Playing With Trains

When I was a kid growing up in the early 1950's, some of my friends had large, elaborate model train layouts in their basement. This was the hobby of their fathers, and the modeling was first class. During the day, these men worked in real factories, many of which had train sidings, to bring raw material and take away finished product. Traylor engineering on S. 10th Street was a steel fabricator of large scale. It's finished products would often require a flat car. The factory, which had it's own switcher, was served by the Barber Quarry Branch line. Eventually, as the country's manufacturing base waned, so did the demand for oversize products. Flatbed trucks replaced the trains for the smaller, less frequent product and the branch line was dismantled. Although Traylor closed, the factory continued as Allentown Metal, and hosted Barak Obama during his first term. By the last campaign, Mitt Romney used the then closed factory as a backdrop when visiting Allentown. During the last decades of operation, the company never attributed it's difficulty to lack of train service. Although the company also never cited property taxes as a contributing factor in it's demise, last year Allentown Economic Development Corporation sought KOZ status for the closed factory. They also received a federal grant to rebuilt the former rail line from 3th and Union Street to the 10th Street factory. This year the AEDC purchased the factory. My friend's fathers built their models and pursued their hobbies with their own money. The AEDC pursues their nonsense with our money. They should be disbanded.

Pawlowski Operative Gets Free Spin

Although Kim Velez regaining a ballot position wasn't Mike Fleck's plan, the Morning Call did allow him some damage control this morning. The reporter wrote , Despite the decision, questions remain about the validity of the signatures on Velez's petitions. Fleck said fewer than 90 of the approximately 120 signatures Velez submitted were valid. Petitions can be formally challenged in court, but the deadline to do so passed March 19. If the reporter knew that the deadline has passed, then she knew that any question about the signatures is now a moot point. She then allowed Fleck to assault Velez even more."It's a legal conundrum," Fleck said. "If she was allowed to be challenged, I firmly believe Kim Velez wouldn't be allowed to be on the ballot. Her withdrawing from the ballot allowed her to run." The real conundrum is why the paper reported Fleck's statement. Velez was allowed to be challenged, by anyone of her opponents, before March 19th. Apparently Fleck didn't firmly believe that a legitimate challenge would have succeeded, or they would have done so. Instead, they resorted to intimidation. Fleck ironically has created more publicity for Velez than his own clients, for which he is being paid.

Morning Call Blog Contest

If you vote for Bernie O'Hare and me today, we'll gladly buy you a hamburger tomorrow. Bernie and I have decided to enter The Morning Call Blog Contest. Unfortunately, rather than being judged by journalists, it's a simple popularity contest. We need you to vote for our blogs, and place the votes every day, until April 22nd. Please consider Bernie (Lehigh Valley Ramblings) for the Politics category, and this blog (molovinsky on allentown) for Opinion. Click here to reach the contest.

The Administration's Goalie

In two very important initiatives, the Administration's advantage was  recently protected at the last second by Tim Benyo, Voter Registration Chief Clerk, an appointed position. Benyo convinced the Save The Water Coalition that they used the wrong procedure, and Kim Velez, that she couldn't withdraw her withdraw. In the Water Lease Petition Drive, the City Solicitor, Jerry Snyder, had scrutinized the law and only ruled that the circulators had to be registered voters of Allentown, and pre-registered with the City Clerk. The City Clerk also functions as the referee on citizen initiatives. When Benyo rejected the water petitions for a ballot question, were Pawlowski and Hanlon really surprised? In the Kim Velez case, Tim Benyo notarized Velez's withdraw form himself, although all petitions must be pre-notarized before being submitted to the Registers Office. Benyo indirectly acknowledged to Velez that he knew that she was approached by an attorney before withdrawing.  I have been withholding this post since Velez withdrew, waiting for yesterday's court decision. Although I previously posted that Brennan acted in a way to deprive Velez of her rights, I felt  that adding Benyo to a possible conspiracy might injure Velez. How large of an apple cart would a judge be willing to overturn? As it turns out, delicate wording was employed in yesterday's decision to protect Brennan from repercussions. Although I withheld this post, I did contact the Water Lease Opposition and explain my suspicions. When the city took the petitions to Benyo, were they surprised that he cited differences between state law and Home Rule Charter in not accepting them? Who really did the research to justify that opinion? Although Benyo was a legal expert in rejecting the water petitions, three weeks later he personally notarized and implemented the withdraw from an obviously intimidated candidate.

