Zooming In On Allentown's Past

Today, I assigned our aging staff photographer to document the demolition of the 1st. National Bank building. He only took two photographs, complaining that there was no water spray to control the dust. For a building supposedly encumbered with asbestos, one would think that the pedestrians of Allentown deserved better treatment, but of course the upscale people has yet to arrive. Regular readers have been hearing about Lehigh Structural Steel on this blog. If you click on and enlarge this lower closeup, you can clearly see Lehigh

Structural Steel Allentown stenciled on this main beam. Imagine a time when an Allentown centered bank used steel beams made in Allentown for it's headquarters in center square. We will be lucky if the beams used in the new building are made in the U.S.A.
UPDATE: A Morning Call video shows water being sprayed during the demolition. The spray person may have been on lunch break yesterday when I visited the site.

The Debate Performance

As a supporter of Mitt Romney, I'm pleased with my candidate this morning after last night's debate. I listened to the post event pundits declare Obama the evening's winner; And a fine recital it was. Although the Fact Checkers will argue if Obama's Middle East visit in 09 was an Apology Tour, he never did reach Israel. Has the perception of the United States improved in the last four years? This past weekend Egyptian President Morsi attended services in Cairo, where the cleric prayed that the Jews and their supporters are destroyed. When the words of both candidates last evening are analyzed, separated from the performance, charm and oratory tone, there's a different result. As a country, vision and leadership will serve us better than acting and public speaking.

Allentown's New Public Housing

The announcement was for two hundred upscale apartments at 7th and Linden Streets in Allentown. If ever there were two phrases that don't go together, it is upscale and 7th and Linden. The apartments are to attract new residents into downtown, not the existing demographic. The existing demographic would be presumedly priced out, at $1,200 monthly rent. It wasn't that many years ago that The Morning Call prohibited property managers from using words such as luxury and executive in their advertising. We were told then that such adjectives were exclusionary, and promoted discrimination. Reilly, now tells us "This is the next piece in transforming downtown Allentown into a place where people really can live, work and play." I suppose that those who currently live, work and play there aren't really people, at least not the upscale kind. I'm not an opponent of gentrification, or what the young urbanists call mixed income neighborhoods. I know that Reilly could rent two of these units immediately. I know that over the course of a year that he could rent twenty such units, but two hundred? Until this Neighborhood Improvement Zone(NIZ) was created for Allentown's transformation, public housing was  taxpayers subsidizing the tenant, it's now taxpayers subsidizing the landlord.

Soft Spots and Easy Marks

My mother was a tough cookie. My grandparents came over from Eastern Europe when she was little, and my grandfather worked at Bethlehem Steel, until a boiler blew up. Although he survived the explosion, he was badly injured, didn't speak much English, and it was the Depression to boot. Both my mother's parents died young, during the 1940's. My mother did have a few soft spots, one of them being that card sent every year by Father Flanagan. You wouldn't want to get in her way when she was headed to the mailbox with her contribution. I suppose the scandal broke in the late 1950's. Apparently,  my mother wasn't the only one with a soft spot for the boy carrying his brother. Turns out Father Flanagan received so many envelopes he couldn't even open them all. He had rooms full of money. Last year, the Allentown Rescue Mission had revenues of $3.5 million dollars. Their Father Flanagan, Gary Millspaugh, is searching for a COO, chief operating officer, to hire. Alan Jennings announced yesterday that Lehigh Valley Community Action will expand their operations into the Slate Belt. Soliciting to our soft spots has become big business.

UPDATE:The Rescue Mission has the city contract to sweep the sidewalk on Hamilton street, and refers to it as their work program. Yesterday, they announced that they would be discontinuing their drug addiction program. So in total, they seem to being doing less with more, and being subsidized by Allentown taxpayers to boot.

Pawlowski's Water Sham

Yesterday, Mayor Pawlowski gave a press conference in which he said that water rate increases would be capped to inflation, plus a moderate factor. Other pass alongs, which would increase fees, are any capital projects which exceed $2 million dollars. Practically any on going work will exceed $2 million dollars. The current project to replace water meters, which are only ten years old, cost $8,612,681.00. The current project to reline the water main under Union Terrace, and up Reading Road, cost almost half a million dollars a block. Currently, such system maintenance is financed by a state agency through loans amortized over 20 years. Under Pawlowski's five thousand page plan, homeowners will be paying up front as a private company deals with our aging water infrastructure.
UPDATE:Currently, Allentown utilizes all it's departments on a water main leak; Engineering, water, and street. A private company will bill the taxpayers for every private contractor involved in the same repair, and have an incentive to make every job contribute to the threshold necessary to pass the cost along to rate payers. For a City creative enough to form the NIZ to Transform Allentown, they should be able to meet the pension obligation without selling an asset operated by the city since before 1900.

The Engines Of Allentown

Fifty years ago Allentown was home to heavy industry, which required private engines to push material and finished product around their plants. Shown above is the engine at Structural Steel, located under the Tilghman Street Bridge. The Mack 5C plant, located at Lehigh and S. 12th Streets, had it's own engine. Traylor Engineering, on S. 10th Street, also had an engine. Although the private engines of Allentown are gone, a train whistle still blows, as Norfolk Southern rolls through South Allentown, on the old main line.

photograph from the Mark Rabenold Collection

A Revisionist Debate

Last night Obama said that he had called the attack terrorism in the rose garden, and the moderator backed him up; The same moderator who allowed him about four minutes more of talk time. Obama's use of the word that day was with a small t, in the most general sense of the word. The murder of anyone, much less four Americans, is terror. The Administration, Susan Rice, and Hilary Clinton in the next week all clarified that the attack was not organized by a Terror Cell, but resulted from spontaneous outrage, sparked by the YouTube video. Since then, that explanation has been discredited. We now know that indeed it was a Terrorist Group. For Candy Crowley to have backed up Obama on that revisionist claim was not only weak moderating, but biased to a fault. Worse, after the debate, she seemed to take pride in being part of the terror distortion.

