Muddy Waters

It's been a tough five years for the Little Lehigh under Donny Cunningham. First, he has remained silent on the drilling of wells at the stream's headwater, to accommodate the bottling industry he shepherded to the valley. Now, The Morning Call has publicized the fact that the Lehigh County Authority (water and sewage) has an on going spillage of sewage into the waterway. Recently, when I criticized Cunningham's Plan to demolish the historic stone arch Reading Road Bridge, his blogosphere watchdog, Bernie O'Hare, defended the plan by quoting the "Bridge Doctor", Glenn Solt. Solt is Cunningham's public works director. Solt said that stone arch bridges look pretty, but they're filled with "crap." The Morning Call article quotes Richard Young, Pawlowski's Public Works Director. Young states that the Allentown Sewer Plant, which handles the sewage from the Lehigh County Authority, only intentionally dumps raw sewage downstream from the water plant. He fails to mention that the manhole covers, which overflow during storms, are upstream or just before our water plant. The above photo shows such overflow just west of Schreibers Bridge, which is only a few blocks before the water plant intake pipe. I hope Cunningham and Solt don't see this post. Schreibers Bridge is also a historic stone arch bridge. Built in 1828, it was rehabilitated in 1920 and 1998. Maybe Cunningham should concentrate on what's flowing under the bridges.

photo from The Morning Call
related post on Kleiner's Remember

Signs Of The Time

As Allentown eagerly awaits the opening of the Cosmopolitan Restaurant and banquet facility on 6th Street, lets go back in time. Before the former Sal's Spaghetti House was demolished on that parcel, preservationists from Bucks County saved the historic sign. Had the couple been somewhat more familiar with Allentown's history, they may have realized that the sign was neither very historic or iconic.

Before Hamilton Street was bi-sected architecturally by the now gone canopy, the street was lined with large neon signs, many of which were much more elaborate than Sal's; That sign became historic by default. Interestingly, the Sal's sign for most of it's


business days, said Pat's. Pat's and the sign go back to the mid 1950's. In the late 70's, the business was taken over by Sal, and the P and T were simply changed to an S and L. But time goes on; Sal's family is now in the sauce business and have a most interesting website. Congratulations to Mayor Pawlowski and Myron Haydt for bringing the Cosmopolitan to 6th Street; May they have the success that both Pat's and Sal's enjoyed.

1963 Pat's advertisement courtesy of Larry P
Hamilton Steet watercolor by Karoline Schaub-Peeler

Another Meathead Idea

Sal Panto, Easton's recycled mayor, has another idea. The owners of vacant properties will be fined; The longer the vacancy, the higher the fine. The ordinance will be based on the program from Wilmington, Delaware . All the meatheads borrow idea's from other municipalities; it's how you grow bureaucracies and cultivate mediocrity. Of course the only thing worst than a vacant property, is a property with a bad tenant. With all the bad apples rolling around out there, it takes a conscientious landlord a long time to find a good tenant; now he will be punished for his due diligence. Allentown also has such an ordinance in the works. If you like Allentown now, wait until every apartment unit is filled. We will have to speed up the low income conveyor belt from New York and New Jersey. Love those meatheads.

Each administration passes more and more ordinances. In fact, you cannot legislate pride of ownership. So far we have code inspections, rental inspections, point of sale inspections, and now a proposed vacancy registration; just clueless bureaucrats scanning sister cities for more ordinances, how far this All-American city has fallen.

I have once again removed word verification for comments

I Shot the Sheriff

Andy Roman shot the sheriff, but he didn't shoot the deputy. Once in Allentown, before this Administration chased out people who actually invested their own money, there was a coffee shop called Jerry's. Early in the morning people would gather for coffee and banter. Several large tables would fill up with county workers and early risers, such as myself. It was at these tables, over a few years, that I got to know Sheriff Rossi. I can describe him in one word; dedicated. It is very ironic that Andy Roman called Rossi the "Stealth Sheriff", just because Rossi didn't attend this past Commissioner meeting. I suppose Roman wanted him there to beg for the row office raise, and repent for charging more for laminating gun licenses. I think if Andy wants to find Rossi, he should try the Sheriff's office.

