OPEN MIKE

This posting is intended to provide an opportunity to comment on any topic, or on an earlier posting.

Bernie's Court

Although Bernie and the formal legal system partied company about twenty years ago, blogging has provided Mr. O'Hare with a much more suitable courtroom. In Bernie's new Court, Lehigh Valley Ramblings, he never loses. His methods are subject to no scrutiny from a higher authority. He is free to be an blatant sycophant for those he favors, and an assassin against those he doesn't. He revels in using those trial skills so long prohibited. He will take a query and construct and accuse the commentator of a massive insult. He will add words unsaid, and fabricate intentions. In his closing statement, he will inform the defendant that he will not be permitted a reply. The thing Bernie most enjoys about his courtroom, he is not only the prosecutor, he is also the judge. With a simple push of the delete button, he presents, defends and reaffirms only his viewpoint.

There is a sad element on this field trip to Bernie's Courtroom. Although he takes great pride in his skills, these manipulations do not go unnoticed by the readers. His intellectual dishonesty is much more apparent than he would like to believe.

From The Future

Alien friends of mine have provided me with both a photo and news from the future. Pawlowski announces in early 2010 that he has sold Bicentennial Park to Lanta, and the Park Maintenance Facility (on Linden Street across from stadium) to Muhlenberg College. molovinsky on allentown writes post after post on his blog condemning the sale of these important city assets. Pawlowski dismisses Molovinsky's criticism as sour grapes about not being hired as Joyce Marin's replacement for Community Development Director. Molovinsky applied for the position after learning that her blog, Allentown Good News, was cited as her accomplishment. The photo shown, taken in August of 2010, is the completed walking path in Cedar Creek Park, across the creek from the Rose Garden.

Selling Easton's Soul

Business, in the center cities of the Lehigh Valley, is a fragile thing at best. Even Bethlehem, considered the most successful, is more charm than dollars. Essentially, these prior centers of commerce have been reduced to three separate economies. The upscale restaurants serve a clientele, mostly in the evening, that has absolutely no interaction with the surroundings. The tourist venues, fixed or seasonal, also provide little revenue for the surrounding shops. Last, but not least, you have an urban population and the bus people. Bethlehem has managed to maintain an upscale demographic living in it's center city, but this post is about Easton. (Allentown only has one such person living on Hamilton Street, she is the Community Development Director)

The Morning Call has published three stories about the High School Sports Hall of Fame, which will occupy part of the new parking deck and Lanta Terminal, several blocks south of Center Square in Easton. Easton Mayor Sal Panto, perhaps hoping to once again see his high school picture, has been cheerleading this effort. Although there is no question that this is a moronic idea doomed to failure, grants are available, and Panto can't resist a grant. The pending failure of the Sports Museum is the good news; the destruction of the bus people economy is the real consequence. Allentown should have taught Panto an expensive lesson. (Lanta doesn't care about lessons or merchants) People waiting to transfer buses, as they do now at Easton's Center Square, will shop if the store is very close and convenient. They will not walk. They will not make an additional stop and wait for another bus. They don't buy much, but there's many of them. Now, they will sit on benches at the Easton Lanta Transfer Terminal and watch school children come to the Al Bundy Museum on field trips. Panto will wonder why business died on Northampton Street.

Sympathy For The Devil

I suspect that if you engage a search engine with the words Nick Balzano and sympathy, this post will be the lone ranger. Nick became, overnight, a human pinata. The band bashing him, had to add additional wagons. I don't mind offering some defense to someone who stepped on a sacred cow's tail. Actually, the only thing I despise more than Boy Scouts is those pre-Girl Scouts; Brownies are vile. Nick's ill advised comment was four seconds of a 15-minute presentation. He was rightfully frustrated that his union members, the boots on the ground, absorbed all the layoffs in the city, while all the new fifth floor white collar positions were spared. Although his union did decline to re-negotiate their contract, the large increase resulted from concessions made in previous years. Now I'm sure there is much more to this story than I know. I do know it seems that everybody was willing to throw him under the bus, and with his resignation, he apparently fell on the sword as his reward for ten years of leading the local union.

Penny Wise, Grant Foolish

When the monster, aka Allentown Parking Authority, tutored Lanta about grants, they destroyed Hamilton Street in the process. Lanta was able to harvest a federal grant and provide the last portion of the financing necessary to built the terminal/parking deck at 6th and Linden Streets in Allentown. The first level store spaces were to be rented out to upscale stores, such as a woman's boutique or a private winery outlet. Hamilton Street merchants, viable if not glamorous, suffered a 40% reduction in business from losing the bus transfer stops. Save for a donut shop paying one dollar a year, the terminal retail space remains vacant. (The monster is moving it's office there)

Lanta has now joined forces with Easton's Mayor Panto to duplicate the success there. There is a grant that neither Panto or Lanta has the wisdom to leave on the table. Easton's deck will be built three and half blocks from Center Square, where the transfers now occur. Although no boutique or vineyard is being promoted, Mayor Sal (Panto) has announced that the High School Sports Hall of Fame Museum will anchor the transportation hub. Lanta has clearly stated that the success of center city main streets is not their concern, but Panto should know better. I suggest the Mayor drive over to Allentown and speak with the Hamilton Street merchants about the consequences of losing the bus transfer stops.

