produced by Gary Ledebur, Netherfield Studios, Philadelphia
contains adult content
reproduced from March 15, 2010
BELOW FROM AUGUST 20, 2026
State Senator Nick Miller secured $500K to connect Trexler and Cedar Parks. Connecting the parks has been a park department agenda for the last twenty years. I'm the only person who speaks against it, but I consider myself better informed in regard to park matters than even some in the administration.
The connection concept is a cyclist agenda. Our spandex friends would like to zoom from park to another, avoiding the reality of our streets. As a frequent visitor to our parks, I can tell you that more and more people with dogs and children are walking the paths. Nothing endangers them more than a fast cyclist coming up from behind.
Allentown purchased two large parcels for additional parks, Basin Stret and the old fertilizer plant on Martin Luther King Blvd. Both these purchases were ill advised, but they could be redeemed with a loop(s) for cyclists. The administration and park department consider me a thorn, but I could have put $500k to some real park improvements.
MM-Getting in before official comments begin. Might you know what's going in at the old Benningans and the former PennDOT building, both on Lehigh St? Thank
ReplyDeleteyou.
anon 8:59, sorry, i do not. but i did hear a rumor that some portions of the WPA walls in the parkway are structurally in trouble. many of the walls, as in fountain park, were not built with weepholes, but rather concrete trough runways, which have been allowed to fill in with dirt and undergrowth. any observations about the condition of any of the structures throughout the park system would be appreciated.
ReplyDeleteWhat made you decide to post on the bicycle issue again?
ReplyDeletemonkey momma, didn't think of it that way. the backdrop for my interview was the WPA stone step structure in the parkway, which i had suggested. we have committed much funds to the bike paths, and the exercise stations in cedar park, perhaps some should now be directed toward the WPA Preservation. between now and the meeting , sept. 6, i will be trying to emphasize those icons.
ReplyDelete"I did hear a rumor that some portions of the WPA walls in the parkway are structurally in trouble."
ReplyDeleteYa don't think the Parkway's almost century-old limestone walls are in trouble as a result of 1000s of idling cars waiting in line to pay their annual Lights in the Parkway fees do you?
WPA stone step structure in the parkway, which i had suggested. we have committed much funds to the bike paths, and the exercise stations in cedar park, perhaps some should now be directed toward the WPA Preservation. between now and the meeting , sept. 6, i will be trying to emphasize those icons.
ReplyDeleteAugust 14, 2011 10:20 AM
Those steps had beautiful light fixtures at one time.
MM
ReplyDeleteCould you possibly look at the questions asked out of context as a result of being considered a community leader?
anon 10:42, No, it's fair to say that i'm an activist. another factor is the bare bones newspaper. blogs have become an exchange medium for community news and questions.
ReplyDeletei received a couple complimentary comments in regard to anon 10:42's contention of leadership, which i'll decline to publish. at any regard, thanks for reading the blog.
ReplyDeleteIn the video why were Molovinsky's comments noted as "adult material?"
ReplyDeletei received a comment from someone "just trying to be helpful" but i'm sorry, i don't know what comments you're referring to, sorry i offended you.
ReplyDeleteMichael,
ReplyDeleteI responded to Anon 8:59 AM who wanted to know about the former PennDOT building and the former Bennigan's, both on Lehigh Street. The former PennDOT building is being renovated and will be a major regional service center and retail center for Enterprise Rent-A-Car. The former Bennigan's is being renovated and will re-open as a Tilted Kilt, a Celtic themed sports bar and pub.
"Just Trying to be Helpful"
anon 7:56, sorry, i did not receive the comment this morning.
ReplyDeleteMichael,
ReplyDeleteApology accepted. Thanks for posting the response. Hopefully, Anon 8:59 AM got the information. It's interesting that the current City administration hasn't made a big deal about activity along the Lehigh Street commercial corridor - with the exception of the new Bennett Toyota dealership. Imagine, a restaurant opening without any City subsidy! The Enterprise venture is a big deal and both it and the restaurant are creating jobs - construction and permanent - at a time when the City and the region needs them. The rest of Lehigh Street keeps chugging along and generating jobs and real estate taxes despite the economy. While it has its ups and downs, it's still a relatively stable commercial corridor. It's important not to forget the corridor's important position in the local economy, just as it's important not to forget the significance of the Lehigh Parkway and its WPA stone edifices - all part of the same "neighborhood." There is more to Allentown than Hamilton Street. I applaud you for reminding us all of that.
yes, hamilton street has been the squeaky wheel since dadonna's era. (the canopy). both lehigh street and union blvd. have viable commercial districts, as does S.4th St. and other scattered sites.