related post at LV Ramblings

More Weeding, Less Talking

Allentown has a few icons, such as the PPL Tower, the 8th Street and Tilghman Street Bridges. In Europe many bridges date from the middle ages, there are even Roman bridges still in use. It seems here in Allentown we cannot even keep an 80 year old bridge together. Earlier this year County Executive Cunningham and Mayor Pawlowski had a press conference under the Tilghman Street Bridge, while on the top weeds and saplings were growing out of the road bed. The bushes and weeds are still there, on both bridges, eroding away magnificent irreplaceable structures. Lets hope these great silver tongued planners stop waiting for penn-dot, and get around to buying a bottle of weed begone.
UPDATE: When I was a kid I grew up in Lehigh Parkway South, this was a development of twin homes built for the returning GI's, the streets were named for planes built during the war; Liberator, Catalina, and Coronado.(Queen City Airport was a WW2 plane factory). Getting into the rest of Allentown was a bit inconvenient. To go downtown(Hamilton St. was the Shopping Mecca of Lehigh Valley) you would have to go over the 8th Street Bridge. To get to the east side you would go down the Lehigh Street hill, up to Union and then over the river. Getting to points west required going over the stone arch bridge near Regency Towers. Construction of the 15th Street bridge finally connected the south side with the rest of Allentown. The metal deck, which was annoying from day one, was supposed to be temporary. So here we are, fifty some years later, being told the bridge is ready to be replaced. Is there anyone in authority who remembers how difficult it was to navigate Allentown before the bridge? So now the decaying 8th Street Bridge will absorb the traffic during construction of the new 15th Street Bridge? Allentown meanwhile defers simple maintenance, like rail painting, because of promises from Harrisburg? We truly are slow learners.

UPDATE: Lipstick on a pig; Allentown now has hung banners on the 15th St. bridge lightposts, distracting drivers attention somewhat away from the rusting rails.

UPDATE: Sept. 15, 2009. The railings on the 15th St. Bridge have been painted. The Linden Street Bridge, an iconic stone arch bridge over the Jordan Creek and Historic Rail lines has been torn down. No repairs have been done to either the 8th Street or Tilghman Street Bridges. Both the silver tongues are insured of re-election. We're still slow learners.

UPDATE: July 14, 2010. Don Cunningham now plans on tearing down the historic Reading Road stone arch bridge. His Administration exaggerates the amount of traffic, and ignores the fact that the bridge could easily have a weight restriction without inconvenience, because of nearby Hamilton Blvd. He is devoid of any sense of local tradition or history.

reprinted from July 31, 2007 and Sept. 15, 2009

Joseph's Tomb

Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He had said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place." (Exo 13:19)

For a thousand years, Jews had prayed at and cared for the Tomb of the Patriarch Joseph. The Samaritans had worshipped at the Tomb for 1,700 years.

On October 7, 2000, Ehud Barak ordered Israeli Border Police to withdraw from guarding the Tomb in the West Bank city of Nablus (Shechem). Within hours it was destroyed. Since then there has been a pattern of the IDF escorting religious Jews to clean up the destruction, and then more desecration after they leave.

The bones of Joseph which the Children of Israel brought up from Egypt were buried in Shechem in the portion of the field that had been purchased by Jacob. (Joshua 24:32)

When Boxing was King

Although my fascination with boxing from the 1930's began with a family connection, was fed by a curiosity about the many Jewish boxers, the real hook is my love of black and white photography. Some of the best photographers of the era aimed their camera's at the ring during those years. Shown here is a boxing portrait of Izzy Jannazo. This tough welterweight fought the best, from Barney Ross to Sugar Ray Robinson. These photographs are from the Harry Winkler Collection, now housed at the University Library of Notre Dame.

Tony Chavez was the first New Mexican to fight for a title. He moved to Los Angeles to train for his lightweight title fight with Henry Armstrong. Harry Winkler assembled these amazing images while working as the Los Angeles correspondent for Ring Magazine.





Freddie Miller won 210 fights out of 250, between 1927 and 1940. This featherweight champ had two of his most famous fights with Abie Israel.

I will donate a complete black and white darkroom to any interested youth group

Mutilating Cedar Park

The traditional gravel walking/jogging path of west Cedar Park has been replaced by macadam roads. Although this blog, and others, embarrassed the Administration enough to eliminate even more planned roads within the previous open space, the damage is still substantial. Two new entrances have been built into the park from Ott Street.

