Sledding In Allentown

The photograph shown above is from 1958. It was taken in Little Lehigh Manor, the 1940's era housing development located above Lehigh Parkway's south ridge. I had the pleasure of growing up in that neighborhood. The hill favored by us kids of Lehigh Parkway was above the Log & Stone House.

Other popular sledding hills were in Allentown's west end,  behind Cedar Crest College, and Ott Street, between Livingston and Greenleaf Streets.  Years ago, a bridge crossed the creek by the park office at 30th and Parkway Blvd., with a parking area for sledders by the Cedar Crest hill. The Ott Street hill was closed to cars by the city, as an accommodation for sledders.  None of these hills are now accessible to a kid with a sled.

photo courtesy of S. Williams

reprinted from previous years

The Lehigh Valley Bureau Of Nonsense

When I comment on a story in The Morning Call, I like to do it in a timely way, so that my readers can find it before their parakeet messes it too much. Sometimes things must be put off. A candidate gets disenfranchised, so this little blog must produce an afternoon story. That story gets a bigger treatment on a bigger blog, and before long, our trusted press assigns space on the parakeet mat. Do people still have parakeets? I'm also restricted by having the hours of a three year old. While I'm blog blabbering here, someone recently asked if I don't want comments? My moderation system and baby naps certainly don't allow for immediate gratification. I also would rather reject a comment, then print it, and have to insult its sender. So, let's just say that I do appreciate your readership, and that your insightful comments are always welcome, even if printed in a delayed fashion. With all that out of the way, let's move on to today's topic, those taxpayer funded development agencies. An article in The Morning Call last week quoted some official from the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, we also have one here in Allentown. They get federal grants to study each other. The  quotes from the golfer who works there;  He pointed to housing developments like The Townes at Trexler Square on Walnut Street in downtown Allentown as being attractive to incoming families. (According to its website, the $200,000-plus town houses by Nic Zawarski & Sons are sold out.) In all due respect to the golfer and the Parakeet Mat, here's the reality. Most of the units were purchased by investors, not yuppies wanting the urban dream. The last batch of units were sold by auction, at fifty cents on the dollar. The last section of townhouses were never completed, the foundations filled in with stone. Never the less, the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation gets millions of dollars in grants, to gather and dispense nonsense. 

above reprinted from March of 2013

ADDENDUM JANUARY 17, 2024: A recent post of mine titled a Citizen's Reply to Mayor Tuerk was first submitted to and rejected by the Morning Call as a letter to the editor. While the paper's previous editor had distain for me and this blog, I was speculating that the new guard might appreciate a change from their usual  stable of contributors. I note that a sister paper, the Baltimore Sun, was just spun off to a private owner tired of the Sun's recent apathy concerning local politics.

Mayor Tuerk As Mr. Rogers

In a facebook self video on Sunday, Matt Tuerk repeatedly told us to be kind. He also promised us that the city would catch up on the litter this week when the wind dies down. 

I think the city would be better off if Tuerk realized he can't wish kindness on people, but he can get tougher on litter. 

Mr. Rogers himself had a connection with Allentown.  A previous minister at a large local church was friends with Rogers, and Rogers himself came to the farewell service in Allentown when the pastor retired.  

Bill White reported on the occasion.

Tuerk's Sake Of The City

Tuerk's speech to the large polite group gathered in Jaindl's waterfront emporium was less than encouraging.  We are truly a tale of two cities...One with continuous mostly misunderstood development fueled by diverted state taxes, the other rising crime with no real solutions proposed. 

Tuerk was dressed enough not to insult the affluent there with a promise of more Promise non-profit distraction. Instead, he referred to installing gun shot detectors. They can be mounted on the lampposts along with the cameras that are of no help.  The detectors are of little consolation to the violence weary.

In his earlier New Year message, Tuerk referred to modern policing.  I'm sure those present for his Sake Of The City speech would prefer tough policing, and much more of it.

Shown above at last year's Syrian Flag raising is Mayor Tuerk with new council president Cynthia Mota, councilwoman Candida Affa, and former councilman Julio Guridy.

Raising Dinosaurs

Not unlike Jurassic Park, Allentown's NIZ is raising dinosaurs. Tomorrow's Morning Call announces that Bruce Loch wants to build the tallest building in Allentown, 33 stories. Loch is a developer from yesteryear, when Joe Daddona was mayor. Daddona sold all the little corner triangles in Allentown to Bruce Loch, and his building partner John Troxell. All those houses in Hamilton Park, the ones with few windows, on the small odd lots, were built by Loch/Troxell. Back in the day I took Troxell to zoning, because he wanted to build twins on a small lot. Although I succeeded in restricting him to a single house, after the hearing, he told me if he had his way he would parachute a dozen prefab boxes on the parcel. Needless to say,  there's no market for Loch's skyscraper, but isn't Allentown's NIZ fun?

above reprinted from March of 2013 

 ADDENDUM JANUARY 12, 2024: Over a decade later and the plan is back on the table, this time with a new developer and four more stories. Now that the office market is saturated, the new plan calls for apartments above the bottom commerical floors. This plan allows them to harvest our state taxes through the NIZ, with little to no scrutiny. Although new state senator Jarrett Coleman has been trying to shine light on the NIZ books, Pat Browne and Company has managed to keep us in the dark.

Hurricane Diane, 1955

Hurricane Diane hit the Lehigh Valley in August of 1955. Living in Little Lehigh Manor, I remember huddling in the house, while the metal garbage cans of the era flew around the neighborhood. My father, whose meat market was on Union Street by the Lehigh River, worked throughout the night. Fortunately for him, his market had an second floor backup cooler, and a small freight elevator. While the retail business district on Hamilton Street is elevated enough to be unaffected from flooding, center city Easton was devastated by the Delaware. The next morning was rather surreal for a nine year old boy. A large willow tree on the corner of Lehigh Parkway South and Catalina Ave. was lying on it's side. Although the Little Lehigh receded quickly, the park road and basin had been flooded. Diane remains a record in flooding and damage. Let us hope it remains that way.

photo from August 1955. Lehigh River rising by former A&B Meats. The row of houses shown were demolished to make way for a new bridge approach several years later.

reprinted from previous years