As The World Turns In Allentown

As politics go in the little league of Allentown, which is anything other than the Pawlowski machine, Kim Velez was reinstated this morning by Judge Michelle Varricchio. According to Bernie O'Hare, who attended the hearing, Brennan's story was weak, and the best he could ask for was that the judge wouldn't use the term duress in deciding what had transpired. Brennan did concede that he was working for Mike Fleck, who represents Pawlowski, Guridy and Moto among others. Ms. Velez accepted last place on the ballot, rather than press to have the ballot positions redrawn. I used the term little league because The Morning Call put Michael Donovan's mayoral announcement on page six of today's paper. As an independent, I was treated in such a second class fashion in 2005, but then there was both a Democrat and Republican running, and I was third man. Hopefully, Donovan will get better positioning as the campaign unfolds. O'Hare will write a more detailed account of the hearing later today.

The Allentown Arena Sideshow

Years ago, when the circus came to town, it had sideshows. The purpose of these attractions was to make sure that by the time you left the circus grounds, your pockets were empty of any spare cash. In a similar fashion, the politically correct term of Community Benefit is being used to extract even more tax dollars. The Community College is proudly going to be operating the job training program, connected with the arena complex. I don't know who they will be training for what, but it won't be the doctors for the sports medicine center, at least I hope not. It won't be the bankers for National Penn Headquarters. Maybe they could train their students to smoke cigarettes, and help Joe Topper extract more CHIP tax from Pennsylvania for his mortgage debt service. A recent article by the Philadelphia Inquirer noted the decrease in state funds going to CHIP, but the reporter apparently didn't realize that the difference is helping Allentown's chosen few.  Alan Jennings is extracting developer fees for his small business incubator division, despite the fact that 7th Street is apparently already 90% occupied. CUNA,  and the other well intentioned who requested Community Benefit,  inadvertently gave  license for these sideshows. If the powers that be really wanted to feature minority business people serving low income clientele, they would have left Hamilton Street as it was.

The WPA Walk At Lehigh Parkway

A Walk In The Park began at the spring pond, adjacent to the parking lot at Robin Hood. I explained how I prevailed upon the park watershed manager in 2010,, Mike Gilbert,  to uncover the stones surrounding the pond, and trim back the brush from the miniature bridge. Mike has retired, and unfortunately, once again the pond stones are being overgrown. The group traveled east, along the bridle path on the north side of the creek.
Frank Whelan took over the show at the historic lime kiln, explaining plans for a railroad line which never materialized, during the Civil War era. We proceeded down the path, and from the bank surveyed  the condition of the island. I pointed out the location of the former bridge, and the size of the man made island before being elongated by silt. Last stop on that side of the creek was the recovered portion of the Boat Landing, which I excavated in 2009 with help from what is now the Allentown WPA Association.

 We crossed over to the other side of the creek, and began our stroll back on the it's south side. Another historic kiln graces the path, opposite the island.

 Last stop on our tour was the impressive double stairwell.  Originally there was a spring and small pond included with the structure, which has been filled in a number of years ago. I assure you that there was more to the story at each stop. Please join us when we explore the next park.

photos by Karen El Chaar, Director-Friends Of Allentown Parks

The Fountain Park Flood Wall

Last week I used this photo in regard to the water lease controversy. It shows the rear of the Allentown water plant on Martin Luther King Drive. Although I identified the railroad track as part of the former Barber Quarry Spur route, a mystery remained. The rail line itself was on the south side of the Little Lehigh Creek. It would past Schreibers Bridge, and end up past Union Terrace, behind the present day Hamilton Family Dinner. An inquiry to Mark Rabenold, local train historian, was in order. Wow... that's a rare photo, indeed! What you have there is the remnant of the siding that used to cross a short trestle/bridge over the Little Lehigh creek and once serviced the city's water works. You're right in that it came off the Barber branch. According to Dave R. Latshaw's article on the Barber branch in the 1988 Proceedings of the Lehigh County Historical Society.