A new main entrance ignores the park topography and ramps into the park like a boat landing. This intrusion eliminates the serenity of the previously passive side of the park.









Perhaps the most offensive aspect of this monstrosity is the half clover leaf, clearly designed for bicycles at the expense of both the open space and walker safety. Also added for bicycle convenience is an additional new entrance off Ott Street by Honochick Drive. Once again a clover design is provided so that the cyclists need not slow down.

A Tailor from North Street

A Tailor from North Street

ADDENDUM: I have suspended the word verification step from the  comment section.

E-ZSmile

E-ZSmile Cunningham even brought a smirk to my stern face the other morning. I was reading about the press conference over at the new Bennett Toyota site on Lehigh Street. Although the dealership will be simply moving from Hanover Avenue to Lehigh Street, supposedly the workforce will increase from 100 employees to 250, that's a 150% increase. Bennett also claimed that although national Toyota sales are down 16%, his are up 22%. I suppose if you're doing 38% better than your competitors, you could hire 150% more employees. Anyway, the frozen grin never left Don's face. Cunningham can even talk while he's grinning; He called the move "economic growth." Nothing was said about was what to become of the large existing facility on Hanover Avenue when it closes.

Macadam Mayhem

When the Administration recently claimed that their interest in the South Mountain timber was purely ecological, I wondered if it was the same Pawlowski and Weitzel who laid down tons of macadam at Cedar Park?

Although The Morning Call has requested the timber report through the Freedom of Information Act, the Administration is still legally resisting. One would think that Administrators, who now use phrases such as invasive species, would be more transparent about their intentions. At any rate, the macadam mayhem continues in Cedar Park, especially at the new Pavilion of Shame.


This picnic area across the creek from the swimming pool, which is often under water in heavy rain, has been paved with up to two feet of macadam. Previously, as shown in this photo, it was at ground level with a compacted stone surface.

Jordan Heights

In 1903, the 600 block of 2nd Street housed one Russian Jewish family after another. They built a small synagogue there, which was kept open till about ten years ago. My grandfather, who then worked at a cigar factory, had just saved enough to bring his parents over from the old country. They lived in an old house at 617 N. 2nd. The current house at that location was built in 1920. By the time my father was born in 1917, the youngest of five children, they had moved to the suburbs just across the Jordan Creek.

My grandfather lived on the corner of Chew and Jordan Streets. He butchered in a barn behind the house. The house is still there, 301 Jordan, the barn is gone. He would deliver the meat with a horse and wagon. On the weekends, when the family wanted to visit friends, the horse insisted on doing the meat market route first. Only after he stopped in front of the last market on the route, would he permit my grandfather to direct him. excerpt from My grandfather's Horse, May 13, 2008

Allentown has just designated the neighborhood west of the Jordan to 7th Street, and between Linden and Tilghman Streets, as Jordan Heights. The area encompasses the Old Fairgrounds Historic District. Allentown's old fairground, in the years between 1852-1888, was in the vicinity of 6th and Liberty. It was an open space, as is the current fairground at 17th and Chew Streets. When my grandparents moved to Jordan Street it was a modern house, just built in 1895. Many of the Jewish families moved to the suburbs between Jordan and 7th. The Jewish Community Center was built on the corner of 6th and Chew, today known as Alliance Hall.
I wish the Jordan Heights initiative well. There's a lot of history in those 24 square blocks, and hopefully much future.

Bridging Our History

Part of Don Cunningham's political patter as a candidate and elected official is repairing or replacing bridges in the county. When you replace a bridge which doesn't need replacing, you're wasting taxpayer money. When you replace a historic bridge which doesn't need replacing, you're stealing our culture






The Reading Road Bridge, scheduled by Cunningham for replacement, is in excellent condition. Although my observation and top photograph clearly shows that, I did confirm it's structural integrity with someone formally with the City engineering department.

The bridge was built in 1824 and totally rehabilitated in 1980. At that time a separate walking bridge was built next to it for pedestrian safety.*





Although the beautiful two arch stone bridge needs no work, and Cunningham has been in office since 2006, the steel beams of the walking bridge are in dire need of paint. How sad that inexpensive maintenance is ignored, while $million dollar projects are planned.

