In 2008, when the Rose Garden Ponds were being rebuilt, there was an annoying blogger complaining that the pond walls were undermined when the ponds were dredged. Although they did replace that ground, he then complained about it not being compacted enough. Seventeen years later, I'm back with a bigger complaint.
The pond walls seem to be falling apart, and quickly. Although built in the mid 1930's, they were in better shape before the restoration in 2008, than now. Perhaps they used the wrong mortar mix. Although they stood for 75 years before being restored the first time, the next restoration will have to be much, much sooner than that.
Worse for the ponds, this park administration doesn't appear to have much interest in maintaining park infrastructure. Recently, I complained about the vines destroying the park barn at 30th and Parkway Blvd.. Shingles are now starting to fall off the barn roof. The parking lot retaining wall continues to crumble. I will continue to complain.
Any current photos?
ReplyDeleteWorst city management I have ever seen. They make Pawlowski look honest. Mike look at my Sweep ticket post today. Absolutely smoke and mirrors that whole program. Why would you think the parks would get any better?
ReplyDeleteThe Mirror Ponds were ruined during the Pawlowski reign.
DeleteAs the ponds crumble, so does Allentown.
ReplyDeleteOne would think that the Sustainability Coordinator would have something to do with assuring the maintenance of park infrastructure, no?
ReplyDeleteThe Trexler Trust appears to have forsaken its’s historic mandate.
ReplyDeleteThe ponds are bad at the Rose Garden, and the stone walls along the stream that drains the ponds back into the Cedar Creek (at the bottom of the last pond) is similarly compromised. Water has infiltrated behind the stream stones at several spots, and is wearing away the ground that should be there.
ReplyDeleteElsewhere, the pond at Union Terrace looks like pea soup. It used to be regularly dredged and had three fountains in it to circulate the water. Now there is no dredging (I guess that would be REAL maintenance) and there is only one fountain remaining.
The weed walls (and some cattails) thrive, and the pond has moved behind the rocks that are along the Union Street side of the pond.
anon@12:41: Before the current director, the first pond was treated with a mild anti-algae (and so posted). That mlld treatment made all the ponds better. I think in the 2008 rebuild, something, perhaps a large rock, must be partially blocking the first pond intake. The ponds were never this stagnant prior to the rebuild. Yes, the spillway to the creek has fallen apart.
DeleteThe ponds at U.T. were not “regularly dredged”. They were regularly aerated.
Deletemj adams
DeleteIn the almost three decades I lived in the neighborhood, my kids went to UT and Raub, I coached U.T. Little League, I walked my dogs daily in the area and lived in the park at the Log and Stone House and served on the Allentown EAC, U.T. pond was never dredged.
1:32 and 2:48 - Thanks for the correction. I knew something was done to them. They did not look like they do today. Same for Lake Muhlenberg.
ReplyDelete