"Initially coal was unloaded from hopper cars standing on a siding located along the south bank of Little Lehigh Creek and was carried across the creek by donkeys pulling two-wheel carts over a bridge built by Col. Harry C. Trexler directly behind the pump station. In later years a conveyor operated by electricity hauled coal from cars spotted on branch track to storage bins at the pump station. Circa 1910, the water department constructed a railroad bridge from the branch to the pump station. This bridge allowed the movement of coal in hopper cars directly to the boiler house....In August 1936, because flooding of Little Lehigh creek on occasion threatened the pump station and filtration plant, municipal authorities approved construction of a flood wall along the creek's north bank. In addition, a pit was built to allow dumping coal between the tracks and a conveyor then lifted coal from the pit to a coal pile on the east side of the boiler house." "Because only one car could be dumped at a time, the branch train pushed a car loaded with pea coal to the dump pit at least twice per week." "Railroad service to the water department ended in the 1946-1947 era."

The wall, which still protects Fountain Park from flooding, was another project of the WPA.

The Price of Criticism

Being a watchman is not without cost. I would have little motivation to labour with this blog, six and seven days a week, if I had to consider local government and the press off limits. I had requested pre-event publicity about the Parkway WPA Tour from The Morning Call. I sent the request to five staff members, covering all pay grades of decision. Although I received no replies, the paper demonstrated that they had both the resources and space for coverage, if they so desired. On Thursday, they dispatched a photographer to the park. Friday's paper contained about a half page spread, with two large photographs of a women and her dogs. A large vertical caption elaborated about huskies and next week's weather. This is National History Month, as another feature in the paper pointed out. Allentown's new generation, and it's new residents, know little to nothing about the stone structures which are the signatures of our park system. Roosevelt, the depression, the New Deal, and the WPA might have some relevance during History Month. Today's WPA Tour didn't suffer from the paper's boycott of me, about 30 people attended. I suspect the paper will catch up on our WPA treasures, albeit minus myself. Allentown has just appointed a new park director. Let us hope he develops an interest in the treasures of Allentown.
UPDATE: I would like to express my gratitude to everybody who came out yesterday, to both support and learn about the WPA structures. I know that because of the nice weather and fishing season, parking was a challenge. I would also like to express my gratitude to Friends Of Allentown Parks, for adopting the WPA cause. I look forward in the future to conducting another such Discovery Walk. This coming fall we will conduct another Allentown WPA Association meeting, to which I hope to attract more converts. Again, thank you.

WPA Treasures Tour of Lehigh Parkway

It was said that in the two years, 1935=1937, fifty years worth of work was accomplished in the Allentown park system by the Works Progress Administration. Tomorrow morning, Saturday April 6th, in cooperation with Friends Of Allentown Parks, we begin the tour on the parking lot, just over the bridge, at 10:00a.m. A leisurely stroll on the bridle path, on both sides of the creek will cover six sites and take about one hour, ending back at the parking lot.

Allentown Exposes Itself Again

Allentown's water dilemma, and it's lack of democracy on the subject, has once again made the national web sites. The Daily Koz yesterday featured the video of Rich Fegley, and the blog post of Bill White. Fegley will attend the WPA Park Tour on Saturday April 6, and has been warned that there will be no Courtesy Of The Floor allowed. Unlike City Council, I will have him tasered by Allentown's Finest, if he insists on talking.

Lehigh Parkway's Forgotten Island

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

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 (February 4, 1993)

20 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. In 2009, with help from others who appreciate our treasured parks, I had the privilege to rescue the steps which lead to the landing.  Over the decades, the debris and silt mentioned above has enlarged the island, almost to the boat landing.  This Saturday, April 6, in conjunction with Friends of The Parks, I will conduct a tour of current and former WPA sites remaining in Lehigh Parkway. 