Let Don smile and cut a ribbon somewhere else, please join me in saving our history. Call Cunningham and our County Commissioners. Let them know our past means more to us then their political future.

* a former manager under Mayor Daddona, recalls walking bridge constructed in 1980.

click on bridge photographs to enlarge image

ADDENDUM: An engineer familiar with the bridge told me that he if was asked by supervisors to justify replacing the bridge, he will cite flooding; He added that in reality it's a moot point, because the stream flow in high water situations is also impeded by the nearby Hamilton and Union street bridges.

The Bridge Slayer

Lehigh County is known for the Covered Bridge Trail. Fortunately for us, former Lehigh County Executive Dave Bausch has a great appreciation of history. In the future, there will be no stone arch bridge tour. Current Executive Donny Cunningham is preparing to tear down his second stone bridge, but rest assure he will be grinning at the new bridge ribbon cutting. Shown above was the historic Linden Street multi-arch stone bridge, built in 1884. It was rehabilitated in 1950 and destroyed in 2008 by Cunningham. Cunningham now plans to destroy and replace the Reading Road Bridge.* The Reading Bridge was built in 1824 and rehabilitated in 1980. In Europe bridges are 700 years old, but preservation and restoration doesn't lend itself to press conferences and career building.

*Reading Road Bridge is small stone arch bridge on Walnut Street by Union Terrace

related article: The Morning Call

A Field of Dreams (2)

In the movie, Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner builds a ballpark in a corn field. Here in Allentown, Lanta is proposing to tear down a ball park, Bicentennial Field, to build a garage for hybrid buses, which will burn corn oil. I don't think much of Lanta. I saw their arrogance in action when they sacrificed the Hamilton Street merchants to justify their new Transportation Terminal. My fellow blogger, Bernie O'Hare, has more respect for government, authorities and boards. His journalistic, researched posting * on a recent board nominee, Steve Schmitt, credits the bike racks on the front of the buses to this individual. Here is where Bernie and I turn off on separate paths; Now, if those bike racks were for half-wits,** as portrayed by Pee Wee, I would have no problem. Now, if those bike racks were intended for the poor, who owned no car, I would have no problem. But Schmitt's motivation was neither poverty or mental infirmity; He is one of those alternative transportation, spandex wearing, starbuck drinking cyclists, who know it all, and justify taking the buses off Hamilton Street and tearing down a ballpark. To set the record straight, although Schmitt is Mr. Bike Rack, I'm using him to stereotype the board of directors who generally have too much self esteem and not enough common sense. If they insist on hybrid buses and recycled Starbuck cardboard cups, fine; but find someplace else for the garage. Don't tear down a field of dreams for generations of little league, don't tear down an icon which would cost millions to replace. Please join me this coming Saturday and speak out against this pending mistake.

* http://lehighvalleyramblings.blogspot.com/2009/05/schmitt-unfiot-for-lanta.html

** not an official term of the American Psychological Association

reprinted from May 25, 2009

Lanta announced yesterday, 13 months after this post, that the hybrid garage would be built on their existing property, sparing the stadium.

The Last Jews of Egypt

There are only a few dozen Jews still living in Egypt, all in either Cairo or Alexandria. The number of remaining synagogues outnumbers the remainder of Jews. Many of these synagogues are magnificent structures, and to the credit of the Egyptian government, they are protected and some are being restored. Prior to 1948, well over 80,000 Jews lived in the two cities. The current Ben Ezra in Cairo dates from 1892. The site, once a Coptic Church, became a synagogue in 882.. Tradition marks this as the spot where the prophet Jeremiah gathered the Jews in the 6th century after Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed the Jerusalem temple. The adjacent spring is supposed to mark the place where the pharaohs daughter found Moses in the reeds, and where Mary drew water to wash Jesus. It was here that the famous Philosopher Maimonides studied. Last century a collection of ancient manuscripts was discovered in the compound.

