A Critical Mass in Allentown

A group of cyclists meet in West Park and ride around Allentown. While they label their activity Critical Mass to bring attention to bicycles and bike safety in Allentown, they are also a critical mass in other ways. Allentown is trying desperately to integrate a diverse community. While the haves may live in the Strata Flats, most of the have nots live north of Linden Street. Meeting after meeting, and organization after organization, has yet to bring any real community benefit to the have nots, from over a  $billion dollars of development in the NIZ.  Although these cyclists cost the taxpayers nothing, their rides unite the different neighborhoods and demographics.  In real diversity, they had more success than the paid professionals have managed to achieve. Mostly millennials, many live in center city, and see Allentown as their Little Apple. I have met a couple of them, and if Allentown is to achieve any of the slogans paid for by City Hall, it will be by the efforts of such groups.

Tax Dollars At Waste in Lehigh Valley

As some of you know, I'm an opponent of rail to trail.  I suppose I'm not very progressive, I'm even against farmland preservation.  I oppose the rail trails because of the enormous squandering of that irreplaceable infrastructure. Farmland preservation is outright silly. We don't have a fraction of the farmers necessary to farm the existing farms.  How many people now- a- days would want to work twelve hours a day, seven days a week?  They're even giving grants to induce people into becoming farmers, how quaint.  In the real world, the U.S. Department of Agriculture paid land owners NOT to plant,  because of the massive excessive acreage in our area.  But, enough introduction, this post is about The Lehigh Valley Transportation Study, deciding to put their emphasis on hiking and biking.  Last evening I put up The Bicycles of Allentown Video for a short run. I will be removing it later today.  George Ruth sent the following comment;  When will we at least be honest and call it what it is: recreation! Does the Transportation Study really believe we are talking about "transportation"? These youngns' really do think we are just dying to be a European city.  The nonsense is the child of  the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, which spends about $1million dollars a year thinking about our regional transportation needs.  The grants are used to pay the salaries of the planning puppies, to do studies and recommendations, which result in nothing.  How many decades did it take Harrisburg to begin widening Route 22 ?

Recently, Molovinsky University gave a brief presentation on Allentown's former branch lines,  gone now forever.  Ironically,  after the track was torn out, and new data indicated that rail service fosters industrial growth,  AEDC started seeking a multi-million dollar  grant to restore track back to its 10th street complex.  Perhaps Scott Unger and these other planners should have spent more time at this blog.

Bonus Video in post below: The Bicycles of Allentown will show today only.

The Bicycles Of Allentown

The limited showing of The Bicycles of Allentown has ended. It will return for another limited engagement this summer.

Pawlowski As The Messiah

Readers of this blog know that I have been finding Mayor Ed in denial of the allegations that have permeated his administration. Two subordinates have pleaded guilty to illegal acts, supposedly at his direction. I have also noted here that Pawlowski now seems much more interested in indentifying himself with the little people, as in the marginalized and downtrodden.  Activist  Robert Trotner felt that in his Easter Sunday facebook post,  Ed was perhaps comparing himself with Jesus.

A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice  for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world.  It was a perfect act.  Mahatma Gandhi 

While such an interpretation is beyond my meager psychology and theology background, I find it plausible. Anyway,  realizing that he's not resigning,  I would prefer Ed just to concentrate on the nuts and bolts of running the city, rather than the redemption of mankind.  However, I am sensitive enough to realize that at best,  this must be a stressful time for him.

Cedarbrook, A Decision Never Reached

It took Lehigh County several years to award outsourced management to Good Shepherd, which was a no brainer decision in the first place. This evening,  the commissioners are having yet again another public meeting on Cedarbrook, this time to supposedly decide how many beds the facility should have. If they ever come to agreement on that issue, next comes if the building(s) should be remodeled or replaced. If any of this sounds familiar, it's only because they have been debating these issues for nearly a decade. Cedarbrook, although the recipient of election promises, never gets the green light for change.

