Walking With Cynthia Mota

During my failed attempt to save the dam at Robin Hood in Lehigh Parkway, I invited members of Allentown City Council for a private tour. Although only Cynthia Mota and Jeff Glazier accepted the offer, it was an hour well spent. I had spoken to Glazier several times in the past, but had never met Mota. I found her genuinely interested in the park, and intrigued by the neglected WPA sites that I pointed out. She did let me know that she felt that she had been treated unfairly on this blog in the past.  During a large portion of the walk, Mota was being pitched  two opposing points of view about the riparian weeds, one by John Mikowychok, the new park director, and the other by myself. Mikowychok told Mota that he believes the stream is more enticing if you only can see a glimpse of it, here and there. Apparently, Wildlands Conservancy and Mikowychok have a new arrangement, and the Conservancy is to begin replanting the buffers, wider than ever. Although it was an appropriate opportunity for Mikowychok to mention the upcoming  Wildlands buffer project,  he didn't say a word.  Motta needn't be concerned about me,  but she should worry about Mikowychok concealing important park plans.

School Director To Stay

Joanne Jackson has decided to rescind her resignation to the Allentown School Board. Jackson is a former teacher, well liked by the teachers and students. Her resignation resulted from tension with some other board members, a situation which apparently she has decided to accept as par for the course. I'm personally glad she came to this conclusion. It serves the school district best to have board members with divergent points of view. Shown above, Joanne is giving the commencement speech at Dieruff this past spring.

Drag Races At Queen City

During the 1950's, for a summer or two, city sanctioned drag races were held at the Queen City Airport. Dopey Duncan, radio personality and racing car enthusiast, was instrumental in organizing these events. The airport and large hanger seen in the background was built by Consolidated Vultee, to produce airplanes for the war effort.

The Depreciation Of Our Parks

John Mikowychok, the new park director, suggested that after the dam is demolished an interpretative sign could be placed there, with a photograph of the former dam. John, like his predecessor Greg Weitzel, likes interpretative signs. John and Greg have the same background, they both have graduate degrees in recreation from Penn State. Both were hired by our city manager from Philadelphia, and neither have a special feeling for the Allentown park system. Although there will be no measurable improvement to water quality, Lehigh Parkway will be depreciated in both beauty and ambience. While picture postcards used to show the beauty of the parks, now interpretative signs will show what we neglected and demolished.

photocredit:molovinsky

The Mighty Atom

Years ago, at the Allentown Fair, as one would push through a sea of carney delusion, tucked back by the 4H animals, was an island of reality. There, in an old battered truck, an ancient Jewish strongman performed incredible feats of strength, to sell only homemade kosher soap. Standing on a platform on the rear of his truck, flanked by photographs from his performing youth, he would bent horse shoes and bite through nails. Many years earlier, my mother as a little girl in Bethlehem, saw him pull a truck uphill with his hair. Even as an old man, like a reincarnation of Samson, his grey hair was still long.
In the summers of 1964 and 1965, myself and a friend,(Fred Schoenk, retired Allentown art teacher) made and sold printed tee-shirts at the fair. We had the honor to know Joseph Greenstein(The Mighty Atom) and his wife. For those interested, there are various articles on the Mighty Atom and even at least one book. Enjoy the fair!

reprinted annually during the fairweek

History Passed By Obama Today

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Pawlowski Unleashes Bulldozer On Dam

Allentown Press Release PAWLOWSKI TELLS WILDLANDS TO PROCEED Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski is telling Wildlands Conservancy that it can proceed with plans to remove the Robin Hood dam and the dam at the Trout Hatchery on the Little Lehigh Creek. “I want to thank City Councilwoman Cynthia Mota and City Council’s Parks and Recreation Committee for conducting a fact-finding hearing on the issue,” Pawlowski said. “The feedback that I received from members of City Council indicated overwhelming support of the plan to remove the dams. I want to thank the members of the city’s Environmental Advisory Council for taking a leadership role in the discussion. I appreciate the opinions of all those who weighed-in as part of the process.” The process of removing dams in Pennsylvania to improve water quality and eliminate safety hazards is not new. There are an estimated 7,000 dams in the Commonwealth, and the PA Fish and Boat Commission, along with many conservation organizations and other state agencies have been funding their removal for decades. While a nostalgic throwback to an earlier era, the construction of most dams was for mills, the ice industry, and the development of the canal industry, mostly in the early 1800s through the 1940s. However, the impoundment of water in streams has been found to have profound, negative environmental effects. These effects include warming of the stream, the buildup of sediment behind the dam structure, reduced Oxygen, lower biodiversity, and prohibited fish passage. The latter prevents fish migration to take advantage of optimum stream temperatures and current, feeding and spawning grounds. There are also ongoing studies to suggest genetic isolation and weakening of species’ strains. The Robin Hood Bridge Dam was built for a U.S.G.S. gauging station; the Fish Hatchery Dam was built for a water supply to the Trout Nursery; however, that water supply ceased when the Trout Nursery utilized a spring on site which provides 45-degree water, free of storm-event siltation and summer warming.

Although I find the above press release disappointing, it is no surprise. The sentence about most dams were for mills is straight from the new park director. Unfortunately, for Allentown's magnificent park system, we have people making decisions who have no real feel for the parks or their history. They will continue to be used for agendas for which they were not intended. Each of these uses diminishes the public's right to enjoyment and access.