While Allentown continues it's efforts to establish a dog park, the parks themselves are going to the dogs. Take an aging park system, combine it with an administration composed of people from out of town with no institutional memory of the city, and the the famous images of Allentown are disappearing . This year the dogs got more time in Cedar Beach Pool than the residents. Cedar Beach is closed for the season; Of course, that's what they said when Fountain Pool first closed. The stone stairwell, going down into Union Terrace off St. Elmo Street, is crumbling. The park is now called Joseph S. Daddona Lake and Terrace. With Cedar Pool closed, Irving Park, with the first pool in the city, will be renamed Andre Reed Park. One stone staircase in that park was removed several years ago, rather than repaired. It won't be too long before people look at an old park postcard, and wonder where that picture was taken.
above reprinted from June of 2015
ADDENDUM JUNE 20, 2022: Yesterday, Allentown celebrated Juneteenth by Cedar Beach Pool. All reports indicate a very successful day, enjoyed by all participants and the new mayor. While I could join the chorus in such praise, instead, I print this reminder of the traditiional park system.
Irving has joined Fountain Pool in pools of Allentown's past...Both now only exist on old postcards. The steps and other WPA structures at Union Terrace are in dire need of attention. While the parks have mainly become venues for events, at least one advocate for the traditional park system seems to be in order.
I love a good festival, but have to wonder what the celebration cost the city.
ReplyDeleteI would hope that donations were sought out, but even so doubt that it would have covered the full cost (particularly if city workers were utilized on a holiday weekend). I'm sure City Council and the new Mayor will be transparent in providing these figures very soon.
No matter what the cost, I find it telling that City Hall could find the time and money to plan and execute an event for a NEW holiday while continuing to ignore the basic park maintenance on the HISTORIC structures you advocate for.
If the current trend continues, the City will find itself with fewer and less desirable venues for such events.
P.S. - Any hope I had about the riparian buffers/weeds going away has been dashed. I drove by Union Terrace this weekend and both the pond and creek are fading into invisibility behind an ever-growing curtain of weeds.
Clearing those weeds isn't a once or twice-a-summer project. It will take weekly cutting to get rid of the weeds that have been given free reign for far too long.
I couldn’t agree more. Disgraceful.
DeleteThanks for the post card. I remember there were fish in the little pond??????
ReplyDelete