Stairway To Shame

In the mid 1930's, Allentown, and especially its park system, was endowed with magnificent stone edifices, courtesy of the WPA; Works Progress Administration. This was a New Deal program designed to provide employment during the aftermath of the depression. Stone masons directed the unemployed in this city and built structures which are irreplaceable. The walls and step structures in Lehigh Parkway, as the Union Terrace amphitheater, are legacies which must be protected. Pictured above is the grand stairway from Lawrence Street (Martin Luther King Drive) up to Junction Street, built in 1936. The steps are in a state of disrepair. They lead to the great Junction/Union Street Retaining Wall, thirty feet high and two blocks long, which was completed in 1937. I call upon the Trexler Trust and Allentonians of memory, to insist these steps are re-pointed and preserved. The current Administration knows little of our past.  It's important to save the things in Allentown that matter.

The City of Allentown is embarking upon a $3.8 million dollar capital plan to change the nature of our parks, funded in large part by the Trexler Trust. Although a number of fads will be accommodated, not one dollar is earmarked to preserve the existing WPA treasures. General Trexler envisioned the parks as a reserve for the passive enjoyment of nature. Among the new Disney-World type plans are a wedding pavilion in the Rose Garden, and the largest playground in eastern Pennsylvania to be built in Cedar Park. The trail through Cedar Creek Park will have lights installed, and the picnic areas will be expanded. Anybody driving past Cedar Beach on a Monday morning sees the trash generated currently by only a few picnic tables. How many more park workers will be required to deal with the consequences of these new plans? The playground is being billed as a "Destination Playground", who will pay to keep that clean? Allentown should build and monitor numerous playgrounds throughout center city, within walking distance for children and parents. The Trexler Trust and The City of Allentown have a responsibility to first repair and maintain these iconic stone edifices which are unique to Allentown.

photo info: the dedication stone is on the Union Street wall. The steps shown in the photo here go through a tunnel in the wall and climb up to Spring Garden Street. They are in total disrepair. This posting is a combination of two previous posts, which appeared on this blog last September.

above reprinted from May of 2009

UPDATE APRIL 10, 2018: My campaign to save the WPA structures has been on going  for over a decade. About 10 years ago, I organized meetings at the library to bring attention to the neglect inflicted upon these structures. In the process I tutored Karen El-Chaar, from Friends Of The Parks, on the issues. She then was able to obtain a grant from the Trexler Trust,  and repoint the Fountain Park Steps. I opposed the more outlandish proposals cited above for Rose Garden area, and plans were scaled back.  I organized efforts to dig out and reveal the WPA Spring Pond and Boat Landing, both of which were discarded decades earlier. Because of the neglect, the Lehigh Parkway wall collapsed, but has since been partially rebuilt, to allow use of the entrance road into the park. In cooperation with Friends Of The Parks,  I conducted tours of Lehigh Parkway, featuring its history and WPA structures. During the Pawlowski regime I offered my advice to City Council on the traditional park system and WPA, but it was rejected.  I again make the same offer to Mayor O'Connell and the new administration.

UPDATE MARCH 3, 2020: Although O'Connell did invite me to a meeting about the parks, I am once again a persona non grata.  Karen El-Chaar is now director of parks.  It is my understanding that the Trexler Trust has commissioned a study of the Parkway Structures,  but declined to share any information with me.  It is my informed opinion that the immediate services of a stone mason are much more needed than that of their consultants. Time is the enemy of these structures.

ADDENDUM JUNE24,2024: Although the Trust paid for a consultant and stone mason to repoint the vertical wall of the Parkway's double stairwell, they did not repair the surface of the landings, and they have begun to cave and sink, as I warned. Truth be told, the structures don't need experts, they need upkeep by a stone mason. As I wrote over four years ago, time is the enemy. Although the Trust and City has started a Parknership which will supposedly address WPA structure issues, I have not been offered a seat at the table.

The Morning Call Forgets The Meat

Despite a large front page story on the Arena and Mr. Reilly's spinoff development, complete with charts and graphs, despite being written by two of its reporters, where's the beef? Like the famous 1984 commercial, the articles are large buns with small hamburgers. The real story is that none of the merchants were ever told that they could use taxes to purchase a new building, after being displaced by the city. The use of sales tax, 6% of their gross sales, could have been used for debt service on a new Hamilton Street location. To my knowledge, none of the affected merchants will have a new retail store on Hamilton Street, or will have any benefit from the NIZ. They had asked for a meeting with the city for help, which was attended by The Morning Call, and were never told that the NIZ lever could be used by private property owners. They asked for a meeting with Senator Brown, and were never told about options which could have helped them save their businesses. The explanation by Browne and the Administration that this information was available if they had asked the proper questions, is unacceptable. FACTS ON THE GROUND INDICATE THAT THE LAW WAS APPLIED IN A SELECTIVE FASHION, TO FASHIONABLE PEOPLE. If this post sounds repetitive, that's because it is. There's still no hamburger inside the bun, and still no explanation.

above reprinted from October of 2011

ADDENDUM JUNE 21, 2024:Thirteen years have passed, and analysis and criticism of the NIZ is still mostly limited to this blog. About four years ago the Morning Call did file a RTK request about NIZ finances,  the denial for which was upheld by the court. Pat Browne had protected the gravy train with a privacy clause added on the ever evolving NIZ legislation. More recently, Jarrett Coleman has followed through with his campaign promise to shed some light on the NIZ 's real cost vs benefit to the taxpayers. In the meantime, Pat Browne is now Director of Revenue for the state, rewarded by a naive Shapiro.