When You Wish Upon A Star

As a little boy in the early 1950's, I would watch Jiminy Cricket sing When You Wish Upon a Star. I thought of Jiminy the other day, when I watched Johnny Callahan swoon about the new Sands Casino Hotel. It occurred to me that Johnny should be careful about what he wishes. I'm concerned that Bethlehem cannot support two large center city hotels. My fear, is that the success of the new Sands Hotel will be at the expense of the classic Hotel Bethlehem. Just as the Hotel Bethlehem's van currently takes guests to the casino, a new modern hotel could shuttle guests to and from historic Main Street. How sad to watch a talking suit clamor about some temporary construction jobs. I wouldn't bet on how many permanent jobs Sands Corporation provides, the casino always has the winning hand. Well, Donny Cunningham rode to Harrisburg and back on empty press conferences on empty steel land, so why shouldn't Johnny try chirping a little?

Transportation in the Valley

Two of my fellow bloggers currently have posts on subjects near and dear to me. Andrew Kleiner, from Remember, documents cars driving on the new Cedar Park Drive. Who would have guessed? Only the naysayers.


The blog known as Lehigh Valley Clancularius, examines what Easton's Sal Panto can't accept; Perhaps New Yorkers won't take a train to come see the Al Bundy Museum.

photo of Pawlowski/Weitzel Drive courtesy of Remember
photo of the Panto Express courtesy of Clancularius

On The Waterfront

Many consider the 1954 classic, On The Waterfront, the best picture ever made. The history of the film is interwoven with the realities of that era. The screenplay, by Budd Schulberg, was loosely based on a Pulitzer Prize winning expose about organized crime on the docks. The film's director, Elia Kazan, had testified at the House Un-American Activities Committee, naming a few associates who had attended meetings with him years earlier.





In the film, Marlon Brando, is slowly convinced to testify against the crime boss who employed him. Kazan and Schulberg insisted on realism for the production. The movie was shot in black and white on the docks of Hoboken. Bodyguards of the crime boss, played by Lee Cobb, were actual former heavyweight fighters.
Tami Mauriello ---------------- Tony Galento --------------Abe Simon

Timber, Again

In an incredible act of fiscal desperation, the Pawlowski Administration is preparing to justify harvesting timber on the South Mountain Reservoir. It is being filtered through the Park Department as woodland management, blah, blah, blah, but make no mistake, they're selling the tree's because they need money. Currently the timber is being surveyed. I must have missed the public announcement for the meeting on that plan. Our heritage, our parks, are being threatened by the perfect storm. The Parks and Recreation departments have been administratively combined. The director's background and training is in recreation. The administration has created no less than two cover groups; The Environmental Advisory Council and Friends of the Parks. Both groups have unwittingly failed in their own mission, as stewards of the parks. In the first phrase of the Cedar Park Plan, the structural integrity of the Mirror Ponds has been compromised by under digging the stone walls. A contractor now will apply gunite in an attempt to stabilize the walls. The Administration and Parks Department is using surveys and studies to justify the pre-determined master plan; for example a survey taken on the east side of Cedar Parkway of young people at the basketball courts may be used to justify extending recreational venues into the traditionally passive Rose Garden side of the park. Press conferences will be held, awards will be won, resumes will be enhanced, but what kind of park system will our grandchildren inherit?

above reprinted from July 2, 2009

Although there is an article in today's Morning Call, what has been lost in the forest, is that the newspaper learned of the contract FROM THIS BLOG.
related posts:
from this blog; Timber, Blogs and MSM
from Morning Call; South Mountain Forestry Study

The Jew Card

Yesterday, an esteemed fellow blogger suggested I was playing the Jew Card in regard to my post entitled Damn Jews, which dealt with the ship intervention. I know that the last thing Israel wanted was the operation to result in deaths, and world controversy. Books will be written about the incident, but this post concerns the Jew Card. To me, playing a card refers to bringing up a topic, as an excuse or distraction from the more relevant issue. There is no Jew Card, only one excuse after another for anti-semitic acts throughout history and geography. The current excuse is Israeli oppression. There was no Israel to explain why my paternal grandparents fled the pogroms of Russia in the 1890's. There was no Israeli occupation to explain why all my maternal relatives from Hungary died in the concentration camps in the 1940's. Yesterday, a former U.S. diplomat aboard one of the ships said that the Israeli's were armed to their teeth, even though they were carrying paint ball rifles. The Turks didn't riot in 2003 when the two main synagogues were bombed in Istanbul.

