As a defender of the traditional park system in Allentown, there are some realities that I have to deal with. The Trexler Trust, as a contributor to over half the park department budget, has enormous influence. The second influential group is the Wildlands Conservancy. After battling them over two dams, I know that their hubris is not above manipulating, distorting and outright lying to further their agenda. Currently, the park department is hiring a consultant to make a recommendation about the pond dam in Trexler Park. This of course is nonsense, let me translate; The Wildlands wants the dam gone, and the park department is cooperating to justify it's demolition.
Years ago, a park director wanted to demolish the Trexler greenhouse, supposedly to save money. But, he then turned around and spend $750,000 to plant a native species wet lands along a section of the park's creek. Last year, the park department completely cut down all those plantings. We truly lost the greenhouse for nothing. The Trexler Trust had to sign off on the greenhouse's demolition, because it was specifically mentioned in the General's will. Although, perhaps not mentioned, the pond never the less was very important to the General, and is the heart of the park. Having seen the same deception while fighting for Wehr's Dam, I know that nothing need be done to the Trexler Park Dam, except that the Trexler Trust must step forward, and respect their benefactor's memory.
ADDENDUM: After a sit down with the park director, a phone conversation with the parks supervisor and an on site inspection, an update is in order. The pond and dam supposedly under study is not the main pond shown in the old post card above, but rather the smaller adjoining pond. However, with that smaller pond virtually empty from a supposed sinkhole, the dam wall of the main pond above is completely visible, and it shows decades of neglect. I hope that they take the opportunity from the smaller pond being empty, to repair the main dam wall.
I hope they read your post. Can you contact the trust and have them save the pond? The city has been spending money to control plant growth in the pond why the about face now. This is terrible no good reason to take this out. The General must be turning in his grave.
ReplyDeleteThe information about possibly removing the dam (and therefore the pond) in Trexler Park is buried in the article. Obviously, the consultant is going to recommend removing the dam, because that's what consultants do nowadays. I could save the park's department the thousands of dollars. Regardless, the beauty of the park, in and of itself, is worth preserving. It is a shame these thousands of dollars aren't being put towards the repair, instead of a sham study with forgone conclusions. The trust should not be using its funds to destroy parks systematically.
ReplyDeleteI will personally write the Trexler Trust - I ask fellow readers to do the same. Tell the Trust how you feel!
Harry C. Trexler Trust
33 S 7th St #205
Allentown, PA 18101
Trustees:
Daniel G. Gambet, O.S.F.S.
Malcolm J. Gross
Barnet H. Fraenkel
Jamie P. Musselman
L. Charles Marcon
Website: http://trexlertrust.org/
$750,000 to plant a native species wet land. All is needed is to make a low area that is wet and the native species will do it without any help. I would love to get a contract like that. If only I knew the right people.
ReplyDeleteSomething has to be rotten in damark here Mike, If you want help I'll be glad to help, and the first place to start is with the cash flow of the Conservancy, and the Parks Department. The ecological effects are minimal at best. I want to see who is related to who, and how the cash is flowing, grants or direct taxes have to be involved here, so I want to know, who knows who and how the cash is meandering. More than happy to do an audit of this project, and past ones. Just point me in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteTed Yost
ted@3:28, your service would be premature at trexler park, because everything claimed so far seems to correspond to facts on the ground. there appears to be a sinkhole, which apparently did empty the smaller pond. furthermore, the budget for engineering is reasonable, at about $2,800. however, your offer, and my suspicions were left over from the wehr dam fight in south whitehall. there, the park director is the son of a wildlands conservancy director. the wildlands went ahead and spent $259,000 on a study, using a pennsylvania grant, to try and convince the south whitehall commissioners to demolish the dam, when the previous DEP report (2012) said that it was in good shape. nobody was an honest broker, and that money could have been spent to repair and preserve that dam forever. fyi, use the search engine on the sidebar here, under wehr's dam.
ReplyDelete