Differing With Alan Jennings

A chance encounter several days ago allowed Alan Jennings and myself some face time. Not unlike others I happen to disagree with, he felt any issues I had with his programs could only be based on a lack of information on my part. Although I'm far too polite to tell him that perhaps some of his programs have defects, I did convey that my opinions are based on a long, strong institutional memory of events, places and people. It pains me now, just a few days later, to have to take him to task once again. Worse, he is in the midst of celebrating his annual report with the politically correct movers and shakers. I have been described as dangerous, because I am neither PC, ambitious or nice; But, back to The Morning Call article and Alan's words about National Penn moving to Reillyville.

Early this morning, National Penn Bancshares CEO Scott Fainor announced that the company will move its headquarters to downtown Allentown in 2014. The bank will bring hundreds of employees to the city, occupying several floors in City Center Two. The building will be constructed on the northeast corner of Seventh and Hamilton streets where a building once occupied by First National Bank of Allentown is being demolished The Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley has long worked with the region’s banks to ensure the Lehigh Valley’s lower-income families and their neighborhoods gain access to credit, which is the intent of the Community Reinvestment Act passed by the United States Congress in 1977. According to Alan Jennings, Executive Director of CACLV, CRA is one of the most effective tools for creating economic opportunity in the country. Jennings issued the following statement in response to the announcement by Fainor. “This morning’s announcement by National Penn Bankshares CEO Scott Fainor may be the most important “community reinvestment act” in decades. The decision represents another big victory for the Neighborhood Improvement Zone. The bank’s action shouts out its bullishness on Allentown and the region. In an era when too many people are cynical about the motives behind others decisions, this decision is clearly one in which the bank sees an opportunity to gain a big return on its investment, building its deposit base and expanding its lending. In other words, the bank sees an opportunity to make money. Nothing could be better for Allentown and the region: it will create jobs where they are most needed, strengthen the livelihood of downtown businesses, create wealth that will spill over to the neighborhood, and improve access to credit. The best community development program is called “profit” and we hope that lots of other investors join the effort. “We congratulate the bank for yet another bold investment in downtown Allentown. We thank NIZ pioneer Senator Pat Browne for his creativity, both the senator and Representative Jennifer Mann for their legislative success, Mayor Ed Pawlowski for his perseverance and focus on the city’s needs and City Center principles J.B. Reilly and Joe Topper for their ability to effectively capitalize on an opportunity, even when it means swimming upstream.” Jennings serves on the Board of Directors of the Allentown Neighborhood Investment Zone Development Authority. He stressed that he was not representing ANIZDA in making this statement.

Although it is a positive thing that National Penn is moving into the Reilly and Topper Building, it in no way constitutes an investment in Allentown. On the contrary, the taxpayers are investing in the mortgage and providing a vehicle for the bank to have reduced rent. Jennings fails to acknowledge that the tax money would be utilized by Pennsylvania for reasons other than Reilly's mortgage, such as the CHIP, children's health insurance program. I also fail to see how this building or it's tenants improves the lives of lower income families, or increases their access to credit. J.B.Reilly and Joe Topper did not have to swim upstream; It was more like a shark attack that nobody knew was coming. Alan doesn't mention that Scott Fainor and National Penn loaned J.B. Reilly $20million dollars to buy up Allentown property, before anybody else even knew that NIZ loans would be available for private owners. It was loaned before any criterion were established, and before the NIZ board was even appointed. I agree with Jennings that as long as the Arena Complex and associated buildings are being built, I wish them successful occupancy. But, lets not imagine that the neighborhood poor are going to be invited into National Penn headquarters for a makeover. Lets not blow smoke.

Clinton Falls On The Sword

Although Hilary Clinton has fallen on the sword about responsibility for the deaths in Libya, everybody knows where the buck really stops. Her announcement, one day before the debate, almost looks like a parlor trick from a novelty store. Obama was quick enough to take the credit for  assisting the uprising that toppled Gaddafi. He was quick enough to take  credit for organizing the NATO Coalition air offensive in Libya. I believe that the timing of Hilary's announcement will not be lost on the American public. Although comment moderation remains in place, I have removed the word verification process for this post.

News From The Parkway

With the departure of former park director Greg Weitzel, responsibility for repairing the WPA entrance wall into Lehigh Parkway has been transfered to the City's Department of Engineering and it's street division. The one way traffic barricades are scheduled to be removed. Richard Young, department head, indicates that a hybrid wall of cement with a stone facade will probably be utilized. As the founder of the only group in Allentown concerned with the WPA, I can accept that remedy. Two years ago, rather than repair the stone steps on Jerome Street by Irving Park, the Park Department had them removed. The constructions at Irving Park were not WPA, but of that era and style. Elsewhere along the Little Lehigh, things are not too encouraging. Schreibers Bridge was probably recently hit by a tractor trailer. The 15th Street Bridge closure is resulting in a tremendous amount of traffic over the little stone arch, built in 1828. Although posted with a weight restriction, it is being used by both trucks and buses. The 15th Street replacement is scheduled for 15 months; Let us hope that our historic Schreibers Bridge survives that long.

The photograph above shows a freight run on the former Quarry Barber Branch Line, just west of Schreibers Bridge. Although the track has been removed, the trestle still stands.