There was no world outrage when the Jewish Community Center was bombed in Buenos Aires. The internet is full of allegations that 9/11 was an Israeli plot. If the Jews have a card, it is called survival. My fellow blogger should drive by a synagogue on a Jewish holiday. He may wonder how the Jews feel needing a police officer outside, to be safe praying inside, even in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

ADDENDUM: THE DOUBLE STANDARD. THE WORLD WAS QUICK TO BLAME ISRAEL. A LOCAL ESTEEMED BLOGGER CALLED THE DEATHS MURDER, HE WENT ON TO SAY; The proof of Israel's guilt lies in its feeble attempts to control what messages are going out concerning this atrocity. NOW THAT TAPES HAVE SURFACED SHOWING THE "PEACE ACTIVISTS" PREPARING WEAPONS TO BEAT THE ISRAELI'S TO DEATH, AND HOPING TO PROVOKE A RESPONSE, AND EVEN THEIR OWN DEATH, SHOULD NOT THE CONDEMNERS CONCEDE THEIR ERROR?  IS POINTING OUT THAT DOUBLE STANDARD PLAYING THE JEW CARD?
DELETIONS: THIS BLOG IS THE "EARLY MORNING EDITION" OF THE LOCAL BLOGOSPHERE. I TEND TO POST VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING. THREE VIDEO'S WHICH HAVE APPEARED IN THE LAST SEVERAL DAYS AS ADDENDUMS, HAVE BEEN DELETED TO RESTORE CONCISENESS TO THE ORIGINAL POSTS. IT IS MY INTENTION TO CONTINUE WITH TEMPORARY EARLY MORNING VIDEO'S AND LINKS WHICH ELABORATE ON THE POSTS.

Damn Jews

Just because you're running a naval blockade, and you beat them with metal bars, they're outnumbered 100 to one, they think they have the right to shoot to save their life, those damn Jews.

Flyers Nostalgia

World Hockey Keeping Pace With the Fastest Game

a link to the ultimate hockey site, enjoy

Two Ton Galento

In an era of tough men, Tony "Two Ton" Galento was a standout. Although he would never win a Mr. America contest, his left hook could knock down any man, including the legendary Joe Louis. Tony owned a bar in Orange, New Jersey, didn't train, drank beer and ate large meals before he fought. Between 1928 and 1944 he fought 110 times, knocking out 56 of his opponents.

He met the Baer brothers in back to back fights later in his career, losing both bouts, but not before knocking 6'7'' Buddy Baer down. The famous fight with Louis occurred at Yankee Stadium in June of 1939, after Galente beat Lou Nova. Tony was king of the world in the third round as Louis lay on the canvas, but he got up at the eight count, and knocked Galante out in the next round. Louis would later say that Tony Galante was one of the toughest men he ever fought.

The Latinization of Hamilton Street

Neither this blog or myself are known for political correctness, and this post will be blunt. Allentown has hired a Main Street Manager for Hamilton Street. She has two choices; either subsidize or Latinize the street. With enough subsidization, businesses will indulge temporarily in the free ride; However, I do not believe it is possible to achieve self sustaining gentrification on Hamilton Street. The urbanists must accept the fact that the valley is a suburban orientated community.

A Hispanic business district developed on 7th Street. The was a natural evolution over the last decade, resulting from the Puerto Rican population explosion, and cheap rents on Allentown's traditional secondary shopping venue. The Main Street manager, who was later hired for that street, Peter Lewnes, could not have created that success. Mr. Lewnes has done an outstanding job bringing order and finesse to what would otherwise be a chaotic venue, but he did not create the Hispanic merchant class. The success of 7th Street was governed by market forces; likewise, there are limits as to what can happen on Hamilton Street. Hopefully, the taxpayer funded grants will be spend more wisely on Hamilton Street than in the past.

The article in today's Morning Call does not state Ms. Suhr's specific objectives for Hamilton Street. It mentions that she has a background in Main Street Program promotion, but not commercial real estate recruitment. She does speaks Spanish and was a Democratic organizer.

