Besides the Trust, those who identify with the local establishment will take offense at this post, but I wasn't on their Christmas list since never. Although they may take offense, they hear me, and let me remind them of a time not that long ago.
Every Saturday morning Pawlowski would meet with his Kitchen Cabinet in the back room of the Hamilton Family Diner. The Cabinet had no less than two sitting Trust members and a local judge. The Cabinet met for about a decade, until the FBI indictment, then it disbanded faster than Pawlowski could ask what happen?
So what's the message of my post? The Trust remains political, endorsing the interests of an administration, rather than that of the park system. Even the new Parknership, mostly financed by the Trust, is directing their resources to the park system's existing agenda. That agenda is replacement oriented, as opposed to maintenance conscious. Over the years we have lost numerous park features we could never afford to replace. They range from a magnificent greenhouse in Trexler Park, to a small, simple wooden bridge to a now neglected island in Lehigh Parkway.
Shown above is the retaining wall by the parking lot at the park office. It's small potatoes, but about a decade ago I mentioned to the park department that the wall needed some patching. I have mentioned it at least every couple years since. Perhaps their plan, if they have one, is to wait until it crumbles, then replace it. They're not much for a stitch in time saves nine.
Some of the older readers may know who was in the kitchen cabinet mentioned above. Please refrain from mentioning any names in any comments, that's not my point, nor will I print them.
I believe most of the frustration with the parks are with the weed walls that look so unkempt, and frankly ugly that line the banks of the Little Lehigh and Cedar Creeks.
ReplyDeleteThey add nothing to the beauty to the parks and they are there for dubious reasons. Instead of the Trexler Trust performing its mission of maintaining Allentown's park system, that mission has been outsourced to an outside interest group that is more interested in restoring the parks to the conditon they were in before General Trexler had the parks constructed from the natural conditions they were in.
Also, I seen many photos of the parkway before these environmentalists came into the area with people enjoying the parks, the weeping willows that are mostly gone and the parks looking neat and tidy. Such as exists today in the area of the Allentown Police Academy today, while the other side of the Little Lehigh is wild with invasive plants, weeds and looks like it last saw a landmower in 2024.
Not to forget the Bogart's bridge is in dire need of repair, likely with many boards that need replacing and last saw a new coat of paint in 1969.
But hey, the Trexler Trust I presume is well-funded, as I'm sure it has the General's money in long-term investments in order to stay solvent. They can't even afford it seems, to even use the money it earns each year to maintain the parks. That's the job now of the Wildlands Conservatory it seems, whose mission is to make sure Allentonians don't set a foot into the parks, lest they disturb the weed walls or for heaven's sake, go tubing or actually in the creekwater. That would distrub the natural environment.
And Turek does nothing as he has other ajendas to address, such as political pressue groups....
DeleteAnon@1:52
The shameful decline of the parks has nothing to do with legitimate “environmentalists”.
Neglect isn’t environmentalism.
Consider the harm done to the seasonal springs and wetland areas by Mayor Heydt for the Lights in the Parkway or for runoff pipes with their maintenance road run right alongside the Little Lehigh. Bill
Heydt was no “environmentalist”.
The park staff to this day spends thousands of man hours that could be devoted to serving equipment and facilities to maintain this third rate display.
The current mess in the parks represents a failure to manage the parks with environmental best practices combined with a lack of infrastructure maintenance as well as a retreat from classic park design features.
It’s the worst of all worlds.
9:54 - I’m not sure what you mean about “runoff pipes with their maintenance road run right along the Little Lehigh”. The runoff pipes from surrounding neighborhoods predate Heydt and the “maintenance road” is called a bridle path. It’s used by horses, joggers, walkers and bicyclists for many decades (starting prior to the 1960’s).
DeleteThere is also no damage to “seasonal springs and wetland areas” from Lights in the Parkway. The Lehigh Parkway was intended for people to enjoy the parks and not as a nature preserve. The Lights display allows people of all ages and abilities to visit and enjoy the park during a time when it is least used.
It’s apparent that you have an axe to grind with Bill Heydt. It seems to me that if any of what you are saying about Heydt was true, the Lights in the Parkway would have been canceled by the elected officials of the party that has presided over the decline of Allentown since Heydt left office almost 25 years ago.
The huge concrete pipeline running down on the same side of the creek as the APD Academy were likely installed by the LCA. They also installed the pump station below the Parkway entrance.
Deleteanon@11:44: The Allentown storm water system is piped directly into the park creeks, UNDER the weed walls. These pipes predate the LCA, and are the reason that the riparian buffers are just neglect by the park dept., masquerading as environmental concern.
DeleteAnon
Delete10:34
You have no idea what you’re talking about.
None.
Me?
I spent more time in the Parkway for over a decade than an other living person other than Earl Nagel, as well as serving on the AEAC, the Allentown Shade Tree Commission and the Trexler Trust Parks Comprehensive Park Plan.
See my name in the masthead of that report.
mj adams
I suspect that there are many who would love some kind of access to that trust money, either directly or through contracts.