Photograph taken in 1976 by Dave Latshaw, The Mark Rabenold Collection

Allentown's Misguided Train Plans

Up through the 1960's, Allentown's train system remained much in tack. In it's heyday, there were two passenger stations, and three commercial branch lines with dozens of individual business sidings. The WestEnd Branch ran along Sumner Ave, crossed Tilghman Street, headed west till 17th Street, and then looped back east  to 12 St. The Quarry Barber Branch ran along the Little Lehigh Creek, crossing Lehigh Street and running under the 8th Street Bridge. After crossing S. 10th Street, it proceeded west till it reached Hawk Flour Mill, where it turned north heading to Union Terrace. It crossed Hamilton Street by the current Hamilton Family Diner, and ended at the park department building, across from Birney Crum Stadium. Both these branches have been totally removed, not a track nor railroad tie remain. The third branch, which was the Old LVRR main, as opposed to the New Main, ran along the Lehigh River and crossed Front Street on a diagonal at Linden St. This branch line, although unused, still exists. One of it's main customers was Lehigh Structural Steel, under the Tilghman Street Bridge. Lehigh Structural had it's own engine to shuttle material on it's own tracks within their complex.  Although the steel fabricator closed, the parcel still has industrial tenants. Currently in Allentown there are two simultaneous plans which would misuse our railroad assets. The AEDC, headed by Scott Unger, wants to use a government grant to restore the Quarry Barber Branch to an empty building on S. 10th Street. The former plant operator never cited lack of train service as a factor in it's closing. To restore the line would cost untold millions of dollars, and require miles of track.  This is a folly which only seasoned bureaucrats could entertain. On the other hand, there is another plan by another group, to abandon the potential of the last remaining intact former branch line. The NIZ now controls the riverfront and the former Structural Steel property. Their plan is to vacate the industrial tenants, including Air Products, and convert the property into residential and light commercial, such as restaurants and gift shops. All these plans are driven by federal and state grants and tax incentives, which do not factor in Allentown's particular existing assets and long term interests. In a short sighted grab for some quick tax dollars, we would build one track to nothing, while ignoring another track and vacating an existing viable industrial site.

The photograph is from the Mark Rabenold Collection, and shows the Union Street crossing. 

The Baseball Trolley

Its been over fifty years since the Dodgers left Brooklyn. Ebbets Field opened in 1913, and was home of the Dodgers for 45 seasons. It was there that  Jackie Robinson withstood the tension of being the first black player. He was encouraged by another minority player in Detroit, Hank Greenberg. The stadium was demolished in 1960 and replaced by a cluster of apartment buildings.

Spinning Biden-Ryan

Last night handed the pundits whatever material their preordained point of view wanted. Victory was declared by both sides. Style and Substance is the new lexicon of debate. Was Biden's prolonged smile a positive sign of engagement, or a distracting overcompensation for his boss's previous performance? Did Biden sell the administration as skillfully navigating world events, or did Ryan's contention of dropping the ball ring true? Equally defensible counterpoints were presented regarding the economy and Medicare. The spin doctors were certainly given a full bag of ingredients to make their case. I would think that last night's performance didn't move the needle, but heightens the anticipation for next week's debate.

UPDATE: Scientific Poll: The gentlemen at the diner counter every morning are an economically diverse bunch. Ryan won the debate 8 to 0 because of Biden's smirking.  Scientific enough for me.

AEDC Junior Achievement

The Morning Call today is featuring a story and video about a young man opening a scrap wire business in east Allentown. I wish him all the success in the world, but have an issue with Pawlowski and Scott Unger loaning him our tax dollars. Unger, director of AEDC should do some research, I suggest a trip to Sumner Ave. Allentown has a half dozen existing scrap yards which buy scrap copper wire. I can assure him none of them were ever granted six figure loans by a city agency. As a matter of fact, many years ago Mr. Aronsky, from Valley Iron and Steel, donated the land which today comprises most of Trout Creek Park. If Unger's Junior Achievement mentality isn't absurd enough, the paper allows this young man to use the video as an virtual advertisement to buy scrap wire.

Junkyard Train

Today, once again we ride a freight train of Allentown's great industrial past. In the early 1970's, the Redevelopment Authority tore down the neighborhood on either side of the Lehigh Street hill. At that time they had persuaded Conrail to move the the Barber's Quarry Branch line exclusively to the southern side of the Little Lehigh. The branch had crossed over and back to service the great Wire Mill. After crossing Lehigh Street, the train would proceed along the creek passing under the 8th Street Bridge. At the 10th Street crossing it would service another great industrial giant, Traylor Engineering.
In 2009 President Obama visited a successor, Allentown Manufacturing, which has since closed. The line would continue along the creek until it turned north along Cedar Creek to Union Terrace. After crossing Hamilton Street by the current Hamilton Family Diner, it would end at the current park department building. Nothing remains of the line, the tracks were removed. The Allentown Economic Development Corporation recently received a grant to rebuild the line to 10th Street, even though the plant Obama visited has closed. The neighboring former Mack Plant now houses a go cart track. How the money will be squandered remains to be seen. The top photograph was taken by local train historian Mark Rabenold in 1989. It shows the later relocated section of the track that was just east of the Lehigh Street crossing.
reprinted from March 2011

UPDATE: The County Commissioners recently denied a request by AEDC to grant KOZ status to the closed Metal Manufacturing building. Although the company never cited lack of rail service or property taxes as the reason for closing, the rail grant is still on the table. $Millions of $Dollars would be needed to lay bed and track from 3th and Union to S. 10th Street, to service an empty building; Truly, The Track To Nothing.

Obama's Ohio Desperation

As it was being revealed that the State Department refused to provide additional security for our diplomatic personnel in Libya, Obama was in Ohio begging college kids to vote early for him.

“I still believe in you. And I’m asking you to keep believing in me,” Obama said to 15,000 people on the Oval at Ohio State University yesterday — his largest Ohio crowd of the cycle.

What does it mean that he still believes in them? He believes that they can help him win. He believes that his speaking skills can mesmerize them to care more about his future, than their own. Their upper class-men, who graduated last year, are delivering pizza's. Fortunately, for Obama, to paraphrase Winston Churchill, If you're not a liberal when you're young, you don't have a heart. If you're not a conservative when you're older, you don't have a brain. Unfortunately for Obama, there's also  a lot of older people.

Democrats Default To Distortion

Although the Obama camp Big Bird campaign backfired somewhat, distortion seems to be their play for the remainder of the campaign. Leading the charge with misleading headlines is the Huffington Post. A resort owner's letter stating that if Obama wins, his tax policies will result in cutbacks and layoffs becomes Your Fired If Obama Wins. It pains me* to report that even a local college professor buys the distortion on his blog. College campuses have been the historical bastion of left wing politics, nothing new there. Yesterday, it was revealed that Obama workers were registering high school students in Florida, pretending to be from the county voter registration office. Actually, there was a tremendous lesson for the professors to use in last week's debate. When Obama, the first rate orator, was confronted by a well informed opponent, eloquent speaking and acting alone were not enough to carry the night.