Morning Call Delivery

I've been a continuous Morning Call subscriber for 34 years, every day, seven days a week. I think that might well be some sort of record. Even other dinosaurs, occasionally, have let their subscriptions expire, to take advantage of some promotion. Not me, full ticket, paid by the year. The last couple of years, as their delivery system broke down, I have taken to pay semi annually. Quarterly will now be the prudent choice. I no longer attempt to complain about a missing paper. Waiting to speak to somebody in India is detrimental to my blood pressure. molovinsky on allentown opens early, but the paper keeps coming later; Even mcall doesn't refresh itself until about 5:45 a.m. I no longer get the paper in time for my morning coffee, the pot is long empty by the time it arrives. I suppose soon I'll have to get my news from the City Web Site.

above reprinted from October of 2011

ADDENDUM JUNE 20, 2024:While I still get the Morning Call on-line, I finally stopped getting the hard copy paper around 2018. When the phone call comes from India several times a year offering me a free Sunday hard copy edition, I beg her not to include me. While I read numerous complaints about the paper's content on social media, I think that they still do a pretty good job with the local news, considering their handicaps of not having a newsroom and a reduced staff.

A Step Daughter

The young bride pictured is not my step daughter, but she is a daughter of the steps. In addition to choosing the steps at Fountain Park for her wedding pictures, she also helped to dig out and recover the steps at the Boat Landing, in Lehigh Parkway. Although it is wonderful that a young person appreciates the WPA structures, I wish that the Mayor, Park Director and Trexler Trust shared her love of Allentown history and values. Next week, the Park Department, funded by the Trexler Trust, moves forward with their Path Plan. The money they spend on new, unnecessary macadam paths could restore the irreplaceable WPA icons.

above reprinted from October of 2011 

ADDENDUM JUNE 19, 2024:Although I made my peace with the Cedar Park path, the entities mentioned above have not done so with me. It's my understanding that the Trust and city reached out to numerous people about ideas for the new Parknership. Although my involvement with the WPA structures is well known, and the Parknership will concern itself with those structures, I was never contacted. Furthermore, although I have privately and publicly asked for a seat at the table, I have received no reply. Apparently, I must remain a shadow member, and continuing making my informed recommendations from this blog. Over the years while not acknowledging me, they have never-the-less adopted some of my suggestions. Baby ducks this season were spared from being mulched. The debris from the former Robin Hood Dam, while not removed, has been distributed more evenly around the stone bridge piers. Unfortunately, some important recommendations have still been ignored, but I will remind the entities that be what still needs to be done.

Matt Tuerk As Pastor

Although Matt Tuerk was elected as mayor, he seems more interested in functioning as a pastor. Every time there's a casualty, whether they're run over or shot, he mentions income disparity and affordable housing. A cynic might think that he's preaching to low-income voters, of which there is no shortage in Allentown.

Now if these voters read the paper or listen to the news is questionable.  If these congregants are registered, or will even still be living in Allentown next election is questionable. What is for sure is the taxpaying homeowners, who have to listen to these sermons.

Matt, take off your clerical robe and order your police chief to crack down on motor violations. In the process they will find some drugs and guns. There might be consequences, like an improving quality of life for the taxpayers. Don't concern yourself with affordable housing. If we lose some denizens, maybe there will be less litter. Don't worry about the next election, you have already campaigned enough.

ADDENDUM JUNE 18, 2024:The reason that this post and addendum have the same date is because this post was sitting in my draft file, while I tried to give Tuerk some more benefit of the doubt. However, since he has essentially vetoed council's investigation of his administration, it's time for this post. Personally, I didn't consider the discrimination investigation very necessary, but I consider his canceling of the contract for the investigation totally inappropriate. Council voted for this contract 6 to 1. As a pundit of local government, I eagerly await their reaction.

The Mohican Markets

Once, before the malls, there were three thriving cities in the Lehigh Valley, and some merchants would have a store in each of the downtowns. Some of the buildings still exist, and have been reused; the Allentown Farr (shoe) Building is now loft apartments. Two of three Mohican Market buildings, famous for baked goods, no longer exist. The Easton location, on S. 4th St., was victim to fire. The Allentown store now is the parking lot behind the new Butz office building. The Mohican Markets were last owned and operated by Bernard Molovinsky.

recipe for Mohican Chocolate Chip Brownies 

above reprinted from November of 2011 

ADDENDUM JUNE 17, 2024:That parking lot mentioned above on the former Mohican parcel, is now Butz's third building. The NIZ is too much of an opportunity for any developer to waste on something like convenient parking. For taxpayers to pay your mortgage was a once in a lifetime gift from Pat Browne. The closest food markets of size are now on N. 7th St., Supreme and Apple Markets.