Museum Pimps Park

I suppose the difference between a whore and a call girl, or a john and a client, is one of wealth and sophistication. Here in Allentown, many of our institutions have the same small circle of people on their boards and at their fund raisers. Some of the same faces that dominate the Trexler Trust, also comprise Pawlowski's kitchen cabinet, and are routinely photographed at the Museum functions. Art and politics will merge this spring as SOTA, Allentown Art Museum's Society of the Arts, temporarily takes over a home at Ott Street and Parkway Boulevard owned by the Allentown Parks Department for it's Boutique and Cafe. And it will encourage exploration of the Rose Gardens, which have undergone renovations, including new paths and reflection ponds.

One of the most controversial proposals of the Cedar Park Plan was the conversion of this very house into a cafe. Although quickly rescinded by the city, the Rose Garden neighbors were rightfully concerned about increased congestion and parking problems. Supposedly, one of these cross-board members had a Tavern on the Green delusion, which would actively promote the Garden as a wedding venue. How ironic that the door will now be cracked open for that usage by the Art Museum. Will the neighbors enjoy that bitter pill as a hors d'oeuvre? Although the roses will not be blooming in May, guests may explore the new paths. Although conforming with the American Disabilities Act may well be a good thing, nobody can claim these paths enhance the beauty of the garden. The previously separate gardens are now connected by one straight path, which visually dominates the view. Instead of walking in the gardens, we now have a walkway lined with flowers. The use of this property as a "Cafe" is being justified as part of the traditional Showhouse project, in which a house is redone by leading local designers. The house chosen happens to be about five blocks away, on North 28th Street. Wine and Cheese anybody?

Monster Changes Diet

The Monster, The Allentown Parking Authority, is changing it's diet. I held a news conference* in the fall of 2005 questioning why parking meters still existed at 10th and Chew Streets. Perhaps appropriate in the 1950's , they are now five blocks and fifty years beyond serving any need, besides punishing center city residents. The Authority has grown into a large bureaucracy with a huge appetite for quarters and fines. I'd like to see it go on a diet and reduce the meter district to reflect current commerce on Hamilton Street, about six meters should do it. Instead the Authority is only modifying it's diet.

B82METER REMOVAL.DOC
Amending article 507 (Traffic control Maps) of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Allentown by removing all parking meters along the north and south sides of Chew Street beginning on the west side of 8th Street continuing west on Chew Street to the east side of 10th Street and establishing a two (2) hour time zone along the north and south sides of Chew Street beginning on the west side of 8th Street continuing west on Chew Street to the east side of 10th Street

Although the meters on Chew Street between 8th and 10th will now be removed, a two hour parking zone will be enforced. The monster, although changing it's diet, will be eating no less. It will continue to prey on the residents who can least afford it, and are already coping with the myriad of center city problems. Welcome to Allentown.

* The press conference was held on the corner of 10th and Chew Streets. It was covered by WFMZ, Daryl Nerl, on behalf of The Morning Call, did not attend.

Yes We Can

Yes, we can use you for a metaphor, because everybody knows

Well we're living here in Allentown / And they're closing all the factories down

What an inspirational, TelePrompTer speech we're in for. While the local Democratic leadership smile ear to ear, the national media will be looking for scenes to match Billy Joel's images of despair, and they won't have to look hard. Although we have been down so long our local carpetbaggers think it's up, only Obama can profit from our plight. Good Grief !

Sal Panto Slow Learner

Easton's Mayor Panto fascinates me. This retread, he was Mayor before, doesn't seem to learn. Although Allentown destroyed it's business district by moving the buses, Sal insists on doing the same. Although the new location for the terminal/parking deck is an improvement over the previous absurd spot proposed, which he defended until the bitter end, it's still a half baked idea. The new incarnation will include a high school hall of fame sports museum, OK? Anyway, the reason for this post is Panto's new brainchild, sicing the police on a club owner during peak business hours. Panto told the Morning Call, "We wanted to take him out in front of everybody."

Sal, here's a thought. Since the Easton Police Department seems to pay out millions of dollars each year for one controversial action after another, maybe now is not the time to be grandstanding over someone's possible legal rights?

Fixing What We Broke

During the controversy over the Cedar Park Plans, much discussion centered on the need for Riparian Buffers. These are usually deliberate plantings to restore a stream bank to a natural state. Many advocates for the new plans may be surprised to learn that they are only correcting mistakes made by previous advocates. When Lehigh Parkway was originally designed and completed in the late 1930's, most of the existing paths were not included. Almost the entire stream bank on the north side between Robin Hood Bridge and the Klein Bridge (new metal pedestrian bridge) was retained in its natural state. Except for a small picnic area adjoining the stream's edge (old water fountain remains) the remainder of that side was untouched. It remained that way at least into the 1960's. Like wise, only the north side path between Robin Hood Bridge and North Bridge existed. (Regency Tower end of park). On the southern side of the stream the path stopped just beyond the Stepped Stone Structure. The park lies in a deep ravine. The original builders only built the paths in those area's which had meadow between the slope and the stream, allowing distance between the path and the water and also allowing for over half the park to remain in it's natural state. The extended path now continuing pass the Stepped Structure actually must abut the stream, as with the new portion going west on the north side.