ReplyDeleteMM
ReplyDeleteWould you allow a thank you to the person kind enough to explain what's going in at both those Lehigh St. sites?
Both will bring needed jobs to our city. What's a puzzle is why Pawlowski doesn't have two huge posted signs at each promoting these new businesses brought in under his watch. May we ask one more question? If not, please delete. "Does anyone know if these two new businesses received city or state grants?"
Nearby on S. 4th Street a restaurant recently opened in a former restaurant site that closed. Hardly anyone ever seen there. Can't help but wonder if
these new owners prior to purchase examined the neighborhood and off-street parking before their
purchase. Suspect not as now a junky piece of spray painted plywood announces "Parking in the Rear."
I found your website researching the procelain Mohican Market sign, we want to incorporate into the fresh market/ restaurant, we plan to open. A bakery will be included so the recipe was great, should you have other recipes to share I'd appreciate them too. Really enjoyed the lightness of the video and the "poverty magnet" comments on a serious subject. Like other US cities we are experiencing the same in Western MA . . no jobs, but we too have a bike trail!
ReplyDeleteBarb
Reading through the comments from 2011, the first thought that comes to mind is the ever-changing Lehigh Street corridor. Since the date of the comments, Enterprise remains to rent (and sell) cars but there have been changes as you drive south towards Emmaus.
ReplyDeleteRedner’s grocery store remains, but the attached Big Lots store has been replaced with a similar outlet. Willie Joes hot dogs is gone on one side of I-78, as is the video golf/restaurant combo at the former Bob Evan’s restaurant on the other.
The future (in 2011) Tilted Kilt is gone, and is now a Mexican restaurant. Dan Schantz is significantly changed, and the beer distributor and the Brass Rail were both torn down to make way for two more convenience store.
Continuing along, Dunkin Donuts has moved a few hundred yards and the former Hess’s/Bon-Ton South has been torn down and replaced by a grocery store. Numerous changes inside the South Mall, with the addition of an arcade being a memory-triggering addition. Finally, the Taco Bell was rebuilt, the Wendy’s is gone and Perkins restaurant just closed a week or two ago.
So lots of changes in a short distance. Not sure that the track record there is any worse than some of the more heavily subsidized areas of the city, maybe just less costly to the taxpayers.
As far as connecting the bike paths in the parks, are there any restrictions on e-bikes in the parks? Your comments on children, pets and other walkers being a bad combination with bikers in the parks remains a valid concern, and that danger will only get worse if motorized bicycles are allowed to run wild there.
ReplyDeleteThen again, perhaps I’m worried about nothing. Maybe motorized bicycles don’t need to run wild in the parks since they are now allowed to run wild in the streets under the Tuerk Administration .
Finally, the two parcels you mention along MLK is truly a tale of two parcels.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think the bike path (or any real path) at the old chemical/fertilizer factory ever materialized, and it remains mostly unchanged. Last I was there, there is a single track worn into the grass, but you were likely to pick up ticks as you rode along in the tall grass and weeds.
Much of the Basin Street parcel was sold to a business (reportedly a campaign supporter of one of our recent mayors) and even got its own taxpayer-funded vehicle bridge (complete with MLK access) across the creek.
I’m not sure if there are any bike paths inside that parcel for the public to use, but I suppose that the bike path promise served its purpose as an excuse for the city to buy the parcel in the first place.
In any event, I’d love to see an accounting for what the city paid for that parcel, plus the cost of the bridge and other improvements as compared to what the city sold that parcel for. I don’t have those numbers, but I’d suspect they might fit the definition of a “sweetheart deal”. Maybe they’ll send the taxpayers some flowers when Valentines Day rolls around
Yesterday I struggled to find a version of the video which would play on the blog today. At the time of posting, I did. not realize that the comments from fifteen years ago would also appear. I decided to keep the old comments up.
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