Saving the Queen

When I grew up on Liberator Ave., I would walk up Catalina Ave. toward school, which was at the end of Coronado. The streets were named for the Vultee-Consolidated WW2 planes, and the neighborhood was next to the airport built as part of the war effort. Vultee Street was built to connect the hangers with the Mack 5C plant, which was given over to Vultee-Consolidated for plane part manufacturing. Today this small airport is known as Queen City, and is threatened by Mayor Ed Pawlowski.

Pawlowski covets this unique part of our history to expand the tax base. What he doesn't understand is that more housing or commercial space is not in Allentown's best long term interest. Unfortunately, long term interest is not a term understood by our current leadership. There is a whole development of started houses off S. 12th St. and Mack Blvd. which were never completed. There are filled in foundations on 8th Street, also never completed. More housing is the last thing both the real estate market and school system need. Likewise, the existing commercial sector has been struggling to maintain an acceptable occupancy rate. Queen City airport is an unique asset to Allentown. If LVIA does successfully expand, a separate airport for small planes is very desirable for safety. Considering Pawlowski's predetermined objective, I question whether he should have been appointed to the LVIA Board.

Dennis Pearson, long time community activist from the East Side Rittersville area, reports last night that a portion of the State Hospital grounds had been given to the Allentown Commercial and Industrial Development Corporation. Just last week, Dennis requested that the City inform him of any plans concerning that land. Although representatives of the Administration were present, nobody had the consideration to response to Pearson's statement. These open spaces in Allentown, both Queen City and the State Hospital, are too important to let Pawlowski and Cunningham squander them for a short term, politically expedient, tax fix.

Hardest Working Blogger

The hardest working journalist in the Lehigh Valley, hands down, is Bernie O'Hare. This week, The Morning Call's Bill White tried to split hairs about the difference between bloggers and trained reporters; Could have been a argument years ago, but the multiple layoffs at the paper has taken the ink out of that bottle. Purchaser's of the hard copy paper are submitted to large photographs of White, Carpenter, Hartzell and the other columnists. They are made to wear costumes and pose like boxers. Did they teach that in journalism?

O'Hare attends no less than two governmental meetings each week, pesters the participants in between, and writes at least 10 posts a week. He still genuflects to the professional reporters with his canned testimonials; "They can find out more in a day than I can in a week.." White raised the issue of objectivity and editors, but again, I think he was being reminiscent of days past. I'm afraid the newspaper has turned into a 9 to 5 business; Monday's paper always looks like a flyer. Although the actual Bill White is shown above, Bernie O'Hare is portrayed by James Brown, who was another hard working guy.

New Sheriff in Town

This past Wednesday evening, Bob Romancheck asked Allentown City Council who actually reads the legal notices in The Morning Call? Actually Bob, I do! As a matter of fact I'm concerned that there is an effort under way to allow municipalities to forgo the notices in favor of publishing them on their website; But that's a topic for another day, today's flavor of the week is Upper Saucon Zoning Officer Trent Sear. A recent post of mine took Trent to task for forcing Independent Candidate for the 15th Congressional District, Jake Towne, out of his campaign office in Center Valley. Today's newspaper legal public notice are dominated by Upper Saucon Zoning, four and half columns worth. Trent has prepared 92 revisions to the general 2009 Zoning Regulations, and 17 more to the Village Commercial Overlay Zone, one specially for temporary signs. (Revision 2 to Section 322.D for Tables 1 and 2 and a new Table 5). Now, I'm not sure if Jake was hammered under the old regulations or the new revisions, but I am sure that the citizens of Upper Saucon are having their property rights grossly impeded.

molovinsky on eyewear fashion

This week I bought my first pair of prescription glasses. I had been using readers from the drug store, and it worked out well for both of us; I could see, and the store counted on my continuous purchases. The problem was my shirt pocket, it became too small to carry all the pairs I now need; Close-up, intermediate and distance. I went to the small optical store at the eye doctor's office, where I had the choice of about three pairs. Had I been willing to buy the kind with the nose pads, my selection would have been considerably larger. However, since nose pads may require adjustments, and once, forty years ago, a nose pad made a temporary indentation on my nose, that option was out. The woman and I sat down at a small table with the three plastic pairs without nose pads. There was a woman's makeup mirror on the table, and she asked which pair I liked. No way was I going to try on those glasses, and stare in that little mirror, with her staring at me. One pair had black temple ear pieces, but they were white on the inside, that's out. The second pair had a very narrow nose opening. That pair was from this decade, but Bobby Edwards used my nose as a punching bag all through 5th grade. If you see a guy walking around looking like an old, small Clark Kent, say hello, I'd like to meet you.

Jake Towne Fouled

As an old geezer, I'm constantly frustrated by The Morning Call's lack of institutional memory. I suppose that is what happens when a struggling paper has young journalists come and go. I suppose they're also annoyed with my "scoops"; I see no link to this blog on the current Mcall story about the fish hatchery. Well, here's another dip from Molovinsky's 28 favors. Trent Sear, the Saucon Valley Zoning officer who closed Jake Towne's Campaign headquarters,  is/was very active in Republican politics. The space, the historic Center Valley Tavern, has been used commercially for a century. He simply could have requested the landlord pay the $25 fee.  I have never heard of a  campaign office closed by zoning.  They didn't even close Molovinsky for Mayor.
This was nothing more than a temporary use with temporary signs

UPDATE: Towne's Explanation;

After numerous appearances with this official prowling in a car through the parking lot and snapping photographs, the campaign decided to leave the premises in order to save the landlord further grief.

Marcellus Shale 2020

The second video (from Hickory, Pa.) appearing on the LVCI Blog, has chilling similarities to the environmental catastrophe noted in the Erin Brockovich movie.