Michael Molovinsky

Local Water Authority Gets Brass Ring

The apparent high bid by the Lehigh County Authority(LCA) was the best outcome that Allentonians and residents of Lehigh County could have hoped for, short of Allentown retaining the water system. For much of the valley the LCA will now be the source, not just the middle man. Water and sewer lines currently running through Allentown parks already are owned by the LCA. I believe that Pawlowski may have dodged a political bullet by teaming up with the local water entity. The County Commissioners, who attempted to sideline LCA, will now have to juggle the political fallout.

Photograph shows the back of the Allentown Water Works, before the tracks of the former Barber Quarry spur line were removed.

A Difficult Job

Envision Lehigh Valley has a difficult job, they must spend $3.4 million* of our tax dollars within 3 years, but they're up to the task. An article in today's Morning Call references their fair housing study. Were certain groups discriminated against in the mortgage market? Considering the historically high percentage of non-performing loans and foreclosures, evidence would suggest that anybody qualified for anything. Were certain groups steered to or from certain neighborhoods? I don't know, but what I do know is that when urban school districts are facing substantial teacher layoffs because of lack of funds, and we are wasting money on surveys and study committees, that is real discrimination.

*The Morning Call article refers to $4.3 million,  but rest assure that those bureaucrats will use our money well,  regardless of the correct amount.

The Monumental Wall of Lehigh Parkway

Most Allentonians learned about the monumental 700 foot wall on April 26, 1936, when The Morning Call first presented photographs of the nearly completed WPA project. Many residents, who mostly lived in center city, didn't even know how to get to the park. There's an entry in the Lehigh County historical archives which tells of a group, including a Chronicle reporter, hunting for the park, to view the new structure. They finally enter the park from Emmaus, the current South 24th Street, because the Allentown park entrance isn't fully established. The Allentown side was then referred to as South 17th St. Join me this Saturday, April 6th, and learn about an aspect of the wall which is now gone, and another proposed addition, that was never built.

The Little Bridge of Lehigh Parkway

A few years ago, new and young visitors to the park would have no idea that a magnificent miniature bridge crossed a spring run to the Little Lehigh. Certainly, such a stone construction wasn't necessary to cross the 24 inch waterway. It was built in a era of masonry art, fueled by the Great Depression, and funded by Roosevelt's WPA. Over the last decade, budgetary cutbacks and environmentalists demanding riparian zones, justified allowing it to be consumed by brush and saplings. In 2010, I persuaded Mike Gilbert, park department manager, to partially clear around the bridge. Although a tree now blocks it's southern approach, the bridge has been given a reprieve on it's destruction. Please join me April 6th, and learn about the hidden treasures of Lehigh Parkway.

The Boat Landing

Getting to the Boat Landing, for six year old boys who lived above the park in 1953, was quite an adventure. There were three other wonderful WPA structures to navigate on the journey. Unfortunately, poor foresight by a previous park director has erased most of the WPA's monuments in Lehigh Parkway. I had the privilege to rescue a portion of two of the structures. This coming Saturday, April 6th, I will have the opportunity to explain what we lost, and how we can save what remains. As the postcard from the mid-50's above shows, the Boat Landing (my name for the structure) was a source of pride for the city and park system. Please join me, and other friends of the park, at the Robin Hood Parking lot at 10:00a.m.

Gethsemane 1934

Maria Magdalene (Mary Magdalene) is the Russian Orthodox Church located on the Mount of Olives, in the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem, Israel.
The church is dedicated to Miryam of Migdal, a follower of Jesus. Maria Magdalene was the first to see Christ after he was resurrected, and was a crucial and important disciple of Jesus, and seemingly his primary female associate, along with Mary of Bethany, whom some believe to have been the same woman.
The church was built in 1886 by Tzar Alexander III as a commemoration for his mother, Empress Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, in the traditional tented roof Russian style, including seven onion shaped golden domes. Photograph dates from 1934

reprinted from April 2012

Allentown's Murky Waters Go National

While City Hall was opening the bids yesterday on selling out the public's water supply, readers from all over the country were reading about the plight of democracy in Allentown. The Huffington Post article was not flattering. While Pawlowski's Palace of Ice Sport has not made the national radar, the short sighted water lease gained the spotlight. Yesterday, Ed Rendell found out the hard way that his connection to hydraulic frackuring is a hard sell. Candidate Pawlowski, and our City Council, should realize that this ill fated water lease debacle could be their legacy.

