Being a self appointed watchman over Allentown's WPA structures is an act in frustration. Since I started posting about the neglect of the structures in 2008, I have seen nothing of substance done. Actually, besides the steps at Irving Park being rebuilt, I have seen nothing done at all. While rebuilding that small staircase was positive, many negatives occurred in the meantime. The meantime has been over seven years. Also in the meantime, another set of steps were removed from Irving Park. The staircase at Union Terrace is deteriorating to the point where that structure is in jeopardy. The repair to a remaining staircase at Irving was done with a $25,000 grant from the Trexler Trust. In the last seven years, the park department's budget has been over $25 million dollars. The playground at Cedar Beach cost $1 million. Pawlowski has rejected my offer to be a liaison on behalf of the WPA structures. I'm pictured above standing over the former WPA wall, after it collapsed this summer, closing Lehigh Parkway's classic entrance. This city's history and future are tied to our park system and other quality of life issues, not just some private/public new buildings. I know there's no big money or national attention to be gained in fixing an old wall, but we have a responsibility to the things which made this city unique.
photo courtesy of Michael Adams above reprinted from October of 2015
UPDATE APRIL 19, 2022: In the photo above, I'm standing over the collapsed entrance wall in Lehigh Parkway, after spending the previous seven years urging the city to repair it. The O'Connell administration likewise declined my offer to be a liaison for the WPA. I have yet to hear from the Tuerk administration on my offer to conduct a WPA tour, if the city repairs the landing on the Parkway staircase, and removes the rubble despoiling the Robin Hood bridge piers.
I am constantly amazed at the lack of APPRECIATION of the WPA structures by elected officials and department heads in City Government.
ReplyDeleteWhile I can understand that the city budget is tight, I can't believe that the money can't be found or carved out over several years for ongoing repairs on the structures.
Nor can I believe that nobody in City Hall can think the slightest bit outside the box to get SOMETHING done.
While some of the larger repairs (like retaining walls and towering staircases) would take experienced work to repair safely, others would not.
Would it be so difficult to find masons-in-training to hone their skills on ground-level projects like the small steps in the aisles of the Union Terrace Amphitheater or repairing the hole in the Union Terrace Stage structure?
Even if not perfect, such repairs would buy time for those structures.
That nobody in City Hall does ANYTHING signals to me that they just don't care