* I consider him a sincere person and a friend.

UPDATE: As the Huffington Post article on the resort owner slipped further down their homepage, they changed their original provocative title. The college professor has made his blog private, at least for the moment. He had linked to a different version of the story on the resort owner.

Roast Big Bird

The Obama Campaign, realizing that the public is no longer mesmerized just by his empty oratory performances, today insulted the voter's intelligence. In a new commercial featuring Big Bird, Romney is depicted as supporting notorious Wall Street embezzlers, while being against the beloved Sesame Street Character. I believe as the polls narrow, the Obama Campaign will sink to historical lows in negative advertising.

The Horrors Of Blogging

It seems that blogging may not be for the thin skinned. Few blogs that have started in the Valley remain for the long haul, especially as a regular venue, whether daily or even weekly. Most of the feedback or comments received by bloggers are anonymous. Although people do not want to reveal who they are, they are not bashful with either their questions for the blogger, or slurs about other people. The slurs end up being associated with the blogger. We even have bloggers that are anonymous. Today, the blogger known as LVIC defended his anonymity. He produced a video which claims that the Disciples Matthew and Luke also never revealed their last names, yet, they're read and appreciated. All LVIC wants for Christmas is a comment or two. Me, I keep thinking of Clark Gable; Frankly dear, I don't give a damn.

Allentown's Misplaced Priorities

The photograph above harks back to 1952, when Allentown had it's priorities straight. In 1954, the new East Side Fire Station was completed. Now demolished, the East Side waits for it's replacement, along with other things. Dennis Pearson explains it well.

One year ago the East Side Fire Station closed and we are still counting the days before it is rebuilt but not holding our breath for if we hold our breath too long we would need an undertaker rather then a Paramedic or fireman. How long will it take for us to feel safe... And you know what none of our elected city councilman and woman and appointed councilman and women have ranted and raved over this issue.... Two signs have been placed on fence guarding the empty lot of the former fire station to tell the story. Happy 250th year Allentown but the East Side has an issue that needs to be resolved. And also, there have been road work signs on Hanover Avenue the past two weeks ,,, We ask is the work being performed by ghosts for we certainly see no work being performed. Dennis Pearson

In addition to the East Side being neglected and endangered, the South Side is isolated because of the 15th Street Bridge Project. That work is being done at a casual pace, inappropriate for the hardship it is creating. Schreibers stone arch bridge has been severely damaged once again, from endless two way traffic with no monitoring. While the Transformational Hockey Arena receives most of the Mayor's attention, other problems are given band-aids. Opposition to selling one of our few remaining assets, the water system, rests with a few individuals and a couple of blogs. The share-owners in this city, the taxpaying property owners, need to assert themselves through their neighborhood crime groups. The perpetrator now is City Hall.

Bill White's Cake Recipes

It's hard for Bill White, Morning Call columnist, to win with me. On one hand, I criticize him for writing about grammar and judging baking contests; On the other hand, I lampoon his occasional forays into the political arena. I suppose I should honestly start with the jealousy disclaimer. Bill gets paid big bucks to produce three columns a week, and uses his bully pulpit to eat his way through Musikfest. I produce six posts a week, and must drive around town wearing a disguise for my reward. Anyway, Bill put down the food yesterday, and wrote about the water lease. He concluded his column by saying that he was against a referendum, because we have a representational democracy, with elected Council members.

I believe a decision this important should be made by elected officials who have devoted their time and expertise to studying all the ramifications, not to a popular vote by people who in the vast majority of cases will be much less informed. This is how a representative democracy is supposed to work.

Had Bill attended more than one council meeting every five years, he would know that we have a rubber stamp, which has never denied this mayor any request. With three of the seven council members being appointed, instead of elected, and a decision with a 50 year consequence, what is he talking about? Bill, stay with the cake recipes.

He Did Build That Business

Water War

I believe that if the Administration and it's well trained City Council decide to sell Allentown's water system, there will be a political price to pay. However, if their arrogance prevails, let them consider the following; When the Arena eminent domain vote was put before City Council two years ago, the cost was projected at $80-million dollars. Last week, the NIZ Authority sold $244 million in bonds. The project supposedly will now cost $272-million, close to 400% more than when approved by City Council. If Council approves the water lease at $150-million, how do we know that the Mayor will not actually sell it for 300% less, or $50-million? If there is one lesson that Council should have learned from the arena, it's that you don't sign a blank check, or a blank withdraw slip.   If Pawlowski will not agree to second vote, where Council gets to approve the actual lease agreement, it's incumbent upon them to vote no on the first vote.

Romney's Game Changer

I believe that Romney did more than hit a home run last night, he changed the game. Prior to the debate, it was thought that because of Obama's oratory skills, if Romney held his own, it would be a job well done. Romney did much more than hold his own, he dominated the debate, even while allowing Obama more speaking time. More precious than the actual debate, was the pundit reaction afterwards. Progressive Rachel Maddow felt that Obama should have used the 47% weapon. Others described Obama as tired and lackluster. Million dollar contributor Bill Maher tweeted that apparently Obama needs the teleprompter. Needless to say, the conservatives were dancing in their underpants. The next debate on foreign policy doesn't bode well for Obama, United States appeared unprepared for the consequences of the Arab Spring. It will be a long month for the candidates, world events is a wild card beyond their control.

Allentown's Tycoon

When I spoke at City Council several meetings ago, behind me in line was J.B. Reilly. He told the Council that the water deal was good for Allentown, and that we better take the deal, while the taking was good. I thought of the old E.F. Hutton commercial, when everyone in the dining room goes quiet, to hear the oracle. Of course what he was saying was not true, time is not of the essence with any water offer; But, he is a genuine tycoon. Council President Guridy should have been offended that Pawlowski would send Reilly to lecture them, but both he and The Morning Call were impressed. It's not cheap to hire Reilly for the evening. The City just sold $224 million of municipal bonds to finance Reilly's projects. Two weeks ago, Reilly closed on the former 1st National Bank on the northeast corner of the square. The building is being prepped for demolition. Although the City just approved several more parcels for the NIZ, don't expect them to float more bonds for the junior varsity.