Saving The Spring Pond

As a small boy growing up in the twin homes above Lehigh Parkway, I would go down the steep wooded ravine and cross the Robin Hood Bridge. The stone lined spring pond and miniature bridge was just the first in a series of wonderful WPA constructions to explore. Last year, when I organized the reclamation of the Boat Landing, my memory turned to the pond. Although overgrown with several inches of sod, I knew the treasure was still savable.

On May 23, Andrew Kleiner conducted a tour of Lehigh Parkway, there I met Mike Gilbert of the Park Department and pitched the idea of a partial restoration. On May 26th, I posted A Modest Proposal, which outlined my hopes for the pond. On July 24, Kleiner posted Lehigh Parkway:Molovinsky gets his wish. I had no idea my modest proposal was implemented.

Park Director Greg Weitzel has indicated to me that the pond features uncovered will be maintained. Any further clearing will be at the discretion of Mike Gilbert. In our conversation he also stated that there are virtually no funds available for the preservation of the WPA icons.







I will attempt to organize a group and contributions for this most worthy cause. Between the Spring Pond and The Boat Landing there was once a bridge to the island. Wouldn't it be nice if a small boy could go exploring.
reprinted from previous posts
reprinted from August 2011

UPDATE: Join me and survey Lehigh Parkway's WPA treasures. Save our past, assure their future. Saturday, April 6, 10:00a.m. Robin Hood Parking Lot.

Parkway Memories

We who lived in the Parkway during the 1950's have a special bond. We know we grew up in one of the most nurturing neighborhoods possible. Slow driving parents would keep a sharp eye out for dashing kids. The Halloween Parade would start and end at our own elementary School. The Easter Egg Hunt would take place on an open slope of our beloved park. 

reprinted from April 2010

Raising Dinosaurs

Not unlike Jurassic Park, Allentown's NIZ is raising dinosaurs. Tomorrow's Morning Call announces that Bruce Loch wants to build the tallest building in Allentown, 33 stories. Loch is a developer from yesteryear, when Joe Daddona was mayor. Daddona sold all the little corner triangles in Allentown to Bruce Loch, and his building partner John Troxell. All those houses in Hamilton Park, the ones with few windows, on the small odd lots, were built by Loch/Troxell. Back in the day I took Troxell to zoning, because he wanted to build twins on a small lot. Although I succeeded in restricting him to a single house, after the hearing, he told me if he had his way he would parachute a dozen prefab boxes on the parcel. Needless to say,  there's no market for Loch's skyscraper, but isn't Allentown's NIZ fun?

UPDATE: When you want permission to convert your useless old factory building into cubicle apartments for single mothers and their offspring, the buzz word is Loft Apartments. The Pawlowski Administration envisions yuppies sipping cappuccino. The new buzz word for the NIZ is restaurant. Loch is supposedly in negotiations for a new restaurant, how about the other 32 stories?

Sabotaging The Airport

Sometimes I think that there is a conscious effort to sabotage Lehigh Valley Airport. Authority member Ed Pawlowski was wrongfully appointed by Donny Cunningham, with the single objective of selling Queen City Airport, for a shortsighted tax bump for Allentown. Although this year flights and airlines were at a twenty year low, they hired the same private management director for a full time, direct job; They literally rewarded failure. Although passengers repeatedly demonstrated that they would rather drive to Philadelphia and Newark for selection and price, we're investing in a customs station. Although we scrapped a shuttle bus to the economy parking lot to save $50 thousand, we're investing five times more for a two day air show, without the crack Airforce team. Supposedly, the decision on what surplus property will be sold to pay for their poor past decisions will be announced in two months. Let us hope that Allentown will still have it's historic Queen City Airport.

Trexler Smiles, Landing Revealed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ADDENDUM:Michael –

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mike Schware

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

reprinted from October 10, 2009

UPDATE:  Please join me April 6, 2013,  for a tour of the Boat Landing and other WPA features of Lehigh Parkway.  Tour begins at 10:00a.m.  at the Robin Hood parking lot.

