The Compromise of Alan Jennings

In an incredibility distorted piece of writing about the NIZ, Alan Jennings has personified Allentown into a poor outsider of a different culture, which the surrounding blue bloods don't care to help. The supreme irony is that the NIZ will not help the poor of Allentown. The poor of Allentown had no input into the NIZ. Even those with more of a share stake, had little, to no knowledge. Conversely, minority businesses and their low-income customer base were displaced by the project. The project's purpose is to gentrify Hamilton Street, and push the poor out of sight. None of the proposed components of the project will help the plight of low income. CUNA recently recognized these realities, and is seeking a Community Benefit Agreement. What is it that causes an Alan Jennings to compromise his principles so much? Simply put, the designers of this project are the gatekeepers of grants. Once a year, the social agencies gather at City Hall like baby birds. Pawlowski distributes the Community Development Block Grant into their hungry mouths. Likewise, Jennings is dependent on the generosity of the other large players in the Valley, all proponents of the NIZ.

UPDATE:  Bernie O'Hare weighs in on Jennings

UPDATE 2: Alan Jennings' organization was apparently paid $25,000 to set up a sting, showing that local realtors steered white and minority potential home buyers in different directions. I can testify, for free, that the City of Allentown did NOT inform the displaced merchants that they might qualify for a NIZ backed loan. Not one of the 34 displaced property owners where made aware that private parties were eligible. (Alan Jennings serves on the NIZ Authority)

Before The IronPigs

Max Hess Stadium 1959

Guest Post By Dennis Pearson

During the Steel strike of 1959 my dad took a job as a groundskeeper for the Allentown Red Sox. Those were the days when it rained, they were allowed to burn the field to dry it off.
My dad was allowed to bring my friends and myself to the park. Those were carefree days for me and we wondered around the park which was located where JC Penny now is located in the Lehigh Valley Mall.
Breadon Field was renamed Max Hess Stadium when he was allowed to take control of the park for $1. Memory fades as whether Max Hess himself sold the premises or his successors , but I boycotted JC Penny's for many years for locating its business where the park was.
One of the personalities that played at the park was Tracy Stallard who achieved some sort of notorious fame as the pitcher who served up Roger Maris' sixty first homer.
Another personality that played there was Curt Simmons, a native of Egypt PA, who in his later years pitched at Max Hess Stadium in a rehab assignment. The presence of Curt Simmons filled up the house.
Another personality that played there was myself. Playing for the East Side Rams City Midget team against the West End Youth Center in a pre-game exhibition game, I went one for two. My hit was a double,
I am indeed delighted that professional baseball is back in the Lehigh Valley and that it is located in East Allentown. As President of the East Allentown Rittersville Neighborhood Association I went before the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners approving the then ongoing efforts to bring baseball back.
I applied for the recent vacancy on the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners. It would have been very nice to have been appointed County Commissioner as baseball returned. Unfortunately that did not happen to my disappointment.
I trust that my advocacy for the return of baseball is not lost on the Commissioners and the Ironpigs themselves.

Dennis Pearson

GUEST POST; Dennis, a lifelong Allentonian played little league as a boy, and coached as an adult. I also remember Breadon field, but only as a spectator

reprinted from March 2008

A Trolley Runs Through It

When the Allentown-Kutztown Tractor (Trolley) Company purchased Dorney Park in 1901, trolley companies were buying or building amusement parks all across the country. Perhaps the most famous was Coney Island. Usually located between two cities serviced by the company, it was a plan to increase weekend rider-ship. Passengers could spend a day at the park, swimming, picnicking, and partaking of the rides and amusements.