Had not "Park Planners" made these "improvements" in the last few decades, we would have a more natural environment today. Our current "Planners" continue wanting to shove more and more into our parks. Although the additional paths in the Parkway allow the users double the length for exercise, we have compromised the stream banks. Currently we are on the verge of building a new loop within the existing loop in a small area of Cedar Creek, between the Creek and Honochick Drive. I can determine no rational reason for this redundancy. The Park Director claims it will contain different exercise stations than the existing outer loop. Here's an idea, why not just add the new gimmicks to the old path?

The New Bloggers

One thing about the blogosphere, with the cost of operation, free, it's always expanding. There are several new blogs I would like to bring to the attention of both my readers. By now, both of you have probably noticed that I added a blog link list last month. Blogspot, which hosts this blog, offers several options for the list. I settled on the most simple, arranged in alphabetical order. Although this post will mention a couple others, I will not be updating my list at this time.

Send In The Clowns is published anonymously, as most blogs are, and has been taking some of our elected officials to task.
Allentown Parking Authority has a bone to pick with the Allentown Parking Authority.
Clancularius Introspective has been in business for about a year now, publishing over 53 posts alone in October.
IronPigPen is a sport's buff smorgasbord, with an attitude. Unfortunately, the blog is for sale; Personally, I hope the deal falls through, and the current owners stay stuck with the chore.

For those of you who prefer less controversy, Lehigh Valley Transplant spotlights the valley with fresh, innocent eyes.

The logo used at the top of this post has no affiliation to the mentioned Clown blog, I simply like the image.

A Sacred Cow

If there was ever a town that doesn't need Habitat For Humanity, its got to be Allentown. CAUTION, THOSE WITH INCURABLE POLITICAL CORRECTNESS, DO NOT CONTINUE READING. Allentown currently boasts the newest public housing in the nation, plus block after block of sub-prime defaults. Back in the mid 1990's, I opposed one of Habitats first projects in Allentown. They wanted to brick over one of the side windows of a property I managed, using one of their stock row house plans. At that time the Zoning Officer didn't even list that outrage as a needed variance. The Director of the Redevelopment Authority testified in their support. After I prevailed at the hearing, Habitat's Director told me "No one ever opposes us, we're such a sacred cow."

The "Cow" is currently at it again, pushing around the people of the St. Paul's Park Neighborhood Group. Over thirty of them showed up recently at a zoning hearing to protest Habitat's new proposed houses on a Walnut Street parking lot. The Allentown Planning Commission declined to schedule their meeting in the evening, to allow input from the working neighbors. Although the Redevelopment Authority owns houses that have been vacant for over a decade, Habitat is still encouraged to build more houses on needed parking lots. People would rather feel good about themselves, than do what's best for the city.

The Wage of Fame

As a young man in the mid 1930's, Abe Simon worked summers as a life guard at Coney Island. Girls would pretend to be drowning to meet the 6'5" hunk. The former high school star athlete was recruited to boxing by Jock Whitney, future Ambassador to Britain. Although amassing a winning record, absorbing punches from the likes of Buddy Bear, Jersey Joe Walcott and Joe Louis took their toll on Simon.

Simon's brother congratulates him after going 13 rounds with Louis in Detroit in March of 1941, earning a second shot at the Heavyweight Title.

The Apartment Myth

Over and over, people contribute Allentown's problems to center city houses being converted to apartments, as if this occurred recently. Many will be surprised to know that almost all the converted apartments existed for over 60 years. When the GI's returned from WW2, the trend was for small single family houses with small lawns, i.e. Levittowns. The mass conversion of the row houses took place in the late 40's and early 50's, and more less stopped by the early 60's. These "new" apartments were mostly occupied by either singles or childless couples. The tenants were buyers at Hess's and engineers at PPL. Because of them, Hamilton Street remained viable for twenty years beyond the main street in Bethlehem, Easton and Reading. Allentown was voted during this era the All American City. During those 50 years, 1940 to 1990, nobody complained about the apartments or the tenants. Ironically, more apartment inventory has been added recently, by creating "loft" apartments in former commercial buildings. The Urbanists think they can revitalize Hamilton Street with upper story housing. While the proponents mistakenly think that they will attract a middle class demographic, they are in fact just adding to the total inventory and thus the problem. Beside the urbanists, advocates for low income housing still demand more units. In reality, it's apparent we have an abundance of low income housing. Recently, there has been a trend to built new, center city single housing; attempting to attract a middle class with disposable income to bolster Hamilton Street. Neighborhood parking lots have been sacrificed for this concept. In fact, we are just building tomorrow's rental houses. Allentown, unlike larger cities, is a horizontal community. There is no reason, geographic or otherwise, which compels the middle class to move to center city.