Let me give the readers a two for one special with this post. One of the long time airport authority members is retiring, claiming he no longer has enough time to devote to the position. I recently inquired of another member, supposedly one very involved, as to why the airport was spending money to build a separate building for the car rental operations. I'm always amazed why the airport keeps expanding their facilities, when the passenger volume keeps decreasing. The current baggage area, like the airport itself, is never crowded, and the car rentals being there is convenient. This board member, while even being one of the officers, knew nothing about the justification for the proposal, although he had approved it.

Despite mountains of campaign mailers every spring and fall,  Lehigh Valley residents are not well  served by our elected officials, who in turn appoint their kindred spirits to the boards and authorities.

ADDENDUM: Last night, after two years deliberation,  the commissioner's committee on Cedarbrook decided that the nursing home should stay about the same size.  They literally patted themselves on the back for this statement, which is as close to a decision as they ever get on Cedarbrook.

photocredit: K Mary Hess

Allentown's Camera Contract and The Three Monkeys

When I read about Allentown's camera contract I think about the three monkeys. For my millennial readers, let me explain. In my grandparents day, the three monkeys were major advise; See no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil. In those days naysayers got shot, now a days they become bloggers. I have a set of those monkeys carved from marble that belonged to my grandparents, they sat on their fireplace mantel, as a lesson for their children.

Allentown supposedly has 161 cameras that scan the city looking for evil. How many of them are actually being monitored, and when, is classified information. If they deter crime, or just move it down the street, is debatable.

Although it wasn't a no bid contract,  only a local company, CSI, submitted a proposal. This technicality, and the timing, allows City Council to turn a deaf ear to the contributions by principals of this company to Pawlowski and the PAC that he controlled.  Charlie Thiel, school board member and potential mayoral candidate, is the manager of the company. Thiel has both benefitted from Pawlowski, and has made significant donations to his campaign and PAC.

The city official in charge of our communication systems defended the contract by saying that you get what you pay for.  Although, that certainly is speaking no evil, for taxpayers it is always patently untrue.  However, the FBI is currently checking Allentown, because it's apparently true for some vendors.

Bonus train post below.

Anonymous comments, per se, are no longer being hosted. Commenters can use or create a Google/Blogger/Open ID. The identity need not be your real name, pseudonyms are permitted. The registration is with Google or such, and I have no access to the information provided. It is my hope that regular contributors to this blog get such a registered handle, to both help elevate the dialogue here, and protect the integrity of their input.

The Union Terrace Train

The Conrail engine backs across Walnut Street, as it delivers a flatbed of large granite slaps and blocks to the Wentz Memorial Company, by 20th and Hamilton Streets. Years earlier, the spur route extended across Hamilton Street and terminated at the building across from school district stadium, now occupied by the park department. On it's run to Wentz's, it went through the auto junkyard, continued on past the now closed Allentown Metal Works, and crossed the trestle in Lehigh Parkway. At Union Terrace the track was next to the former ice skating pond, behind the WPA Amphitheater Stage Mound. This photograph was taken by Dave Latshaw in the 1979, and is part of the Mark Rabenold collection. Rabenold is a local train historian, specializing in Allentown's former branch lines.

reprinted from September 2011

Seminar For Allentown's Little People

Various Allentown agencies announced that they're going to have workshops for Allentown's little people at the Renaissance Hotel, where the little people could never afford to stay. Let me clarify that the little people aren't midgets, but Allentown's underclass. While in reality the have-nots will not be there, it gives various administrators of various useless organizations an opportunity to put something on their proposal for next years' grants, justifying their useless taxpayer funded positions. Over the years there have been dozens of these dog and pony shows. In years past I even attended some of the meetings. And who says that the NIZ doesn't have any community benefit?

Bonus train post below.


molovinsky on allentown will be shortly changing the comment policy. Anonymous comments, per se, will no longer be hosted. Commenters will be using or creating a Google/Blogger/Open ID. The identity need not be your real name, pseudonyms are permitted. The registration is with Google or such, and I have no access to the information provided.  It is my hope that regular contributors to this blog get such a registered handle, to both help elevate the dialogue here, and protect the integrity of their input.