Saving A Treasure

Yesterday I had an amazing experience, I decided to research the WPA items at the Lehigh Valley Historical Society. I found that particular documentation lacking. But, from out of nowhere, an elderly lady handed me a photo from her pocketbook; a picture of the Boat Landing she had taken with a Kodak Brownie camera in the early 1940's. She had the picture with her because she had shown it to several friends who also lamented the loss of our icons.












Today I went to the park to photograph the remaining element of that structure, the steps, to write a post I intended to title "Lost Treasures". Despite my fear of ticks and other organic matter, I proceeded down the steps and pushed the bushes aside. There to my surprise, I found that the retaining walls were mostly still there.

Emboldened by this discovery, I went over to the other side of the creek and worked my way through the riparian buffer; there to my utter amazement I saw that the curved creek walls of the landing have withstood the years of time. Despite decades of neglect by our Park Department, I believe that a half dozen people equipped with a few clippers could unveil a lost treasure. There is a few large trees which have grown on the landing, and there are missing stones, but most of it still exists, waiting only for a few urban archaeologists with an appreciation of what once adorned this park. Will you join me in this act of civil unvandalizing and help restore this gift from our past?
reprinted from October 2009

UPDATE: In the fall of 2009, a half dozen people helped me uncover part the boat landing, buried for over 40 years. It ended up requiring much more than a few clippers; pickaxes, shovels, and wheel barrel after wheel barrel of removing earth.  Amazing as this feat was, The Morning Call never wrote one word about it. Come join me and others on Saturday April 6th, 10:00a.m. at the Robin Hood parking lot, as we tour the WPA treasures in Lehigh Parkway.

The Prophets of Allentown

Not unlike ancient Israel, Allentown has it's prophets and Kings.

While the kings speak, dress and present themselves better, it is the prophets who know the law and our history.

While they may never get elected or appointed, the kings know to listen and learn when the oracles speak.



In Tribute To Dennis Pearson, For Many Decades of Devotion To Allentown

Lehigh Valley Bureau Of Nonsense

When I comment on a story in The Morning Call, I like to do it in a timely way, so that my readers can find it before their parakeet messes it too much. Sometimes things must be put off. A candidate gets disenfranchised, so this little blog must produce an afternoon story. That story gets a bigger treatment on a bigger blog, and before long, our trusted press assigns space on the parakeet mat. Do people still have parakeets? I'm also restricted by having the hours of a three year old. While I'm blog blabbering here, someone recently asked if I don't want comments? My moderation system and baby naps certainly don't allow for immediate gratification. I also would rather reject a comment, then print it, and have to insult it's sender. So, let's just say that I do appreciate your readership, and that your insightful comments are always welcome, even if printed in a delayed fashion. With all that out of the way, lets move on to today's topic, those taxpayer funded development agencies. An article in The Morning Call last week quoted some official from the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, we also have one here in Allentown. They get federal grants to study each other. The  quotes from the golfer who works there;  He pointed to housing developments like The Townes at Trexler Square on Walnut Street in downtown Allentown as being attractive to incoming families. (According to its website, the $200,000-plus town houses by Nic Zawarski & Sons are sold out.) In all due respect to the golfer and the Parakeet Mat, here's the reality. Most of the units were purchased by investors, not yuppies wanting the urban dream. The last batch of units were sold by auction, at fifty cents on the dollar. The last section of townhouses were never completed, the foundations filled in with stone. Never the less, the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation gets millions of dollars in grants, to gather and dispense nonsense.

Circling The Wagons

Experienced Democratic operatives today are scrutinizing Kim Velez's petitions, hoping to substantiate the apparent bluff employed by Attorney Tim Brennan, denying Velez's rights as a candidate. The effort is intense enough that they're triangulating the petition signatures, in regard to her residence. The desperate insinuation is why aren't the signatures from the neighborhood in which she claims to live? There are no rules about where candidates must collect signatures. There are, however, ethic codes for lawyers. Ms. Velez, by every measure, withdrew as a candidate under duress. I invite Tim Brennan to comment on whose regard he called Ms. Velez.  One must also ask why Brennan's client didn't file a conventional challenge to any signatures with the chief clerk of voter registration?  Hopefully, the democratic process will be restored quickly, and Ms. Velez will be reinstated as a candidate.