Channel Molovinsky

Recently, the editorial staff at molovinsky on allentown was speculating on Lights In The Parkway, and the bottle neck created by the closing of the 15th Street Bridge. Traffic, for the most part, is now being handled by the 188 year old Schreibers Bridge. Normally, during the Lights season, traffic backs up on the historic stone arch. Before we proceed with this story, two points must be made. I consider the rusting away of the 15th Street bridge negligence by Mayor Pawlowski, considering that he was Community Development Director under Afflerbach, before being Mayor. South Side Allentown is being avoided, and economically adversely affected because of the isolation. Schreibers Bridge is being submitted to repetitive damage because of excessive traffic. A molovinsky field reporter has discovered that the City will handle the dilemma by reversing the traffic flow through the Parkway during the Lights season. Traffic will enter through Vultee Street by Queen City Airport, and exit on to S. 15th Street. She also wants you to remember that you heard it first, here on Channel Molovinsky, although actual broadcasting will not begin until May of 2013.

The Bicentennial 1962

I suppose the kindest thing I can say about this weekend's 250th celebration is nothing. Mercifully, Billy Joel's iconic tune drowned out the inane lyrics to Ed Pawlowski's new Allentown song.

So we're living well in Allentown Cause it's hard to keep a good city down Oh, some darker days are now behind And the restlessness has settled down There's a million reasons now to stay Well we're thriving here in Allentown It's the jewel in Pennsylvania's crown And we've got it all in Allentown And it's feeling like a brand new day Oh it's so much easier to stay

In 1962 there was no need for a revisionist song, the city was full of hope. Downtown was still thriving, and all the famous industries of Allentown were still in production. I suppose the seeds of our demise were already planted. The Whitehall Mall may have already been in the planning stages. The union legacy costs were starting to be calculated at Bethlehem Steel. Discount stores were beginning to sale cheaper clothing made off shore. In 1962 Billy Joel's song was still twenty years away. For those who prefer delusion with their morning coffee, you may prefer The Morning Call report on this weekend's 250th celebration.

Jostling With Windmills

I had a chance encounter with an opponent of the water lease plan in the grocery store. The person mentioned how tiring the battle has been, and how difficult it will be to succeed with keeping the water system in the citizen's hands. I know a little bit about this exhaustion, I have been fighting City Hall for well over a decade, as an army of one. The last group I belonged to was the Cub Scouts. I ran as an independent for office. I think my visits to City Hall inspired some of the security buffers now in place. There are few reporters, or editors, at The Morning Call that I haven't had words with, at one time or another. I could list a few victories here, but I won't risk jinxing my limited success. Blogging has been a fortunate vehicle for me. My detractors would be shocked to see a who's who of my readership. I thank you for that.                                                                     Michael Molovinsky

The Selling Of Allentown

Ed Pawlowski & Company has been selling off Allentown the past several years. He sold center city to the Hammes, Brooks, and J.B. Reilly groups without much public resistance. The former merchants and their supporters virtually had no influence. When he sold the city air rights to the Trash To Cash&Energy Company, it raised a few eyebrows. A chamber full of outside union members, and a few motorcycles, intimidated the Council into staying with the Administration's yard sale on that deal. It was reported last night that the public's right to referendum was mentioned, that may well be the card to play. Although City Council can issue a referendum on their own, on their own, they don't have the will. The water opponents will have to do it the old fashioned way, the hard way. The procedure requires 2000 signatures. If a successful restaurateur, and a former successful merchant, combine energy, that should be a doable feat.

Perilous Times

The Radiation Mystery: Wetherhold & Metzger

The Shoe giant Wetherhold & Metzger started in 1908 on Hamilton street's south side. When business began to prosper, they moved across to the more prominent north side of Hamilton Street. Their store at 719 Hamilton was recently demolished, along with most of Allentown's mercantile history. It was a two story store, with the children's department on the lower level. This post originally was scheduled for sometime in the future, and was to include a Buster Brown poster. Today's Morning Call has a story on the mystery radium 226 found in the debris of the former buildings, and I thought perhaps the molovinsky on allentown historical division could help. Wetherhold & Metzer's downtown store was quite the adventure for a kid. In addition to your mother's money being transported away in a tube system like the bank drive-ups use today, you could look inside your shoes and see your feet.

Needless to say, eventually these shoe fluoroscopes were banned, but for many years one stood in the lower level of 719 Hamilton Street. Many a child, including myself, saw our foot bones in our new Buster Browns. Wetherhold & Metzger also had an uptown store in the 900 block of Hamilton Street.

Betraying General Trexler

This evening many former supporters of the administration will gather in the Council Chamber to try and persuade City Council to reject the administration's water lease plan. These former supporters were on board when the mayor paved Cedar Park, and sent the merchants packing. Don't know if you have been on Hamilton Street lately? We have solved the seedy customer problem, there are no more customers. Things started going bad between the mayor and the supporters back with the Trash to Energy contract. Supporters or not, seems that they're particular about the air they breath and the water they drink. Bless them for thinking that democracy is in play this evening, or in Allentown. What they should be doing is speaking to an outside attorney about an injunction against the lease. Around 1900, General Trexler donated hundreds of acres along the Little Lehigh to protect the watershed for the benefit of Allentown's citizens. They should be petitioning the Trexler Trust to protect the intentions of the General.

The Morning Call Idea Contest

The Morning Call is in desperate need of ideas, especially for it's columnists. Ideas can be submitted as letters to the editor. Your intellectual property will be deleted from your letter, but reappear without credit or attribution, as a headline by one of their writers. Blogger Michael Molovinsky has won the contest several times. Only one submission per week will be accepted.

