Most of Lehigh Parkway lies in a deep ravine. The slope up to Lehigh Parkway South, across the creek from Robin Hood, is very steep, about 60 degrees. Unknown to many people, there is a diagonal trail on part of the slope, which comes out halfway up the hill behind the Stone and Log House.
We kids who grew up in the Parkway called it the Wagon Trail. I believe it was part of the Kemmerer Farm (Stone and Log House), which dates back to the late 1770's. In the 1950's, the foundation of a small kiln was still visible on the trail. The subsequent years had not been kind to the old trail, and it is no longer maintained by the Park Department. About halfway between its entrance and exit on the hill, the trail has been blocked by a large fallen tree. People had dumped debris on the trail, and it remained there for years.
In April of 2010, I organized a cleanup. The park director at the time cooperated on the project. I agreed that no power tools would be used, and he arranged for the city to pick up the rubbish.
It is my hope that the new administration will realize that our parks are more than just space to cram more recreational gimmicks. They are steeped in history, and places where children can explore.
reprinted from April of 2010
Are the last two paragraphs of the post actually updates?
ReplyDeleteI’m trying to figure out who the new administration was in 2010. I think that was already 5 years into Pawlowski’s time in office
Correct, the paragraphs were updates, the mayor was Pawlowski, and the park director was Weitzel. Weitzel left in 2012, after he ordered every item Playworld had in its catalog for the new destination playground. The next several directors had the same background, recreation majors from PennState.
DeleteWhy not mention to your readership that Tuerk hired Mandy Tolino, a certified arborist, as his park and rec director? I appreciated her words today at the safe streets initiative regarding trails.
ReplyDelete11:59 - The Parks Department used to have an arborist on staff that would even come out and offer homeowners free advice on care and maintenance of their street trees.
ReplyDeleteDoes Ms. Tolino get out of the office to give such advice, or is that just something to pad the resume?