Allentown would currently be better served with a moratorium on new housing of all sorts in center city. Considering that over 7000 units exist, owned by 5000 different owners, deconversion hopes are unrealistic. Strict enforcement of current zoning standards, concerning square footage, parking, etc. would suffice in reasonably curtailing additional living units. By limiting supply, demand can improve the quality of life for everybody.

The image shown is part of a watercolor by Karoline Schaub-Peeler

SmileBoy and the Christians

Yesterday, fellow blogger Bernie O'Hare patted the blogosphere on the back for it's election coverage. Bernie did provide much information, but some with much more bias than he may concede. I found his coverage of the Cunningham/Ott church housing situation so spinning, I got dizzy reading it. According to O'Hare, Cunningham may have been justified sicing the IRS on Ott, because a church was encouraging it's members to vote for the more spiritual person. My understanding of the sequence of events, was that Cunningham first questioned a church affiliated camp about providing housing to Ott, who was a former employee. The question asked if this indeed was a contribution in kind from a tax exempt church to a political candidate. (I wouldn't think so, because he was living there previously and it was part of a severance compensation) Bernie's spin on the story included humorous distractions, such as Mennonites throwing rocks at Cunningham's house from a horse buggy.

I don't relish the idea of questioning O'Hare's version of a story. We all get tired when Bernie and I go at it. But Bernie's version, spin or not, was about the only coverage on the subject.* BUT WHY BRING IT UP NOW? THE ELECTIONS OVER. Today, in The Morning Call, Brian Callaway analyzes the County Executive election, and Cunningham provides a DIFFERENT REASON for the IRS letter.

Cunningham defended the tactic, saying Ott had based most of his campaign on fears of a tax hike but doesn't pay property taxes of his own here.

This revelation raises several questions. If he really didn't believe the housing situation was a contribution in kind, the letter to the IRS really was vindictive and petty. Does Cunningham think that only voters who pay property taxes are entitled of having an opinion on County policy? SmileBoy should know that some of our Congressional Representatives and Senators are tenants.

* Bernie does link to Ken Petrini and his posts at Examiner.Com Apparently Mr. Petrini also covered the Cunningham/Ott/Church issue.

Brain Transplant Complete

The City of Allentown has successfully removed, through an innovative laparoscopic procedure, all brain tissue from it's voters. Any brain cells remaining from the previous election in 07, were removed via the ear canal at the designated voting stations. This success at the municipal level has allowed Donny Cunningham to remain smiling, despite being overwhelmingly rejected throughout the remainder of the county. A statue of Dave Bausch will be on display at the Historical Society, the last republican ever elected to Allentown City Council.

County Executive Race

WRITTEN BY SCOTT ARMSTRONG

If you are looking for a political contest that pits a crude political animal against a person of good intention the contest for Lehigh County executive is for you. Don Cunningham the incumbent, a career politician, is seeking re-election with a campaign based on half truths, distortions and exaggerations. All this is delivered to the voters through a completely phony Bethlehem Gomer Pyle persona. Running against Don is Scott Ott, a man of many talents who until recently never thought of running for public office. Scott, a family man and a person of deep faith feels the time is right for a candidacy that proclaims individual liberty over continued government expansion. To concentrate on the campaign Mr. Ott left his job as the director of a church affiliated camp. Apparently, as part of a severance package, his former employer allows Scott andhis family to remain in the house he was renting from the church rent free. Now Don Cunningham has decided to label Scott's family's living arrangement a violation of non-profit tax codes and has asked the IRS to investigate. IRS scrutiny can make even an honest person or institution's life a nightmare. This is an agency where one must prove innocence and that effort can take time and money.
Don Cunningham must think he is so clever, but in fact this act has revealed him as a man so consumed with himself that he seeks an IRS investigation into a church merely because they allow his election opponent to stay in a building they own.
There are plenty of unsavory facts about Don's life that have remained out of public purview. Scott Ott has never attacked Mr. Cunningham's personally or involved his family life in the campaign. That is the mark of his decency. Conversely, Don Cunningham's actions speak for themselves. By this action he has proven himself unworthy of any public office.

Scott Armstrong

Voters Needed

Although a mayoral year in Allentown, the turn out for Tuesday's election may be light. Are the voters dissatisfied with Pawlowski enough to come out and support Phillips? If their not motivated by the top of the ticket, will they come out for the bottom? In the local media, both main stream and the blogosphere, the drums have been beating, but is more than the choir listening? I took this photograph of Lou Hershman at one of his several press conferences. It's hard to imagine a more dedicated man offering his service to the city.