Yom Kippur 1973

On Yom Kippur in 1973 Egypt and Syria surprised Israel with a coordinated attack on two fronts. 80,000 Egyptian troops overran Israel's Bar Lev defensive line in the Sinai. 175 shells per second rained down on Israel's 500 defenders from 2000 Egyptian artillery pieces. On the Golan, Israeli tanks were outnumbered by the Syrians ten to one. It took Israel two full days, and thousands of casualties, to mobilize. By the time a truce went into effect three weeks later, Israeli commanders had marched within 25 miles of Damascus, and 63 miles of Cairo.

Shown above General Ariel Sharon with Defense Minister Moshe Dyan in Egypt

Bill White, Something Borrowed

Readers of this blog know that I was upset about the editing of my last column in The Morning Call. My premise was that there would be a political price to pay for voting for the water contract. I wrote that "One Councilman, Michael Schlossberg, who is going to Harrisburg unopposed as a State Representative, is resigning early from Council to evade this damaging baggage." The Morning Call changed the sentence to "One councilman, Michael Schlossberg, who is going to Harrisburg unopposed in the election for state representative, is resigning early from council." That deletion significantly changed the meaning, and compromised the cohesion of my piece. When I called in protest, the Your View editor told me that he accommodated another editor who requested the change. I didn't ask who he was accommodating. It is generally known that Bill White is now assisting with the Letters page. Tuesday's Bill White column questions if Michael Schlossberg resigned early to avoid the water vote. I must now ask Bill White if he edited my editorial so that he could use my question as his own?

UPDATE: My first reaction to the editing of my Morning Call article last week was that it was a gift by the paper to Schlossberg. My second reaction, upon reading White's article, is clearly stated above. I have just been told that Bill White was NOT the second editor. Although I'm compelled to post this update, the sentence in my editorial never should have been changed. If I over-reacted, it's based on the paper's history in failing to give proper attribution.

Weekly Reader

When I was growing up my parents would receive both The Morning Call and The Evening Chronicle.* This was their main source of news. Television in the late 40's and early 50's had national and world news, but there was no local programing in Allentown. The antenna on our roof would receive the three network (ABC, NBC, and CBS) stations from Philadelphia, and that was it. The morning and evening papers provided the local news, in addition to national and world stories. Hess Brothers and Leh's would compete with multiple full page Ads. We children also had our own little paper, Weekly Reader, handed out in the classroom every Friday. I think of it when I get the thin Morning Call on Mondays.

* The Morning Call and Evening Chronicle were both published by same company, Call-Chronicle Newspapers.

reprinted from March, 2010

A Personal Memoir

I'm not sure memoir is a good title, rather than facts and records, I have hazy recollections. Assuming my memory will not improve at this stage of the game, let me put to print that which I can still recall. In about 1958 my father built Flaggs Drive-In. McDonalds had opened on Lehigh Street, and pretty much proved that people were willing to sit in their cars and eat fast food at bargain prices. For my father, who was in the meat business, this seemed a natural. As a rehearsal he rented space at the Allentown Fair for a food stand, and learned you cannot sell hotdogs near Yocco's. He purchased some land across from a corn field on Hamilton Blvd. and built the fast food stand. In addition to hamburgers, he decided to sell fried chicken. The chicken was cooked in a high pressure fryer called a broaster, which looked somewhat like the Russian satellite Sputnik. The stand did alright, but the business was not to my father's liking, seems he didn't have the personality to smile at the customers. He sold the business several years later to a family which enlarged and enclosed the walk up window. Subsequent owners further enlarged the location several times. The corn field later turned into a Water Park, and you know Flaggs as Ice Cream World.

I'm grateful to a kind reader who sent me this picture of Flaggs

reprinted from January, 2011

Romney's 47%

Yesterday I went to the Social Security Office, across from the prison, to discuss my retirement options. I was given number 199. In addition to retirement, Social Security also dispenses money for disability. I would say from the gray hair, there were about three of us contemplating retirement, all the others were for disability. A few middle age men were carrying their fake canes. The canes aren't fake, it's the disabilities. I saw one such gentleman walk in from the parking lot, clearly the cane bore no weight, and was merely a prop. Most of the people waiting were quite young, in their twenties. Disability has now been expanded to include mental conditions such as depression, anxiety, additive personality and anger management. I will say many of them did look angry to me. It was hard finding a parking space. Business also looked good at the prison. If Johnny Manana's had gotten these crowds....

The above is reprinted from a previous post entitled Growth Industry In Allentown.  The Obama camp and their sycophants in the media, think that they're having a field day with the secret Romney tape.  In reality, the tape raises a question about a serious problem in America,  which Obama and his choir wouldn't want to address.

AEDC's Choo Choo

The Allentown Economic and Development Corporation has received a $1.8 million grant, toward a $4 million dollar project, to restore a portion of the Barber Quarry branch to service an industrial building on South 10th Street. The building once housed Traylor Engineering, which was a giant back in the day. Recently, it housed a smaller fabricator who President Obama visited on his Allentown photo opportunity mission. The business has since closed, but let's not have that reality stand in the way of grants. Last summer, I fought against Allentown's Trail Network Plan, which catered to the spandex cyclist crowd. The new trail was to be built on the Barber Quarry track line. Not only didn't the AEDC oppose the plan, it's director was an advocate. Now they will be funded to develop that which they wanted to destroy. Where do I begin in Allentown's World of Mirth?    Only in the unaccountable  world of agencies and grants, would $millions of dollars of our money be available for projects which are twenty years too late.  The track is long gone.  The only industry (Traylor Engineering) which would have need, is long gone.  The business reality of South 10th Street is now  a go-cart track and the Hive, which is a Junior Achievement type project.

Barber Quarry Branch Line Posts
The Train of Lehigh Parkway
Allentown Archeology
Junkyard Train

above reprinted from May of 2011

UPDATE: SEPT. 21,2012  AEDC And Pawlowski AT IT AGAIN Pawlowski Development Company is currently conducting a full court press on both the County Commissioners and the Allentown School Board to grant KOZ status to the closed Metal Works, the same building referred to above, from where both Obama and Romney spoke on their visits to Allentown. When Obama was here shortly after being elected, it was still operating. By the time Romney came during his primary, it was already shuttered. At no time did the owner ever cite lack of rail service, or payment of property taxes, as factors in the decline of his company. Pawlowski has Scott Unger, from AEDC, pitching the KOZ, saying that the building will have a choo choo train. The track has been removed and scrapped years ago, all the way from 3th and Union Streets. The cost to restore the rail bed to an empty building on speculation would be untold $millions to the taxpayers. Although in the world of federal grants there is little accounting, this would truly be the Track To No-Where. Ironically, one of the last existing areas with a track spur, along the river by Structural Steel, is being eyed for residential use.

