On June 26th, 2014 the Parkland Press reported my initial presentation to the South Whitehall Commissioners to save Wehr's Dam. I knew from previous experience with the Wildlands Conservancy that they would seek quick approval, and even quicker demolition, when they obtained the green light. The commissioners had already approved a new park master plan, which called for the dam's removal.
My efforts alerted others, including descendants of the dam's original builder and owner, to join the battle. The commissioners, for political purposes, went through various insincere gestures in response to the public outcry to save the iconic dam. They sponsored a referendum in 2016, never expecting it to pass, tying it to a tax increase. Although the referendum did pass, the commissioners managed to stall committing to the dam for another five years.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the Widlands Conservancy interacted with Harrisburg, using their influence to mandate repairs five times more complex and expensive than necessary, attempting to undo the referendum by cost limitations. The previous commissioners never ceased trying to accommodate the Wildlands Conservancy. During this period I had become a persona non grata at the Morning Call, and they refused to print my submitted letters on the situation. When I finally prevailed upon editor Mike Miorelli to assign a reporter to the topic, they ignored Right To Know information I provided them, and then white-washed the entire conspiracy against the dam.
While I was barred from the Morning Call (I still am), I continued to advocate for the dam here on this blog, and revealed the culprits working against the dam. I'm happy to report that all involved in the conspiracy are now out of office, and also out of the township's administration. The dam is now being repaired for state approval. While the reconstruction is much more extensive and expensive than it needed be, at least future residents will still be able to continue enjoying both the beauty and history of the park's landmark feature...water flowing over the dam and under the covered bridge!
ADDENDUM: Those interested in more details about the conspiracy can refer to my previous post on the dam. Those with still further interest can type Wehr's Dam into the search engine box on this blog's web version sidebar. That search will yield over a dozen posts on the topic.
I remember attending a SWT Commissioners meeting in July 2016 when you took the Board to task over the then-upcoming referendum with its hyper-inflated cost projections. I was impressed by your passion for preserving this important piece of our history, and was disgusted by the lack of respect shown to you by the Board members at the time. Thank you for all you have done to save Wehr's Dam and advocate for the WPA structures in Allentown. If you ever plan to do a public tour of the WPA structures please let your readers know -- that would be very interesting.
ReplyDeleteThat was there as kid in the 60ds we ride bike to fish there and geese And ducks, and other birds lived there. Why take away. It hold water ,other wild life that matters, wild life matter too.
ReplyDelete