Media and Democracy

In 2005, mayoral candidate Ed Pawlowski gave a press conference at a house in the 400 block of Liberty Street. He praised the renovated house being occupied, as typifying his vision of Allentown moving forward. The Morning Call reporter, Daryl Nerl, wrote a glowing story. I decided to research the property. It turns out that the house was passed back and forth between two low income housing agencies for six years. (Pawlowski had been Director of the Alliance for Building Communities, a low income housing agency). After the six years it was "sold" to a low income couple who defaulted on the easy loan, but also destroyed the renovated house in the process. After six more years, two more agencies, and another renovation, Pawlowski gave his press conference.

At my press conference, also attended by the media, I spelled out the problem; Twelve years, no taxes, two renovations and two unqualified "buyers" attracted to Allentown by these give away programs at the expense of the tax paying homeowners. Channel 69 ran the story, but nothing in the Morning Call. I asked Daryl if he thought the story would resonate with the public? He replied that it certainly would. I asked if he was going to print the story before the election? The story never appeared.

photo: Channel 69, Liberty Street Press Conference

2005 Campaign Revelation

In 2005, when I ran for Mayor, I felt that my campaign was suppressed by the Morning Call reporter, Daryl Nerl. Now, four years later, Mr. Nerl and I discussed this subject yesterday at O'Hare's Ramblings. I have posted about this at Poliblog. Although I will accept no comments here, please feel free to comment at Poliblog.

Lost Treasures of Allentown

The Boat Landing Project has been completed. A total of nine different people worked on two separate occasions to clear away almost forty years of neglect and reveal this gift from the WPA. Although everybody deserves recognition, without the energy and enthusiasm of Chris Casey, the project could not have been completed. Let me elaborate on "completed." The landing at the bottom of the steps has been completely cleared.

The remainder of the landing, which is narrower and both to the right and left of the stairway area, remains unreclaimed. The photographer in me would have liked to document our accomplishment with a picture taken from the Island, which would provide the best vantage point. Before the Landing became abandoned, the Island was also a destination. A walk bridge took park visitors to a well kept spot, which sported benches and picnic tables. We lost the bridge and Island about the same time the Landing was discarded.

In 1981, long time Park Czar Donald Marushak, wrote a history of General Trexler. By 1985 he had pursauded the Trust to petition the Court to tear down the Trexler Greenhouse. The petition was necessary because Trexler's will specifically protected and funded the perpetual care of that treasure. He promoted this scheme to save money, but the same year he spent $750,000 to plant the riparian buffer in the southeast corner of Trexler Park. Ironically, that same year, Longwood Gardens built their new greenhouse for $750,000. It was during Marushak's tenure that both the Boat Landing and Island were abandoned. He is also responsible for not replacing the water edge willow trees and starting the practice of indiscriminately planting trees in the destinated open spaces.

Now, under another Park Director, the open space at Cedar Park will be replaced with multiple paved walkways. Perhaps in the future, another writer will take the current Trexler Trust to task for their lack of stewardship.

Prolonging the Pain

Over the weekend, Morning Call reporters Renshaw and Baxter shined the spotlight on State Act 44, which allows municipalities the option of extending the payment schedule on pension contributions. Locally, only Allentown's Mayor Pawlowski seeks to take advantage of this election time ploy, recently crafted as a gift from Harrisburg. To his credit, Controller Bill Hoffman has stepped forward to City Council and denounced this ploy for what it is, a bad idea which prolongs the pain.

ADDENDUM 5:30am: I just discovered that one of the nightshift bloggers, LVCI, also covered this revolting development.

Allentown Parks, The Real Deal

Separating the truth from myth about the Allentown Parks isn't easy. Although there is no question that by the early 1940's we had one of the finest park systems in the country, how it got to be that way has become clouded by the largeness of Harry C. Trexler. Here was a man who was encouraged to raise Buffalo by none other than Buffalo Bill himself. Trexler was one of the most wealthy men in the country and had a hunting retreat at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, which was where he met Buffalo Bill Cody. Years later he was encouraged by his friend, George H. Hardner, to donate his various retreats to the public. These places are now known as Hickory Run State Park, Trexler-Lehigh County Game Preserve and the Fish Hatchery. George Hardner was a major Contractor of that era, among the many things he built was William Allen High School and The Tilghman Street Bridge.

The General and his wife had no children, he was killed and she had died within one year (1933-1934). His will provided for a Trust of well over ten million dollars, now over 100 million, to maintain the Allentown Park System, among other missions. Over the years he has become known as the father of our iconic park system. Most of us assume he donated most of the land for our parks. He did create the first park in Allentown, West Park, dedicated in 1909. In 1922, a national magazine published a story about Allentown, it was not too flattering. It described our park system as being limited to boulevard with a few plants hanging from the street lights.

What we now know as our iconic park system was then began out of embarrassment by Trexler and our city fathers.*

Harry Trexler donated 30.5 acres for Lehigh Parkway. The City then assembled 350 more acres from 20 separate parcels to create the park. At the same time twelve properties were acquired to create Cedar Creek Park. Altogether 450 acres of land was acquired and the park system was started.

* Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Internal Affairs, Vol. 6, No. 2, July 1938

In The Jungle, The Mighty Jungle

This coming November 3th, Allentown will have the opportunity to restore the Lion to the sleepy City Council. Without Hershman, the new Council will provide no checks and balances, what-so-ever, to the Administration's version of government.

Lou Hershman is a one man thorn bush. Rest assure that if any counter balance can be cajoled out of this essentially one party town, Lou is the man to do it. Regardless of one's political persuasion, there can be no down side to electing Lou.

Which executive in our little world doesn't need at least some scrutiny, at least to answer an occasional question.

Loose Ends At Boat Landing

I once again need help to finish up the Boat Landing project. The goal is to simply remove the remaining dirt at the bottom of the steps and provide both the citizens and the City a finished project. Although the original landing extended both to the left and right of the area we will finish up, the abbreviated area in front of the steps provides a pleasant vista on the water and captures the feeling of the structure. Please join me at noon, this Friday, Oct. 23. Thank You.

Main Street Program

This past Saturday, long time Allentonians could only shake their heads reading the news. Because of budget cuts in Harrisburg, plans

"to launch a Main Street Program on Hamilton Street that would duplicate the rejuvenation of neighborhood businesses along Seventh Street"

have been postponed. Of course, in the bizarro world of Allentown 2009, it's sad that the Administration hopes Hamilton Street can do as well as Seventh Street; sadder still, is that our "leaders" don't know what they did or what happen. There are all levels of business in retail. Someone once noted that there are more quarters in the world than dollars. Hamilton Street, up to few years ago had viable businesses in the 700 Block of Hamilton Street. The Lanta transfer stops provided an continuous customer base for merchants, although not upscale, they provided the goods those passengers wanted. The Family Dollar Store was one of their most successful outlets in the country. Rainbow Jeans had a half dozen clerks. Pawlowski, encouraged by a few others, decided that the bus people had to go, to provide the atmosphere for the gentrification they envisioned. In response to protests organized in part by this blog at the time, Pawlowski claimed the decision was Lanta's alone. In reality, Lanta was induced to do this by the Allentown Parking Authority, controlled by the Administration. Almost overnight sales plummeted forty percent on Hamilton Street. Rite Aid Drug Store closed their Hamilton Street store. (they since reopened because of a building problem on 7th Street.)

Meanwhile, about eight years ago, a viable Hispanic business district started developing in 500, 600, and 700 block of Seventh Street. This occurred because rents were more reasonable and parking more available than on Hamilton Street. Although Allentown started a Main Street Program there a couple years ago, it was not responsible for the revitalization that occurred. The program has dressed up some facades and given some grants, but clearly the dynamic in place is the growing Hispanic Community cultivating their own merchants.

Allentown can make Hamilton Street all that it can be, in this era, by simply returning the buses. I know that they would prefer a different answer, but they will not find it in another Main Street Program.


The image shown is part of a watercolor by Karoline Schaub-Peeler

Losing Our Parks

Anybody who owns farmland knows that if you don't plant it, you must still mow it once a year, or lose it to saplings and trees. The effort to clear the land by our forefathers was enormous, but necessary to feed our growing country. In the 1920's, General Trexler and others of foresight had sections of the Little Lehigh and Cedar Creek cleared to make our magnificant parks. About 20 years ago, people of good intentions, started sponsoring trees in our park system as a memorial to loved ones. The sponsoring of trees for one reason or another became an accepted practice in the park system, encroaching on the open space used for passive recreation. It's these open spaces which made it a park, we do have state gameland which is still wooded.

The location for the Destination Playground was chosen because it was the only area of Cedar Beach which has not been planted with these new trees. The former open space on the corner of Hamilton and Ott was planted in rows like an orchard. The Park Director emphasized that no trees would be cut for the playground; as if the trees are more important than the open space.

Today 550 new trees are to be planted in Lehigh Parkway. Those doing the planting think that they're doing a good thing, adding to the park. Soon there will be no park, instead only the sort of woods that had to be cleared 80 years ago to make one.

photo: from the Morning Call, northern Lehigh County, by Monica Cabrera

Road Warrior Spills Beans

Craig Friebolin has a bone to pick with the Allentown Parking Authority. It was my pleasure to publicize his plans to crash one of their board meetings. His ears should pick up as he reads this post. Today Dan Hartzell, the Morning Call's Road Warrior, inadvertently tossed Craig a cookie, and it's my pleasure to point out the treat. Allentown doesn't mind being a little sloppy with testimony to City Council. In 2000 Council readily accepted that a majority of residents wanted a historic district, in spite of the fact that the majority was in the audience protesting. In 2005 Council accepted testimony from the Director of the Authority, then Linda Kauffman, that the majority of merchants supported a doubling of the meter fees and fines. I conducted my own survey, and discovered that in reality the merchants were never polled and were opposed. Although I presented City Council with names and addresses at the time, they chose to go with Kauffman's version.(new rates were to finance new parking deck at City Hall)

Today, in the Road Warrior Column, we learn that a majority of residents requested and approved the various residential permit zones imposed in the late 1980's. Although such testimony may have well been presented to and accepted by City Council, I know it isn't true. I managed numerous buildings in those zones at the time, and never was polled. If you live in such as zone, find it burdensome, ask your neighbors if they were polled.

