The Transformation of 7th Street

Peter Lewnes is managing to transform 7th Street for about $1 million, while Mayor Pawlowski will spend about $220 million for his transformation. At the end of the projects, 7th Street will be much more successful, in both the number of people attracted, and the total dollars those people spend. To be blunt, which is too easy for me, I think 7th Street would have as many new stores and shoppers without Lewnes' efforts. I think that the Hispanic business district was a natural progression of Allentown's demographic changes. However, considering it's the nature of government to meddle, Lewnes has given us an unusually tremendous return on our investment. He has attractively restored dozens of buildings, created appealing signs, and succeeded in significantly upgrading Allentown's gateway. Yesterday, I visited an independent pharmacy on the 500 Block, located in the former Coleman Electric building. Although not yet enhanced by Lewnes' artistic palette, the pharmacist had four assistants and a delivery driver. Another success on 7th Street.

Allentown WPA Association

I began my effort to preserve our WPA heritage back in September of 2008, posting on this blog about the iconic stairwells and walls at Fountain Park. Posts would follow about the lost treasures of Lehigh Parkway, including the Boat Landing, Island and Spring Pond. Within a year, our work brigade cleared the boat landing, buried for over forty years. Since last fall, our group has surveyed all the WPA projects within the park system, and identified the structures most in need of attention. Hopefully, the press and The City of Allentown will support this most worthwhile project.

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

An Important Meeting

The bridge to the island shown above was removed by a park director forty years ago. Although I and several members of my group managed to unearth some of the buried Boat Landing, the portion shown in the lower right of the picture remains covered. Whether you feel that the remaining accomplishments of the WPA must be protected, or are concerned with the environmental consequences of park policy, please join us as we meet this evening. The park department is in a state of flux. In addition to the former director having moved on, several key personnel have retired. Added to the mix, the department has about one third less workers than several years ago. Existing citizen groups, such as Friends of the Parks, either have a political agenda, or appear to be compromised, in one way or another. Although never really interested with the traditional or environmental aspects of the parks, the Administration is currently completely preoccupied with it's center city development. The meeting will take place on the second floor of the Allentown Library this evening, Tuesday June 5, at 7:00.

The Worst of Both Worlds

Recently, I stood on the Ott Street Bridge and watched a mother try to help her two young daughters wrestle through the underbrush at Cedar Park to stream's edge. Although the no-mow zone is too narrow to serve as an effective riparian buffer, it does block view and access to the creek; The worst of both worlds. Whether you support the traditional park system as I do, or think the parks should be in their natural state, all we have now is inconvenience and ticks. Whether you value the view-shed as I do, or favor environmental criterion as Andrew Kleiner, all we have now is mismanagement. Tomorrow evening, Tuesday June 5, I will conduct a meeting* for those concerned with the state of our parks. Although the group was originally started to address the neglected WPA structures, we will expand our mission as a nonpolitical, concerned citizens group, for all park issues. Please join us.
*Meeting at the Allentown Library at 7:00p.m. second floor.

Teflon Don

The article in The Morning Call on May 23 announcing the pending appointment of Don Cunningham as director of LVEDC was pretty amazing. Written by local veteran newsman Scott Kraus, it said that Cunningham served two terms as mayor of Bethlehem. We, who do not think that Cunningham can walk on water, know that he resigned as mayor to take an appointment by Rendell in Harrisburg. He resigned in the same way that he is now resigning to take the Development job.
 In today's article*, Kraus again doesn't mention the Bethlehem resignation, and glosses over the current County Executive walk-a-way. Everyone should run for some office at least once, if only for a close up view of professional pols in action. When I sat next to Cunningham in 2005, I was amazed how Clintonesquely the folksy words rolled off his lips. He introduced his father as an ex-steel worker, and shucks, was just one of us. As Bethlehem Mayor for one and a half terms, he rode to Harrisburg on a series of press conferences about projects for the Bethlehem Steel property, none of which came to fruition. Coming back to run against Jane, 70% tax hike, Erwin, was a cakewalk. Now, after one and a half terms as County Executive, he's off to the proverbial Gracedale of Politics, LVEDC. He promises in today's article to make the agency bigger, hide your wallet.

*The prominent article in the Thursday May 31 hardcopy paper is difficult to find on the website. It can be found  under business articles, under the extended more articles click spot.