If anyone is wondering what the issue was with my rejected letter to the Morning Call about Wehr's Dam, the issue was me. One of the consequences of having criticized the paper and various sacred cows over the last decade is that my letters are submitted to a much higher level of scrutiny. Almost all the letters that they print have assumptions and opinions. It is, after all, the Opinions Page. My previous letter on Wehr's Dam, before the referendum, took over a month of negotiations to have printed. In the end, it was only printed because Bill White declined to make corrections to his piece on Wehr's Dam, and suggested instead that I write an editorial.
One must understand that we live in the valley of sacred cows and denial. Only here can the township manager of South Whitehall go to work for the townships largest property owner and developer, and not raise eyebrows. Only here can Allentown's biggest developer actually now own the newspaper building.
For the sake of journalism and access to news, the Morning Call should be printing this blog as a daily column, instead of repressing my occasional letters.
above reprinted with minor revisions from February of 2017
ADDENDUM AUGUST 18, 2022: Although the editor of the Morning Call reads this blog every day, and even occasionally sends me a complaint about it, they never again printed a letter from me since 2016. Although it took three editors and five years to get them to print an update on Wehr's Dam, and the reporter even called me several times for information, they ended up white-washing the story and omitting any reference to me.
I do have the satisfaction that the dam is being saved despite the conspiracy against it, and that the current commissioners realize the part I played in that long battle.
MM - I love the reprints with the updated commentaries, but today's post got me thinking.
ReplyDeleteWith the Wehr's Dam issue seeming to be resolved or at least on the right path, what issue do you think is most important/pressing in the area today?
My assumption from reading your column for many years is that it's probably one of the WPA structures in Allentown - which are all deteriorating - but which one is closest to being lost and in need of immediate attention?
Separately, I happened to walk past the Covered Bridge in Allentown a while ago. It's not looking too great. I can only hope that the peeling paint and years of bat guano buildup on the inside of the bridge don't translate into larger, more structural issues. Either way, the lack of basic maintenance there is alarming.
anon@10:30, I've heard that Wehr's will cost 299K, about a third of the estimate thrown around during the conspiracy. Without the conspiracy, it would have cost less than 50K to meet the original state requirements.
ReplyDeleteMy wish list for the WPA is the landings on the double stairwell in Lehigh Parkway, the end stone column on the Union Terrace Stage. The landings on the Union Terrace double stairwell also need attention. I say wishlist, because my days of advocating are coming to an end. No more council appearances, no more open letters to mayors, etc.
An enormous amount of money (several $million) has been secured to dismantle and reassemble Bogert's Bridge. I haven't written about it, because in my world it would have been painted twice in the last 15 years, and no overly zealous grant writing would have been required.