the demise. Save but for the archives of this blog, the neglect has gone undocumented. Despite the benign neglect of the last decade, our magnificent park system has endured for almost a century. With some care it will serve Allentown residents much longer and better than a minor league hockey arena.
photo courtesy of Dennis Pearson
I grew up in the Allentown park system and am very disappointed in its current state.My father was a friend of John T Gross and cant help but feel that the former mayor would feel the same as I do. I have a lot of respect for Malcom Gross as a lawyer but as a defender of the Trexler legacy, Come on Mal speak to us.
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