photo of Dorney Park courtesy of a blog reader

The William Penn School

An argument at the Allentown School Board meeting made today's paper; Board member Scott Armtrong suggested keeping the building's historical name, William Penn, for the new alternative school. The controversy surfaced when he further mentioned that perhaps because it's a school for the trouble makers, new name sakes would not be flattered. Joanne Jackson took offense, defending the educational potential of the under achievers. I know Scott and Joanne, and fully support both of them as board members. I think all taxpayers should be glad that we have a highly qualified board, willing to go toe to toe on any issue. Although Scott and Joanne both have a point, let me add my taxpayer dime. There was an element of political correctness with the Louis Ramos naming. Although I'm sure that Ramos was dedicated, being involved with the school system was part of his job at PPL. His choice appeared to be a homage to a new demographic. Similarly, naming an alternative school could conceivably offend sensibilities, creating a somewhat contrived pool of names. Considering the historical significance of William Penn, it certainly would be appropriate to keep that name. Perhaps the suggestion by board member Julie Ambrose to step back from the emotions of the evening was best.
 UPDATE: In addition to the commotion Thursday evening about naming the alternative school, Armstrong presented the following statement to the record.
  Future ASD Budgets cannot Be Balanced on the Backs of Taxpayers
 In light of the projected 300% increase in cost of the defined benefit pension plan of ASD employees this board must begin to consider how it will bridge the resulting 40 million dollar deficit gap. One thing seems clear; the burden cannot be placed solely on the backs of the taxpayer. To do so would be to ask those with less to subsidize those with more. Can this board look the taxpayers in the eye and explain to them why they should accept annually escalating school taxes to finance a pension plan that is far more generous than their own? That solution is neither fair nor reasonable. Clearly the burden must be shared equally, therefore unless relief is provided from the district’s defined benefit pension plan this board must act to control the cost by commencing staff reductions. Of course these cuts will reduce the quality of education and those who lose their positions will experience real hardships in these tough economic times. Higher taxes, reduced staffing, less opportunities, and lower outcomes will be the fruit of a refusal to work out a sustainable fixed contribution pension plan.

Armstrong also expressed this sentiment in a letter to The Morning Call which appeared on June 20th.

A Grumpy Old Man

At 3:53 this morning, the following comment was sent to Arena Shenanigan Continues, the previous post.

I know you will never allow this to post. But I know you will read it. You are a grumpy old man that doesn't even live in the city of Allentown. And hates everything that is new a growing I am sure you did not attend the party tonight. There were over 500 people who showed up. Write a post about that. Allentown is progressing while you attempt to drag it down. I hope that everything in South Whitehall was comfortable for you. Asshole!

For a hockey arena which wants to attract people from out of town, and wanted to also tax them for it's construction, don't squander your remaining brain cells worrying about where I live. I do not attempt to drag allentown down, but rather have it spend it's resources in the most productive way. The arena will certainly not Transform Allentown; Neither will it produce the spinoff benefit subscribed to it. Pawlowski is simply making the same mistake as his predecessors, but on a much more expensive scale. Daddona built the canopies at a huge expense. Heydt torn them down, and continuously reconfigured the parking, at a huge expense. While this concentration of resources was centered on Hamilton Street, the rest of Allentown suffered from neglect. The notion that Hamilton Street is the center of Allentown, and that Allentown is the center of Lehigh Valley, is a slogan, not a fact. While we obsess on building a new American Parkway bridge to bring people to center city, we allowed our other bridges to decay. While you danced on top of a parking deck, this Administration wants to close two neighborhood pools. In addition to an Arena Authority, and at least one administrative position, this project will kept Allentown myopically focused on center city for decades to come. That current hole will soon become a money pit of epic proportion. In a city of over 100,000 people, vocal opposition to any $220 million dollar project should center on more than a couple of bloggers, who are insulted in the middle of the night for their efforts.

Arena Shenanigan Continues

The State House will amend the NIZ legislation to address the complaints in the lawsuits, and arena construction will resume. Although there may be a few hockey fans gladdened by this news, I have yet to met anyone who believes that the project will Transform Allentown. I have yet to meet anyone who believes that fans will remain in town after the games, to patronize the local establishments. Justin Simmons, boy representative from the 131st District, summed up the current thinking,"You can't have a hole in the middle of Allentown." If Justin knew more Allentown and it's history, he might well conclude that a hole is better for the town than the arena. In conjunction with the arena, J.B. Reilly is building a hotel. This new hotel will render the older hotel at 9th and Hamilton Streets into flophouse status. Over the years, one administration after another, had kept that place viable with financial assistance. Although Mayor Heydt had torn down Hess Brothers, and likewise created a hole for a hockey arena, eventually, Liberty Trust built the Plaza for PPL. Pawlowski's expensive hole has some potential of attracting viable users, while the arena condemns Allentown to failure. Currently, we have the south side of Allentown virtually isolated because this administration allowed the 15th Street Bridge to rust away. We have a swimming pool closed because this Administration wouldn't spend $160,000 on repairs. We have a dirty, crime ridden city which will now be preoccupied with propping up a quarter billion $dollar hockey arena for the next 30 years. I'll take the hole any-day.

current hotel and future flophouse at 9th and Hamilton Street