Allentown's finally getting a middle school on the East Side, but the real lessons there will never be taught or learned.
There was never a public good component to the sale of the former State Hospital on Hanover Avenue. High bids were ignored, and Allentown's chosen developer was rewarded the prize by his associate Pat Browne, who still reigns in Harrisburg. Reilly is now selling a small portion of the parcel for three times more than he paid for the entirety, to the Allentown School System.
Likewise, the school district is snubbing local construction manager Alvin Butz for an out of town firm. Butz's contributions to the school system over the years have been notable.
The system's superintendent, Carol Birks, states that although the district will comply with new directives concerning DEI, the changes will only affect language used, not actions. Considering how poorly the students are faring by all measurements, it would be better to change all actions, and leave the language the same. The district has been consumed with racial identity for years. The teachers should look like the students, the principals should look like the students, even the superintendent should look like the students. A white superintendent had zero chance of getting hired in the last decade.
Former school board member Bob Smith is offering his experience to the voters once again. Hopefully he'll regain a seat on the new board.
shown above the former State Hospital
Plan A was to release this post this coming Monday. However, when two liberal acquaintances also have issues with the plan, I decided to jump ahead. Ce-Ce Gerlach wonders why the school district is paying so much for what Reilly paid so little. Phoebe Harris thinks the new school construction management contract should have gone to Butz. I agree with both of them.
ReplyDeleteDid I just agree with Ce Ce Gerlach on something???? Things cant get any more bizarre in Allentown at this point.
DeleteWe STILL haven’t seen a complete analysis of the NIZ/Browne/Reilly, etc. financial components after all these years.
ReplyDeleteThe obvious and appropriate place for that public examination to have begun was The Morning Call. That never happened. Perhaps because The Morning Call was in on the scheme right from the start. That gang, an arm of the Associated Press, New York Times, Washington Post, now dedicates its pages almost entirely to calling down the efforts of President Trump in eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse.
Look inward, Morning Call. If you dare.
anon@9:44: The Morning Call certainly in the early years of the NIZ was completely complicit. They were included in the map, although on the wrong side of the street and profited from the scheme. Their articles about NIZ developments were outright promotions, free advertising.
ReplyDeleteHowever, several years later they did attempt to get the numbers, even filing a RTK. They were rebuffed by the court, because Browne added an amendment shielding that information.
In more recent times, Jarrett Coleman has attempted to get an audit.
Most recently Nick Miller has filed a bill for limited audits, which I suspect is to actually protect the NIZ's status quo.
Coleman is now in an awkward position to call out his associate, with whom he has co-sponsored other bills.
We'll see how their conflicting efforts turn out.
The confidentiality cause which Browne inserted should be null and void for the beneficiaries of the NIZ, they shouldn't get a free cake and get to eat it in private.
I agree with you... they get the cake free, don't share and it's all in secret!!! I would think, and you and the readers may think this way too, that since such a good deal was provided, again, in secret with no prying eyes, that they would have sold the lot for the school at THEIR cost or at a very small profit since it will probably benefit real estate sales there... AND, once again, the boobus taxpayers get a free ride to the cleaners!!!... akin to telling us it's raining while peeing down our backs. Follow the money.
DeleteMajor factor in NIZ approval was to attract out of State busineses to rebuild Allentown. Instead other Lehigh Valley businesses relocated or expanded to Atown for discounted rents. Hundreds had closed in the first 5 years of the NIZ.
ReplyDeleteSmells like an illegal bait and switch.
The Morning Call has its priorities all wrong. Most citizens expect it to serve them in the public interest. All citizens, not just some citizens.
ReplyDeleteThe NIZ appears to be a massive failure in terms of creating financial benefit to all Pennsylvania taxpayers, meaning those of us who put up all the construction money. From what little we know, our investment might have been more rewarding simply purchasing PA lottery tickets.
Amazing to me how this program continues on. There is a similarity in all this mystery to what is being uncovered in Washington. At the very least, the Allentown School District is not being careful with the tax money being extracted from its residents.
This was posted in the reader comments in the Channel 69 article.
ReplyDeleteASD was ripped off by the ultimate con man: JB Reilly. Reilly paid 28K per acre for the property and then charges these gullible saps $14 million for 17 acres! He paid less for the entire parcel! Now he's already made a big profit and he gets to market his suburban sprawl development as having its own school, an amenity that will result in higher home sale prices. Is there anyone with any financial sense advising ASD????
Con man??? Wait until he sells the "trendy" Strata complexes at a massive profit for use as government subsidized low/moderate income housing.
DeleteWhere have all these liberal acquaintances been?
ReplyDeleteNat Hyman was going to buy the State Hospital parcel, reuse the buildings, and save the state $12 - $15 million on demolition costs. I believe he was also going to DONATE a portion the property needed by the ASD, as they had already expressed interest in building a new east side school. Instead, City Center was awarded the parcel for $5.5 million AFTER the state had absorbed the costs of demolition, and now ASD taxpayers are paying again for the land that was practically gifted to Reilly.
I don’t remember any liberal politicians coming to the taxpayers defense then, yet we’re supposed to believe they’re upset now? I think a review of their campaign finance reports might reveal that many received political contributions from a certain developer.
Who ends up paying in the end? No surprise here, it’s city, school district and state taxpayers.
Regarding Butz, he already got his payback from other ASD projects like the 9th Grade Center at William Allen.
ReplyDeleteThey don’t need to be involved in the new school building, unless there’s going to be a competition with City Center for who can build the ugliest building on the parcel.
Reilly states that the intersection will be improved at his expense, and the school parcel will have utilities in place at his expense. Both those improvements have to be done anyway, to develop his new street for residential use. While the NIZ has masqueraded as a public good, there can be no delusion about this new scheme.
ReplyDeleteSo why are taxpayer ASD dollars being used to purchase land that was recently purchased by the NIZ with taxpayer dollars?
ReplyDeleteanon@6:01: The State Hospital parcel is not a NIZ project
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