UPDATE: Emily Opilo, of The Morning Call,  has published a report on the Velez situation.  Brennan appears, in my opinion,  evasive in his answers.  Mr. Tim Benyo, Chief Clerk,  concedes that the withdraw occurred in an unusual fashion.  He appears to not have gone out of his way to consul or question Ms. Velez,  despite the unusualness.   Benyo  rejected the  water  referendum ballot petition last month on a technicality, but doesn't question Velez's reasons.  Apparently, the machine picks their clerks well.

Teachers Should Share Sacrifice, says Armstrong

For some time now, many Allentown teachers have appeared before this board to express their concern for Art, Music and Physical education in the ASD and their commitment to its importance as a core subject for learning and intellectual growth. Being on education’s front line they are the experts on what motivates learning. Likewise, they see first hand the detrimental effects of cuts in Arts, Music and Physical education. However, they also have the power to rescue these at the elementary level for the children of the Allentown School District by simply agreeing to extend the pay freeze. In the face of dire economic circumstances/times, the taxpayers will be doing their part to balance this budget. They will be directed by this board to makea sacrifice, their tax bill will go up, and more money will be taken out of their pockets. If ASD teachers would make a similar sacrifice, Arts, Music and Physical education could be continued in the district’s elementary schools. If the teachers wanted to save more positions then they could consider a small salary decrease. The amount of salary reduction necessary to save positions could be quickly calculated by the district. The teachers are not powerless in this budgetary crisis. They could choose to do the right thing for the district’s students and their fellow teachers facing furlough. They can provide an example of selflessness and demonstrate their commitment to public education.

Scott Armstrong

UPDATE:  The Teachers Response
Here is the unions response to Mr. Armstrong's ideas
This email is for all members.

Dear Mr. Armstrong and Board members,

Thank you for your belated request to negotiate with the AEA. I will gladly forward your email below to our members today.

Is Dr. Mayo aware that you have made this request? If this is a formal request to negotiate with AEA, it is the first such request made of the Association, to date. Ordinarily, we receive requests to negotiate from the Superintendent.

Our teachers demonstrate their "selfless commitment to public education" every day. I don't know if you realize how dedicated they are to their work, their students and the Allentown School District.

I would like to remind you - and I have said it many times recently - our members chose to enter into a three-year contract with the district just last year. They agreed to a complete freeze this year and two more years of concessions, for the duration of the contract. Had the board or the district needed more from us, in anticipation of future financial difficulties, those needs should have been addressed before January, 2012. To vilify this Association after the fact is disingenuous.

Sincerely,
Debra Tretter

Water Workings 2013

According to a Morning Call report by Samantha Marcus, Allentown will permit the Lehigh County Authority, aka LCA, to bid on the water lease, even though the County Commissioners declined to extend their charter from 36 to 50 years. The explanation used by the Commissioners was that their rejection would spare county residents from indirectly paying for Allentown's pension problems. There also was the allegation that LCA, although a public authority, was unaccountable and aloof to public dialogue. Ironically, any bid now submitted by LCA would be amortized over a shorter term, actually increasing the debt service. This blogger had inquired behind the scenes, concerning the Commissioners rationale in rejecting the LCA charter extension. The commissioners felt that the LCA was prepared to overbid, much more than a private company would offer. With LCA out of the way, perhaps the private company bids would not even rise to a level acceptable by Allentown City Council. It's apparent that the rules of this game are very flexible. Pawlowski is hellbent on leasing the system, and would likely accept the highest offer, regardless of previously stated bottom lines. Also, over a third of county residents are Allentonians, and the remainder currently get their water from Allentown, through the LCA. I believe that creating a new Allentown Water Authority, then issuing revenue anticipation bonds, would have been the best option to meet pension obligations. However, that option was never on the table. Unless City Council exerts itself with alternatives, under the game imposed by Pawlowski, the LCA is our best choice.