Under Construction

A Failure Called Allentown

My last letter to the editor, (Morning Call) explained how Mayor Pawlowski's one hand didn't know what the other

hand was doing, thus the bunny hop for Allentown, instead of progress.
The letter, short to begin with, had several key sentences and its meaning deleted out, so now I blog. I don't know

what Pawlowski's strong suit is, but it's not business (or housing). In the early fall, in a blotched attempt at improving the street scene, the bus riders where relocated to the former Morning Call parking lot, now known as the Lanta Terminal. The consequence is a virtual empty Hamilton Street with merchants suffering revenue reductions up to 40%. While the city on one hand offers grants, other starting food businesses are submitted to a bureaucracy exceeding hospital operating room standards.
What's probably most pathetic, is someone can push a hot dog cart up to the side of the Lanta Terminal Fiasco, and do more business than either someone put through the city hall inspection wringer or those receiving taxpayer funded grants.

CLICK ON PHOTO'S TO READ SIGNS

reprinted from April 1, 2008, it was no joke then or now

Although I'm glad that City Council is beginning to question the distribution and value of grants in Allentown, this blog has been ringing that bell for years. Today's Morning Call Story.

Related Posts from this blog
Pawlowski's Magic Hat, May 11, 2008
Jerry and the Cookie Lady
Penny Wise, Grant Foolish
Reality In Short Supply
Tip for Snooks
for more posts on the failed grants of Allentown, use my search engine on upper right of page; there are over 40 posts on this subject

A Modest Proposal

Currently, young people park at Robin Hood and begin playing disc golf at hole #1. In front of the first tee, appears to be a small swamp like pond.

What they're actually standing next to was one of the first features of Lehigh Parkway. In 1928 General Trexler and the city fathers starting acquiring different parcels in the Little Lehigh ravine. Disc Golf Hole #1 is over one of the important feeder springs of our water source.

In addition to now being used as a recreation feature, it is also a no mow zone for ecology. With a little modification, there is no reason why it cannot also be the beautiful, historic, architectural feature enjoyed by generations of Allentonians. There currently is one inch of sod covering the stones lining the spring pond. It easily pulls right off the top of the stones. I propose that the stones be exposed around the pond and on the short channel to the magnificent miniature bridge.








The grass on the stream side of the pond could be weedwacked one foot beyond the stones, helping to preserve the stonework. On the north side of the pond, the grass could be weedwacked two feet wide, allowing access to the bridge. Since the no mow zone is already interrupted by the pond and channel, this would involve only a total of three foot of weedwacking, and only a short distance into the zone, and only to one end of the bridge. Although a few lining stones are missing from the pond, I do not propose any renovation, it is not necessary.

We have lost two WPA structures in the park; The bridge to the Island and the Boat Landing, let us not lose a third. With Park Department approval, this minor work could be done either by the city or volunteers. A modest proposal.

Bert Luckenbach, Park Activist

`Green' Curtain Blocks Sledding And The View
January 09, 1992|The Morning Call
To the Editor:

Hold your sleds girls and boys! Others, too, on the alert! With the planting of a dense cluster of 60 evergreen trees and the erection of a "No Sledding" sign, creating a veritable iron curtain, the park and watershed people have once again undertaken their repetitive effort of the past 45 years to eliminate a most popular sledding slope in Lehigh Parkway. The motive -- crass self-interest in defiance of public good. The effect -- an impassable barrier and concealment of a magnificent vista of "one of the finest valleys in Eastern Pennsylvania."

Children and adults from the 400 homes with longtime and easy access to the slope and others arriving in cars have enjoyed sledding here after school and into the night and throughout the day and night on weekends. Yet sledding is but one of the attractions of this enduring slope. In summer children and teachers from Lehigh Parkway Elementary School have enjoyed a walk down the slope and into the park for a break from book and blackboard. Birders, joggers, hikers and others on a leisurely stroll engrossed in their particular interest have found the slope irresistible.

For a host of others, this opening into the park after a long stretch of woods presents a charming vista and urge to descend. Interest is immediately evoked by the sight of a mid-19th century log house (now tenanted by a city employee whose privacy is further enhanced by the closure of the slope) and a historic wagon trail leading past the site of a lime kiln to tillable lands of earlier times.

