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| photo by Tami Quigley |
The top photo shows the Robin Hood Bridge, before the Wildlands Conservancy demolished the little Robin Hood Dam, just downstream beyond the bridge. The dam was only about 10 inches high, and was built as a visual effect to accompany the bridge in 1941. It was the last WPA project in Allentown, and considered the final touch for Lehigh Parkway. Several years ago, the Wildlands told the Allentown Park Director and City Council that it wanted to demolish the dam. The only thing that stood between their bulldozer and the dam was yours truly. I managed to hold up the demolition for a couple weeks, during which time I tried to educate city council about the park, but to no avail. If demolishing the dam wasn't bad enough, The Wildlands Conservancy piled the broken dam ruble around the stone bridge piers, as seen in the bottom photo. I'm sad to report that the situation is now even worse. All that ruble collected silt, and now weeds and brush is growing around the stone bridge piers. I suppose the Wildlands Conservancy considers it an extension of its riparian buffer.
The Wildlands Conservancy should be made to remove, piece by piece, all the rubble that they piled around the bridge piers, despoiling the bridge's beauty. City Council should refrain from ever again permitting The Wildlands Conservancy to alter our park designs.
It has been six years since the dam's destruction in 2013, and the bridge piers look more disgusting than ever. The hypocrites at the Wildland Conservancy, insisting that dams be demolished to improve the health of the streams, have never has said one word about the raw sewage that overflows into the Little Lehigh during storms. The hypocrites didn't want to antagonize any municipality from which they get grants.
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ReplyDeleteI don't disagree with anything that you're saying about the Wildlands Conservancy - they are not suited to have input over an urban park system like Allentown's. Their expertise is more suited for areas like state parks.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think the focus should be on holding those accountable who hired Wildlands, continuing to educate elected officials, and electing new people who are willing to make the proper maintenance of the parks a priority for the city.
You mention that you tried to educate Council about the dam in 2013, but to no avail. Who is still on Council that voted for demolishing the dam? Have they changed their positions since (i.e. are they redeemable)? Who in City Hall is up for election this cycle? What is their voting record on the parks and park maintenance? What is the position (on the parks) of new candidates and what do they plan to do specifically?
These are the questions we need to ask, particularly with the primary election a month away.
I know this is Allentown and accountability is in short supply, but we need to bring it back. It won't be easy or accomplished in one election, but it needs to happen.
And this is one issue where political party should not matter - everyone wants good parks in the city. I'm willing to vote for whoever is willing to put them first, whether they are Democrat, Republican or Independent.
As I recall there was only one member of council who may have voted against it, and she is no longer there. Never the less, I continue my mission defending the traditional park system. Not to be political, but I find O'Connell as mayor much more sympathetic to my cause, and certainly the new park director (karen el-chaar), is a tremendous upgrade.
DeleteI don't think it's being political to talk about where politicians stand on the issues that you advocate for. In fact, I think it's an essential part of advocating for the parks.
DeleteI confess I don't even know who is up for re-election on Council, and I certainly don't know who was there in 2013. That's my fault, and I need to educate myself and others if I want this issue to be important to the politicians currently running for office.
I do know O'Connell would have been on Council in 2013, and from your comment he likely voted to destroy the dam. He's also the one that's keeping the Wildlands Conservancy employed by the city.
You mention that he's more sympathetic to your cause, but I'm not sure what good that does. If he's unwilling to do anything to improve things, he's no better to me than the previous Mayor.
In fact, I have seen very little real change anywhere (in our parks or other portions of city government) between O'Connell and Pawlowski. That's unacceptable if we're going to save our parks. Particularly with the WPA structures, time isn't on our side.
I would also note that your last two posts - and a majority of your others on this blog - deal with the continuing deterioration of Allentown's parks. O'Connell's been in the Mayor's office for over a year and has more power than anyone else in City Hall. If someone is going to make the Wildlands Conservancy "remove, piece-by-piece all the rubble they piled around the bridge piers", it would have to be the Mayor.
If O'Connell is truly sympathetic and El-Chaar is really a "tremendous upgrade", I need to see some changes when I visit the parks. I just don't see it yet, and I'm assuming by your posts that you don't either.
That said, if I see masons working on the WPA structures and park workers mowing the grass so I can see and access the waterways, I'm happy to give both of them credit and jump on their political bandwagon.
As I mentioned above, I'm a one-issue voter this election, and that issue is the parks. I might accept words and sympathy for the cause from those not in office, but those in office must be judged by their ACTIONS.
In all due respect, nobody knows more about the WPA and the parks than me.... and nobody has been more outspoken. If I give O'Connell and El-Chaar credit, that is more than anybody else has gotten from me since this blog began in 2007. My campaign for the parks has been on going since that time, and if a new candidate has not shown support in all these years, their proclamation now would not overly impress me. FYI Karen El-Chaar attended my meetings at the library in 2009, and secured the grant three years ago through Friends Of The Parks, from the Trexler Trust, to repoint the steps at Fountain Park.
DeleteUnderstood and I think we're actually on the same page.
DeleteBut if the current Mayor and the new Parks Director aren't doing more - NOW - they've lost me.
The improvement grant you note occurred during Pawlowski's term of neglect. I expect more - much more - from City Hall now that Pawlowski's gone. If we don't demand more from those currently in City Hall, there's no use railing against third-party organizations hired by City Hall.
While we both disagree with what the Wildlands is doing to Allentown's parks, they really don't owe any of us anything. The ones who owe us better are the ones who hired them, who supposedly work for us. And they're working in City Hall.
just to clarify, the "improvement grant" had nothing to do with city hall. At the time (2013)Karen El-Chaar secured it as director of Friends Of The Parks. I believe that O'Connell hiring her as the new park director was a welcome new turn of events. You're welcome to support whomever you wish for whatever criterion you so choose. I do not see any of the new candidates running on a platform of "taking the parks back to better times." Their park policy platform would not be my litmus test.
DeleteDon't expect any questions related to the city's parks, they are more likely to be all related directly to the liberal agenda, the radical liberal agenda. With the likes of Edwards controlling the debate the questions will along the lines of identity politics, racial victimization/guilt, economic dignity, equal outcomes...
ReplyDeleteOf course the Wildlands Conservancy will not do anything about the raw sewage that enters the Little Lehigh. It comes from the areas of the Lehigh Valley where they reside. Check out the homes and the vehicles of the leaders of the Wildlands Conservancy. One will really see hypocrisy in that organization.
ReplyDelete