Allentown's Council Of Disappointment

Allentown City Council never fails to disappoint. On Wednesday evening they voted to fund another non-profit to promote business on Hamilton Street. Although J.B. Reilly essentially now owns Hamilton Street, the taxpayers are once again providing a service to enrich him...we're also dressing up the buildings he doesn't own, to make the streetscape better for him. Council was told  "a thriving downtown is the heartbeat of a city, and that success would permeate throughout the entire city." 

Ce-Ce Gerlach wanted to know what color the people working for the new non-profit will be? In our Allentown, color is more important than actual qualifications. Cynthia Mota said "With this initiative, I'm excited that the wealth will be trickling down.” 

I see the this new non-profit as another job program, like Promise Neighborhoods. Although it won't fulfill the mission that it was created for, it will give some people a paycheck, and make other people feel better about themselves.

staff photo

The Morning Call and Matt Tuerk Jump In Ice Water

Many people, even a conservative independent like myself, are distressed about immigrants being sent to El Salvador and the new Alligator Alcatraz. While I fully support our beefed up southern border, some due process should be required for the current ICE grabs within the country. It appears as if the Morning Call went with a family's claim that their grandfather was grabbed in Philadelphia and deported to Guatemala. The family then updated their story that he was in a hospital in Guatemala, but didn't want to return to the USA. Guatemala claims that he was never there, in prison or hospital. Earlier in the month, Mayor Matt Tuerk asked a local judge to review ICE activity at the courthouse.

The Morning Call's disputed story on a supposed ICE-nap is featured on Jonathan Turley's column. Although the Call has walked the story back in bits and pieces, Turley thinks that left of center newspapers can't resist overlooking usual verification when the subject matter is ICE or other social justice issues, calling it advocacy journalism. 

I initially hesitated about this post... but then I recalled that about a decade ago, when I was championing for Wehr's Dam, the paper was resisting publishing a letter of mine on the Opinion Page. The editor claimed that my letter was just my opinion, not verifiable facts. Imagine sending an opinion to the opinion page!

shown above Kristi Noem and prisoners checking each other out in El Salvador

The Union Terrace Train

The Conrail engine backs across Walnut Street, as it delivers a flatbed of large granite slaps and blocks to the Wentz Memorial Company, by 20th and Hamilton Streets. Years earlier, the spur route extended across Hamilton Street and terminated at the building across from school district stadium, now occupied by the park department. On its run to Wentz, it went through the auto junkyard, continued on past the now closed Allentown Metal Works, and crossed the trestle in Lehigh Parkway. At Union Terrace the track was next to the former ice skating pond, behind the WPA Amphitheater Stage Mound. This photograph was taken by Dave Latshaw in the 1979, and is part of the Mark Rabenold collection. Rabenold is a local train historian, specializing in Allentown's former branch lines.

reprinted from September 2011

ADDENDUM JULY 23, 2025:In addition the little train trestle, there was also a small pedestrian bridge to Union Terrace from Walnut Street. Rather than being repaired, that small walk bridge was removed about a decade ago, isolating the park from Walnut Street. Restoring that bridge should be a priority of the park system.

End Of The Line In Allentown

Shown above is the former Wentz Tombstone shop at 20th and Hamilton Streets. Shown leading up to the workshop were tracks of the former Quarry Barber train spur.  Many years earlier, the line crossed Hamilton and served a former soda bottling plant on Linden Street, behind the stadium.  That building eventually was taken over by the park department, which allowed it to deteriorate, rather than replace the roof. The park department still believes in neglect, rather than maintenance.  

Before the flatcar with granite reached the tombstone plant, it traveled between the stage and pond at Union Terrace. Two small bridges crossed the waterway behind the pond, one for the train and one for pedestrians coming to the park from Walnut Street.

I have been campaigning to get the park department to replace the pedestrian bridge it had removed, rather than repair it about eight years ago. There is nobody in the administration that remembers the bridge, they're all newcomers to town. But I remember, and I don't mind reminding them.

Allentown Archeological

It's not as easy as it appears providing the only critique of city government in Allentown, and doing it for eighteen years. The established news agencies want to keep their access lines open, and bite their tongues... And I'm only referring to the few reporters with enough institutional knowledge to know the difference between the bull and the reality.

Needless to say I'm not a popular guy, and I'm not even compensated:) There are no ads here, and no begging for donations, I don't even dance for comments. Anywho, I do occasionally need a break from the establishment's admiration for me. Because I take some pride in having something printed here every weekday, my vacations are the archeological pieces.

The photo above is from the former Wentz tombstone company at 20th and Hamilton. My own great grandmother's first marker lay on the grounds there, after it had been replaced many years earlier. A good portion of the new Allentown doesn't even know the place was ever there.

Money Pit On Hamilton

City Council is considering a $300K kickstart toward another new non-profit to promote center city. Last time I checked, the taxpayers are still paying for the NIZ privately owned new buildings, called City Center RE, which has their own promoters. Fifteen years ago, we were told that the arena would be the engine driving center city. Last year we were told that the new music venue and hotel by 10th & Hamilton would be the ticket to kickstart Hamilton Street.

This new scheme is being pushed by clothing store owner/city councilman Santo Napoli. We taxpayers are already dressing up all the non-NIZ buildings. Now, maybe if you could bring back Max Hess Jr., you might have someone who could bring people downtown. 

Here's a suggestion... Instead of another non-profit staff to support, how about free parking, and use that $300k to compensate the Parking Authority for some lost revenue. Nobody wants a $28 ticket to come downtown to buy a shirt.