ReplyDeleteMoney spent on maintenance is, I suspect the true intent of the trust. If they could cut up the park system and develop they would. They could convince some that it would be for the greater good.
In Allentown, over the past 23 years self service has replaced public service while politicians and the "City Fathers" have destroyed the beauty, the safety and the quality of life in Allentown to the point now that it is dangerous even to drive into let alone to live in. Since the leadership turned this way the trend has been steadily down, turning what was a desirable place to live into a profit center for those chosen few with no concern for who lives there or for what they do. The leaders built the town they want so the power and cash flow in their direction and there's no apparent end in sight. The downward trend will continue as long as this crew is in charge.
ReplyDeleteAdd the Trexler Trust to the long list of self servers. They feed their own self righteousness by giving grants to organizations that facilitate dependence, poverty of spirit, and homelessness. Shame on this board of trustee's. They are a big part of the problem.
DeleteIn another decade Allentown will resemble Boulder Colorado and everyone will understand the foresight and wisdom of our current progressive leadership.
ReplyDeleteForward!
Decades ago I learned members of the Trexler Trust were very well paid (for that time). When a vacancy occurs it is filled by appointment, presumed by me to be some politician. I really don’t know if all this is true anymore.
ReplyDeleteMy point is, are Trexler Trust members subject to being mere political hacks who would never go against the wishes of whoever appointed them in the first place? Sounded like a pretty good gig to ever want to risk losing by voting themselves “off the reservation.”
I fully agree, the parks are far too dumpy looking considering there’s actually a huge pot of money out there designed to prevent such condition.
Yes, the compensation is quite good for the service but the Trustees are by and large wealthy individuals.
DeleteMike, Why cant the city put you as a parks consultant? Your ideas over the years are simple. You know how to save the beauty of the parks. Honestly, I bet your connections would result in donated money and maybe volunteer help to clean up some of these parks. Its just a shame. But the Mayors $132million bond hes proposing as very little money allocated towards the parks. Nothing towards addressing this huge homeless problem either that everyone is either up in arms about or says its not their problem people are homeless.
ReplyDeleteallentowntruth.blogspot.com
Honestly Honest Abe? The last thing the administration and its allies want is a well informed, independent, thoughtful voice with an institutional memory spanning generations.
DeleteWake up and smell the coffee.
Political expediency isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.
The parks look like unkept crap. I no longer show them off to guests. Just a drive down Ott Street makes my heart sink. Sumac and oak trees are growing in the riparian buffer near the bridge. This is organized neglect.
ReplyDeleteThe weed walls also contain poison hemlock.
Deleteabe@9:22: While the city rejected me for the new Parknership, their website notes the Diversity of the appointees...more important to them than knowledge of the system. I have included Allentown Truth on my blog links list, please do the same for this blog.
ReplyDeleteThey seem to want diversity in almost every area except for diversity of thought or diversity of political party.
DeleteIt can not be said often enough. The moment the city combined Parks with Recreation it insured that one operation or the other, or both, would be ill served
ReplyDeleteor neglected.
Anyone who believes that the best and brightest are routinely selected to serve on city or county boards or community advisory councils are woefully mistaken.
ReplyDeleteThe best and brightest only create problems for the status quo of the moment. The marginally informed are considerably more compliant.
The term “diversity” is key. It should NOT be interpreted as diversity of opinion or thought.
ReplyDeleteTo SA and MA: I will NOT host a debate on the parkway lights. Everybody agrees that they're past their prime, but the revenue goes to various city groups.
ReplyDeleteHeydt wasn't without self-serving. Across from Trexler Park is a wide strip of city land along Springhouse Rd., which does nothing but serve as a buffer for the very large houses above it, including Heydt's house. This buffer is maintained at city expense.
However, I do concur that those were the good old days, compared to the total disregard for quality of life issues now plaguing Allentown.
Few of those intelligent, educated, or well informed individuals who still live in Allentown want to wade into the contemporary Allentown cultural cess pool. People west of Ott Street have oriented much of their life, shopping, child care, medical services, recreation, etc.west toward LMT.
ReplyDeleteJust a fact.
Why not simply sell off parcels of the park system and distribute the proceeds directly to those community groups instead of subjecting the parks to a death by a thousand cuts?
ReplyDeleteThe systemic neglect of the parks goes back long before the arrival of the Wildlands organization or woke politics.
Appointments to various city committees are most often made as a reward for political support.
ReplyDeleteMM
ReplyDeleteI lived in the Log and Stone House when the large precast concrete pipe was installed along the creek.
mj adams
mj@12:16: that is a sewage pipe, I was referring to the storm grate pipes coming down the slope from LIttle Lehigh Manor neighborhood, they go under the weed walls directly into the creek. Likewise, the storm system is piped directly from the west end into one side of CedarCreek, and from Hamilton Park into the other side.
DeleteWaste water would mix with storm runoff after a hard rain event.
DeleteThe water from that large pipeline would push up through the manhole cover just downstream from the cabin. When the water receded a film of white toilet paper residue would remain on the park grass.
It wasn’t pretty. I assume that this still happens.