The Politics of Allentown's Water Sellout

According to The Morning Call article by Emily Opilo, former Councilman Michael Donovan's effort to establish a citizen committee to study the water sale issue has been rebuffed by Julio Guridy and Company. Before we get too far into the political shenanigans, let me explain that apparently Opilo replaced Devon Lash, following a long standing Morning Call tradition of assigning a new reporter to the Allentown beat. Devon replaced Renshaw, but there were a few in between I can't recall. I'm sure Emily's a good reporter, but it would be nice to have someone covering the Big Sellout who knows the characters. Actually, I know the dope, but The Morning Call altered my recent editorial to protect Michael Schlossberg. I wrote that Mike's retiring early to avoid the political baggage of the water sale vote. They changed the sentence to Mike's retiring. Emily, their new reporter, wrote a story earlier this week on the sale. She allowed Schlossberg, who will be our new unopposed State Representative, to praise the sale concept without having to endure the political damage of actually voting for it. How nice for Mike, he gets to kiss the ring of Pawlowski and Company, with no consequence from the voters. Talking of no consequence, apparently Peter Schweyer skipped last night's meeting, which denied the Citizen Group input. Gotta love the Cabal.

UPDATE:  Click Here For Coalition To Save Allentown Water

UPDATE: BY DENNIS PEARSON: Eichenwalds motion should have been seconded so Council could formally vote on the motion. So what if the vote perhaps would have been 4 to 1 against the proposal . At least Council would have formally answed the petition. But Council last night chose the cowhardly way to vote it down.

Such action to me demonstrated that all is not good with Allentown's appointed Council. Davis and Mota would not buck Guridy and Pawlowsky. And the elected O'Connell normally an ally of Eichenwald left her hanging.

Guridy chided the crowd for not showing respect, not hanging on his every word. Guridy for public purposes says to be an open mind. But in reality it would be very surprizing if he voted against the Mayor's plan. Guridy must remember that his leadership position in Allentown government does not require free citizens to bow down at his presence and pamper him with adolation.

Indeed I had thoughts of sitting on Council myself. On Council I would not be concerned about longevity on Council but doing the right and honorable thing. The issues that are coming before Council are issues I have deep understanding of. But because I would never automatically vote the Mayor's way or Guridy's way I would never be appointed to Council by this Council. That is why I will not apply for this third appointment on Council within a year.

Democracy is dead in Allentown. But Tammany Hall is alive.           BY DENNIS PEARSON

postcard shows the water works in 1905

Still Hoping For Change

The same liberals weaned on Camelot, now resent Mitt Romney's success. Romney's assets are peanuts compared to the Kennedy Fortune, which has supported the families of a hundred different offspring since Papa Joe made the fortune running booze from Canada. Here in the local blogosphere, Mitt lost Bernie O'Hare's vote yesterday, when it was revealed that Romney knew that there was only 53% of the vote up for grabs this election. Actually, Mitt said that he wasn't going to worry about the 47% of the population benefiting from entitlements. It fits the Obama media machine to twist, pull and shape that statement into Mitt not caring about those people, as opposed to realistically writing off their vote. They discount the fact that he was a governor to many low income people in Massachusetts. They ignore the fact that he has a reputation of lending a hand in his faith based community. O'Hare is more offended by a candid statement made at a private dinner party, than the divisive statements made by Obama on the campaign trail. Obama has been dividing citizens by income since he was elected. Why is John Kennedy a hero on his sailing yacht, while Mitt Romney is portrayed as the captain from Gillian's Island? The Bernie O'Hare's feel guilty that they are so disappointed in Obama's reality. The eloquent words were not matched by expected deeds. What a relief to find a few words by his opponent, which can be pounced upon.

Dear Resident

What most Allentonians know about the water leasing plan is limited to Mayor Ed Pawlowski's letter included with their current water bill. Although the plan has been covered by the newspapers and local television, apparently the public listens, but doesn't understand. I make this conclusion because although the City Council hearing was well attended, there were not thousands of homeowners there with torches and pitchforks. Pawlowski's Dear Resident letter lets the homeowner know that there is a plan to rebuild Allentown, and it is working. The only thing between them and nirvana is the unfunded pensions, and The Long-Term Leasing of the City's water and sewer services is the solution that brings both immediate and long-lasting financial relief....and keeps us on the road to prosperity.

Capernaum By The Sea

Matthew 4:13: And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum,...

Capernaum, the city of Jesus, is on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The foundation of the Synagogue of Jesus, is beneath the ornate 4th century synagogue, partially restored by the Franciscans in the early 1900's.

Mark 1:21: he entered into the synagogue and taught

Nearby, the modern Church of St. Peter's House was built by the Franciscans in 1990. It's glass floor reveals the lower walls of the 5th century octagon church, which was built around the walls of St. Peter's House. Also there, shown in the photograph, is the Greek Orthodox Church of the Twelve Apostles. It was built in 1931, during the British Mandate period (1917-1948).

reprinted from December, 2011

Obama's Failed Policy

Thoughts By Shoshana Bryen
 In The National Review: The violence in Egypt and Libya — now spreading to Morocco and Kuwait — is an indication that the U.S. is unable to buy leverage. We bombed Qaddafi and undermined Mubarak on behalf of the revolution, but it has not engendered warm feelings toward us — or our president — in their successors. (In Morocco, they're carrying signs that say "Death to Obama.") Revolutionary movements either have, or are co-opted by people who have, well-developed ideologies and agendas. The Muslim Brotherhood was forged over the course of decades spent in Egyptian jails. Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, the Haqqani network, Hamas, and Hezbollah know what they want to achieve, and it has nothing to do with representative democracy. They can't be bought by a few months, or even years, of American largesse or by America's dumping of Israel.... President Obama wanted our troubles in the region to be the fault of President Bush, but it wasn't true...America's problem is that it fails to understand that the enemy of my enemy is not my friend. He is only closer to me than my enemy, and only for now.