WFMZ Stairs to NoWhere

STAIRS TO NOWHERE

Explanation from WFMZ

"We don't post all of our stories to the website, however it has
been brought to our attention that several people are requesting to see
this particular story. We have passed that information on to our web
producers and they will be adding it at some point today."


Received yesterday, Thursday, Oct. 15th. The story has not yet been added to their website.

Was Parkway Story Squashed?

When I saw the story on the 5 O'clock news, I realized I would need no tuxedo for the Emmy's, but they did cobble together a short piece and air it. A friend who stays up very late, emailed me that the segment did not appear on the 10 PM broadcast. I have confirmed, as The Banker wrote, that there is no reference at all on the web page, even on page two with stories about bread rising. Makes me wonder....

Just Got The Call

69 WFMZ TV is going to do a short blip on the Boat Landing excavation in Lehigh Parkway this evening.

TeNSion in BLoGOsphERE

Despite the best efforts of some well intended intermediaries, there still exists tension in the local blogosphere. Bernie O'Hare goes banana's when I write about events I didn't attend, and he did! So here's another one Bernie, don't slip on the peel. According to O'Hare, there was no article in today's Morning Call, Tony Phillips owned the room last night at the NAACP Debate. But don't count Pawlowski out with that constituency. Last time, and I was there in 05, Pawlowski made pandering an art form. He pointed out to the audience and said, "If i"m elected, there's a man who will work at City Hall, that women will work at City Hall." They both now do work at City Hall, and they remember. I suspect when local black people get inside the booth, they will not be able to resist voting for Tony. I recall black republicans last year saying that the historic opportunity to vote for Obama was irresistible. I would suspect the real value for Phillips last night was to energize him for the remaining two weeks of the campaign.

Andrew Kleiner and I have been having issues. Now I realize he's been studying environmental science now for five weeks, but I still thing I know a thing or two about the park. According to Andrew and the Wildlands Conservancy, without the riparian buffers being installed, our streams are doomed. Now I know the creek isn't measurably wider than it was 70 years ago. I know this because they haven't lengthened the bridge at Robin Hood, yet it still spans the creek. I think the old timers knew more about conservation than their given credit for. Replace the willow tree's which have died out from old age, hurricanes and disease, and you will stabilize the banks and yet still provide both visual and actual access to the water. The Conservancy and other advocates for the riparian buffer remain mute about the paving over of large sections of Cedar Park and the digging of wells by the County at the streams' headwaters in Lower Macungie. Until they're willing to speak out against the real threats to the park and stream, they compromise themselves.

Allentown's Park Plans

Allentown's park plans can best be described as schizophrenic. What made our parks so iconic was the visual contrasts between the woods, open spaces and the water. We are now getting the worse of everything. The streams will be hidden by plants, called riparian buffers. The open spaces will be either planted with tree's or occupied by some recreational venue. Although the beauty of the park system had more less survived for 80 years, it's glory days, like Allentown itself, will soon be but a memory.

In the 1950's my father's uncle worked for the park department. He would drive a tractor with a large gang mower behind, and cut large portions of Lehigh Parkway in a single day. Today, witness Cedar Beach area, all the open spaces have been planted with trees. Park workers must toil with riding mowers in and out and around each tree. The remaining open area will soon be occupied with the Destination Playground.


The open area between the creek and Honochick Drive on the west side of Ott Street will be occupied by three additional paved paths. Access and view of the water will be cut off by bushes.

The environmentalists are appeased by the riparian buffer and being allowed to plant more and more trees; they remain silent about all the paving. The recreationalists are appeased by paved paths and remain silent about losing the park's viewshed. The viewshed is what we see and what made our park system nationally known. The parks cannot be everything to everybody. Those who may have protected the parks in the past have become politicized. I find our parks too precious not to speak up.

Trexler Smiles, Landing Revealed

I believe that today, for the first time in decades, General Trexler had something to smile about. Most people never understood why three steps were near the lower entrance of Lehigh Parkway; they seemed to lead nowhere. This morning eight people joined a grass root effort to unveil, for the first time in decades, the structure I called the Boat Landing.

Buried under the dirt and grass were several more steps leading to a landing. Chris Casey was the first to arrive and cleared these steps and the first landing himself. A second set of steps led from the landing to the main landing on the creek. These second steps had a foot or so of ground and plants.

The quality and condition of the stonework is excellent, as was all our WPA icons. I will be polite and say only that it was a crime to have let this neglect occur. On the main landing the accumulated earth was two and half feet thick. The crew dug out the curving retaining wall several yards in each direction, and cleared off the top of the wall.

Eight people working four hours managed to reveal about one third of the landing at the bottom of the steps. It was a thrill to realize we were standing at creek's edge as the WPA architects had envisioned. I stood there often as a boy. There still remains a large portion of dirt to remove at the steps base, but you can now experience the Boat Landing.