The view takes in an expanse of meadowlands, now groomed, to the Little Lehigh River and up the western slope to Lehigh Parkway North. Indeed, a pleasant view to be esteemed and preserved for generations to come. It was distressing on New Year's Day to see a family and their guests intent upon a walk down the slope suddenly stop in amazement and shock as the closure became evident.

The cost in dollars through the years of the park peoples' fixation on destroying the Parkway slope must be staggering indeed without dwelling on other deliberate depletions. Typically, the placement of the 1991 "No Sledding" sign employed a team of four men with three vehicles -- a backhoe, a panel truck, and a super cab pickup truck, the latter furnishing radio music.

BERT A. LUCKENBACH
ALLENTOWN

The wagon trail is the same one which we cleaned up several weeks ago. As the park system is currently being reconfigured as a recreational venue, there is interest in preserving it's ecology. It is also necessary to preserve it's history.

A Park Defender

An Insult To Sledders
December 17, 1987|The Morning Call
To the Editor:

While Mayor Daddona is confronted with resistance in his effort to deprive the people of their parklands, a less subtle and more effective deprivation has taken place. Parklands were effectively lost recently when park workers erected stout fencing and "No Sledding" signs on a slope in Lehigh Parkway where wholesome recreational activities have been traditional for five decades. Pathetic will be the frustration of kids, teeners, and adults who used the slope joyously day and night. Hikers, birders, and meanderers, equally frustrated, are likely to exclaim, "What knavery," some using a more juicy epithet expressing revulsion.

How and why did this miserable taking, a fait accompli without foreknowledge, come about? The motives of the perpetrators is clear. Grass cutting on the slope has suddenly become an impossible burden, patently beyond their capabilities. (Ron "Punkin" Miller handled the job for decades with supreme excellence). But the park management, with amazing stupidity, introduced a new mowing tractor equipped with heavy, sod-busting treads. Aghast, one observer inquired, "Are they going to plant potatoes in the ruts?"

The fencing and no-sledding mandate is just the beginning, however, of a heavy-handed intrusion militating against use and enjoyment of our parkland. The park people know the best way to eliminate grass cutting is to get rid of the grass. Ah, yes! To be sure. Pine trees. No grass, no leaves - the loss of a view? So what?

Three dozen pine trees already have been planted on the slope. If not removed, shortly there will be a thicket of pines, eliminating grass cutting, of course, but devastating an incomparable view and historic passage via the slope into the park.

What this town needs is for its citizenry to assert its basic rights and priorities over those public servants who perform with an assumption of proprietary interest, ignoring their true status.

BERT A. LUCKENBACH
Allentown

Mr. Luckenbach lived above the Parkway, in the twin homes, now called Little Lehigh Manor. As a child, I also grew up in that neighborhood, and we all sled on the hill (above the Stone and Log House). Luckenbach passed away in 2000 at the age of 99. In the previous post, although 92 years old, he was still defending the park.

Parkway Tears

Director Harms Lehigh Parkway
February 04, 1993|The Morning Call
To the Editor:

How much longer must park devotees put up with Allentown Park Director Donald Marushak's misuse of evergreen trees, no trespass signs, and wrecking tools to destroy cherished elements of the people's parks?

First Marushak closed off a much-used slope by planting a dense cluster of 60 evergreen trees across its width.

Next, four "No trespass" signs were posted to prohibit access to 30 acres of deciduous woodland with its magnificent understory of many species of plant life. Trespass, a legal term, is defined in a children's encyclopedia as intrusion on private land. The term has no application for restricting passage on public land.

The WPA in the 1930s created a three-acre island by diverting water from the Little Lehigh Creek. The island had remained a source of joy for birders, naturalists, and nondescript strollers. No one foresaw Marushak arriving on the scene with wrecking tools to rip up the bridge, terminating public access to the island. Three masonry piers remain in place. Also remaining are 12 discarded auto tires gathering silt in the small stream.

BERT LUCKENBACH
ALLENTOWN

17 years later......
Most people have long ago forgotten that there was a bridge to the island, although the stone piers still remain, obscured by overgrowth. The curved wall and landing of the Boat Landing, shown in the lower right of the photograph, are buried. Last fall, with help from others who appreciate our treasured parks, I had the privilege to rescue the steps which lead to the landing.