Candidate Bluffed Out

UPDATED:Preliminary reports indicates that at least one new candidate for Allentown City Council, opposed to the water lease, was bluffed into dropping out by an attorney, supposedly Brennan.  Who was employing the attorney is unclear. The candidate, Kim Velez, then realized that her decision was premature, but failed in her attempt to be reinstated.  There will now be eight candidates for City Council, five incumbents, and three challengers, two of whom are opposed to the water lease. UPDATE: Ms. Velez will retain counsel, and attempt to be reinstated.

Bernie O'Hare report on the Velez saga

The Poresky Editorial

Dan Poresky has an excellent op-ed piece in today's Morning Call. He explains how the water lease is shortsighted, especially with the concurrent redevelopment of Hamilton Street. He implies that those councilpersons who vote for the lease will tarnish their legacy. I agree with Poresky's article, except the last sentence; To drive home his legacy point, he states that it will take more courage to vote with the mayor, than against him. I am afraid that Dan overestimates the sophistication of the Allentown ballot box. While Dan at this point in the game must play the cards he has left, I do not. Voters will quickly come to resent the privatization. High gasoline prices alone will eventually drive up the consumer price index, resulting in annual double digit water price increases. Pawlowski will be blamed for the water fiasco of 2012, like Afflerbach is blamed for the police pension of 2005. Historically, that blame never expands beyond the mayor at the time. Understand that a person who voted for the pension is still on council.

Chris Casey post on the Allentown City Council Race

Shame On Trexler Trust

The City of Allentown is embarking upon a $3.8 million dollar capital plan to change the nature of our parks, funded in large part by the Trexler Trust. Although a number of fads will be accommodated, not one dollar is earmarked to preserve the existing WPA treasures, shame on the Trexler Trust. General Trexler envisioned the parks as a reserve for the passive enjoyment of nature. Among the new Disney-World type plans are a wedding pavilion in the Rose Garden, and the largest playground in eastern Pennsylvania to be built in Cedar Park, shame on Trexler Trust. The trail through Cedar Creek Park will have lights installed, and the picnic area's will be expanded, shame on Trexler Trust. Anybody driving past Cedar Beach on a Monday morning sees the trash generated currently by only a few picnic tables. How many more park workers will be required to deal with the consequences of these new plans? The playground is being billed as a "Destination Playground", who will pay to keep that clean? Shame on the Trexler Trust. Allentown should build and monitor numerous playgrounds throughout center city, within walking distance for children and parents. Here's an idea; lets keep the parks as is, lets maintain what we have, and stop using the Trexler Trust as a political arm of the Administration.


photo info: the dedication stone is on the Union Street wall. The steps shown go through a tunnel in the wall and climb up to Spring Garden Street. They are in total disrepair.

UPDATE: This post first appeared in September of 2008. For several years I spearheaded a movement to foster appreciation of our historical park system. Our group succeeded in tempering some of the plans. The wedding pavilion near the Rose Garden was never built, and the historic adjacent house was not converted into a catering facility for weddings. The Destination Playground was built, and has turned out to be very popular for families with young children. The plan for a commercial style water park at Cedar Beach was shelved, and the former ambitious park director moved on to another position elsewhere. In the next couple of weeks,  I will reprint a number of posts outlining my efforts in regard to our iconic WPA structures. For the historical record, I will leave the original posts as written. Please pardon the bluntness. When the Trexler Trust first began in 1935, a significant amount of their assets were utilized to augment the work being done by the WPA. I believe that they are once again realizing the significance of these treasures.

A Walk In The Park

In Conjunction with Friends Of The Allentown Parks, I will be conducting a tour of Lehigh Parkway's WPA structures on Saturday, April 6th, at 10:00A.M. The walking survey will last approximately one hour, beginning and ending at the Robin Hood parking lot. I'm expecting local historian Frank Whelan to join me, so between us, any questions concerning the  history of the structures should be able to be answered. With this blogger's past, concerning park policy, this walk represents a leap of faith.  I hope soon to be able to announce that preservation of these irreplaceable icons has moved higher up on Allentown's priority list.