The retaining wall and the landing continue for fifty feet or so in both directions. Unfortunately a huge tree has grown on the landing to the right, but the left appears reclaimable.

We who worked there today, hope to return and clear off the remainder of the dirt at the bottom of the steps.

Perhaps others will be motivated to clear off the remaining portion of the landing to the left. Now that might even be an idea for the City; imagine restoring an irreplaceable icon instead of buying something from a catalogue. I'm most grateful to all those who helped today, and will reveal their names with their permission.




ADDENDUM:Michael –

I just wanted to thank you for organizing today’s cleanup at the “Boat Landing” in the Lehigh Parkway. It’s not often that one gets to help unearth a treasure while barely leaving home, but that’s exactly what happened today.

It was truly impressive what big difference a small group of people can make. I can’t even estimate the amount of dirt that was moved with nothing more than a few shovels and a lot of hard work.

We can only hope that the City and the Trexler Trust will become aware of this location and start giving all the great structures in the Parkway the care they deserve.

However, the best part of the story for me came after we all left. I got home and my daughter Lucy (age 7) wanted to know how things went. We hopped in the car and soon we were walking up to the stairs leading to the landing. The sun was shining, and the sunlight trickled through the trees and onto the freshly-exposed stairway.

Lucy asked if she could go down to the landing by the water and next thing I knew we were both there at the waters edge, standing on what had been buried only a few hours earlier and marveling at the beauty of the location.

We spent a few moments there - a father and daughter both enjoying something completely “new” to us (even though the landing is over 70 years old). We talked briefly about what was – and more importantly what could be again.

Thank you for making that moment possible, and I hope many others take the opportunity to visit the landing in the near future.


Mike Schware


P.S. – After visiting the landing, Lucy and I walked further upstream and saw the remnants of the bridge to the island (near the water fountain). The remaining supports of the bridge confirmed what you had told me earlier about the island being much smaller years ago.

Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pa.

This was the scene which was chosen to represent Allentown's parks during the golden era of picture postcards, circa late 1940's. The card is captioned simply, Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pa.. Shown at the park entrance, it was called the lower entrance, was the magnificent Boat Landing.* Lehigh Parkway is still there, while Christmas lights provide a gaudy distraction, the WPA treasures deteriorate under debris. Please join Chris Casey, myself and others tomorrow morning, as we attempt to clear and reveal a portion of our proud past.

* Boat Landing is my term for structure, lower entrance near Regency Tower, meeting at 10:00 am, Saturday Oct. 10th.

Allentown's Love Canal

The phone rang at midnight last night, it was Dan Mest, neighborhood activist in the St. Paul's area. Dan's one of those guys you don't hear that much about, but if you live in center city, your life's better because of him. The Jackson Street Playground is just one result of his efforts. Back to last night; seems that City Council suspended their rules and bought the parcel from the Atiyeh family along Martin Luther King Drive. Council didn't see fit to suspend the rules about the Cedar Beach Project, but that's my spilled milk. Last time I heard about this property was when the Rev. Afaf Atiyeh Darcy was complaining to Council last month that her rights were being violated. Seems that no operation meet the approval of Zoning or Code, even as a tree nursery. Here's Dan's concern; that property had previously been a fertilizer and chemical plant, and is only a half mile from our water plant intake pipe. He's afraid we purchased a huge liability with no due diligence. Consider this post be to printed in pencil. I didn't attend the meeting last evening. I don't know where we are getting the money. I assume it will be an extension of the Park System, although there is no money in the budget for the WPA restorations. I do know that the land lies level with the creek and is very much in a floodplain. I do know that Dan's concerns about chemical contamination are probable. More to follow.....

ADDENDUM: LAST EVENING CITY COUNCIL APPROVED A RESOLUTION, AUTHORIZING THE CITY TO PURSUE NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE OWNER FOR PURCHASE. MOST OF THE PROPERTY LIES IN SALISBURY TOWNSHIP, AND ANY PURCHASE WOULD BE IN TANDEM WITH THE TOWNSHIP. ACTUAL PURCHASE WOULD AGAIN REQUIRE COUNCIL'S APPROVAL.

Second Job

Advertising revenues have been down here at molovinsky on allentown, so I've taken a temporary second job at The Lehigh Valley Political Blog. How long they will keep me on there remains to be seen. At any rate, you're welcome to visit me there anytime.

Heavyweight Championship of the World

On March 21, 1941, my mother's cousin Abe Simon, son a of Jewish egg and butter salesman, fought Joe Louis for the title in Detroit. Lasting 13 rounds, he earned another title shot against the Brown Bomber a year later in Madison Square Garden. After retiring he acted in several movies, including On The Waterfront and Requiem For A Heavyweight.

REPRINTED FROM MARCH 8, 2008
Administrator's note: I'm reprinting these photo's and captions in a much tighter time frame then originally posted, to give the viewers more of a feel for this period in Simon's career.