In around 2005, Allentown's park system suffered a major setback. The park and recreation departments were combined. In 2006, out of towner Pawlowski's out of towner managing director hired an out of towner with a background in recreation to be park director. Subsequently, they hired two more directors with an identical background.
Before this recreation obsession, Allentown respected the traditional park system, as designed by Harry Trexler. Older residents could drive through Trexler Park, and park their car right by the duck pond.
Currently, in all of Cedar Park, there is only one bench by the creek. The creek banks during the summer are overgrown by the riparian buffers, as dictated by the Wildlands Conservancy. I have lobbied the new park director* to add one more bench, certainly a modest proposal by any standard.
*The park director is a local, with an appreciation of Trexler's legacy
There should be park benches every 100 feet or so around Muhlenberg Lake and around the walking paths between the Rose Garden and Cedar Crest College. They are fairly flat walks which older residents could really enjoy except for the fact there are few places for a person to rest. Please keep lobbying to get rid of the riparian barrier, too, it's ugly and prevents people from enjoying the creek as was intended.
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