Shoshana Bryen in the New English Review: Is The War Against Islamic Terrorism Over? Shoshana Bryen: "War" against any pathology is doomed. The Wars on Drugs, Poverty and Terrorism have no matrix for success, so you wouldn't know when you'd won; you could never stop fighting. President Bush's formulation, "The war against terrorists and the states that harbor and support them," got to the heart of the symbiotic relationship between terrorists and their sponsors - terrorists need money, territory, arms, passports, etc. that can only be supplied by states; states need the ability to commit mayhem with plausible deniability (i.e., Saudi support for al Qaeda). The war would be won when the territory across the region is governed by sovereigns who decline support for transnational terrorist organizations. Without such support, you would still have isolated incidents - a man in a marketplace with a grenade - but the large-scale, country-changing, spectacular terrorism of 9-11 or Bali or London would be almost impossible. This does not mean those governments would be our friends, be democratic, like Israel, be secular, and/or not have wars. It simply means that support for al Qaeda and other such would dry up. To the question of whether we're winning - no. Particularly in the past two years, the Obama administration has withdrawn from Iraq (which was fragile), overthrew the Libyan government (which was anti-al Qaeda and now supports al Qaeda across North Africa and in Mali), and welcomed the Muslim Brotherhood while doing nothing to constrain Iran or Saudi Arabia (who support opposite sides, but both of whose sides hate us). The incentive for governments to withhold support for anti-Western or anti-Israel terrorism has been reduced, not increased by the Obama Administration.

Shoshana Bryen is Director of The Jewish Policy Center

Hillary's Mistake

Thoughts By Shoshana Bryen
In an effort to protect the delicate sensibilities of Egyptian rioters who invaded the American Embassy and tore down the American flag, Secretary of State Clinton accepted at face value the claim that the rioters were just so outraged and horrified by an anti-Muslim movie that they couldn't control themselves. While rejecting violence in a pro forma way ("There is never any justification..."), she went on to apologize for her nasty countrymen and to deplore them.... As a practical matter, Secretary Clinton's acceptance of the movie as instigator of the riots reeks of naiveté. Did it not occur to her that a purported offense against Islam might be a smoke screen for well-planned violence?.... Did it not occur to her that the anniversary of 9-11 would be a great time for Islamic enemies of the United States to launch another attack on a symbolic American target? They can't reach New York perhaps (thank you, NYPD and the Patriot Act), but an American Embassy is sovereign American soil... Ambassador Stevens' murder should infuriate Americans, who must at a minimum be wondering why U.S. Embassies in post-revolutionary Muslim countries were not better protected. The last time we were in that situation, 52 Americans spent more than a year imprisoned in the Embassy in Iran. What rules of engagement did the Marines guards have? Secretary Clinton has an unfortunate habit of trying to ingratiate herself with Muslims who can't seem to control themselves. In one of her earliest trips in 2009, she told an audience in Indonesia, "I am a Christian... Through the centuries we have had many people who have done terrible things in the name of Christianity. They have perverted the religion." It was a rookie mistake -- her religion and her opinion of its behavior are irrelevant. The government she represents is as deeply grounded in the separation of Church and State as it is in freedom of speech. Just as her religion is officially irrelevant, so is the religion of those with whom she interacts on behalf of the government. When mobs invade the sovereign territory of the U.S. abroad, when they tear down our flag and replace it with the slogan of the Muslim Brotherhood, when they murder an American Ambassador and members of the Embassy staff, they are our enemies. If they are Muslim, so be it Mrs. Clinton.

The above are excerpts from Bryen's article at The American Thinker. Shoshana is director of The Jewish Policy Center.

The NIZ Bonds

During the 1950's, the big television show was the $64,000 Question. Back then, that was a lot of money. Turns out, even though the contestants went into an elaborate soundproof booth, some players knew the question and answer beforehand. Although the second string developers, Joe Clark and Albert Abdouche succeeded in getting their properties included in the NIZ zone, will the NIZ Authority float more bonds for their projects? I'd bet not.

Allentown's Destination Dog Casino and Park

Recently, this blog hosted a guest post from a dog owner upset about the riparian buffers and grow zones blocking both access and view of the creeks. Also recently, I announced my new identity as park ranger, actually walking the parks on a regular basis. I can tell you that the dog owners love their four legged companions, the companions have healthy digestive systems, but not all owners are good at picking up their companion's deposits. All regular park walkers know that they must watch where they're stepping. Before Greg Weitzel left with his $million dollar resume, in addition to the Destination Water Park, he commissioned plans for a Destination Dog Park. Local environmental coalitions are not happy about the location, the park borders Trout Creek. Intentionally programming doggie deposits into our waterways is not considered Best Practice. As an advocate for preserving the historic features in our park system, I was disappointed to see both the park department, and Friends Of The Parks, hold a fundraiser for the doggie casino this past Saturday. This park department has not budgeted one dollar, or expressed one concern, about the condition of the deteriorating WPA stone structures throughout the park system.

Morning Call's Catch-Up

The Morning Call's feature story on the potential over supply of hotel rooms is nothing new to my regular readers. This blog has often said that the new arena hotel will reduce the Holiday Inn to a flop house, and be another nail in the coffin of the Americus, shown here in better days. According to the article, the Holiday is operating at about 38% occupancy. To think that the arena will sprout enough activity to support two hotels, much less three, is a pipe dream only possible with taxpayer dollars. I believe that if the Americus is to have a future, it will be as apartments. I also believe that ownership will be wrestled away from the current owner, before NIZ financing would be bestowed upon a favored developer for that conversion. Last, but not least, a revelation about my recent editorial in the paper. It was modified by the Morning Call staff to spare a City Council member my frank evaluation. I have inserted the unedited version with the previous post announcing the editorial.