Ed Pawlowski's Opportunity

I've learned that Ed Pawlowski, candidate for Mayor and Governor, did indeed call City Council members and ask for their opinion about the Robin Hood Dam in Lehigh Parkway. Most of them accepted the Wildlands Conservancy's slick powerpoint about improving water quality by removing the historic, beautiful dam. My claim that removing the dam was just environmental tokenism, because of sewage leaks, was ignored. They claimed that they had a DEP report that showed no fecal coliform in the water. In reality, they were ignoring the EPA report, which confirms the sewage problem. Since Council's meeting, The Morning Call did an article on the EPA report. While the dam still stands, while Pawlowski still has an opportunity to save it's beauty, sound and magic, I now provide proof of my claim. Shown above, 500 yards upstream of the dam, is the meadow full of feces and toilet paper surrounding the manhole cover,  sprinkled with lye. This is the meadow where runners gather and stretch before races, where families play. In heavy storms the manhole covers overflow with sewage. The Park Department covers the mess with lye to control the smell and bacteria. The mess is allowed to dry, and then mowed, re-mowed and mowed again into small particles, which are absorbed by the meadow and creek. This picture and that reality aren't nice. This post isn't about solving the sewage dilemma. It's about the Wildlands Conservancy picking and choosing their science to deceive City Council and the Mayor. It's about saving the historic dam, an place of beauty enjoyed by generations of park users.

The Bricks Of Allentown

Years ago, on the quiet clean streets of Allentown,  the mornings belonged to the milkman, until people got up for their jobs. The streets are still quiet in the mornings, but they're not clean, and very few people get up for a job. Over the decades, center city became entrenched with the professional low income, migrating from the bigger cities. The Historic District, and other endeavors, served only as a finger in the dike for the middle class. As welfare rules tightened, the under-motivated became dependent on Social Security Disability, a life long de-motivator. On Monday, as the Budweiser Clydesdales walked down the street at noon, half the city's population was still asleep. As Allentown builds a shiny new arena, hoping for a revival, those very people they hope to attract have moved on and away from that urban malady, not inclined to return.

Mayor For A Block

                                                                    photograph by michael molovinsky

Although I've titled this image Mayor For A Block, I could have just as easily called it The Future Mayor. When the Budweiser Wagon left the staging area on 10th Street, and rounded the corner down Hamilton, Julio Guridy had the seat of honor. Although I do not believe that Pawlowski will succeed in his try for the governorship, we now know that his ambitions extend beyond Allentown. When he does leave City Hall, Julio is the likely successor. Regardless, I have enjoyed using the Budweiser Wagon as a vehicle for my photography.

photocredit:michael molovinsky

Click on photograph to enlarge.

The Budweiser Clydesdales Visit Allentown

                                                                   photograph by michael molovinsky

                                                                     photograph by michael molovinsky

                                                                    photograph by michael molovinsky

photocredit:michael molovinsky

click photographs to enlarge

Can Allentown Round The Corner

                                                                               photo by michael molovinsky

At 11:00a.m. yesterday10th Street, between Walnut and Hamilton, looked very middle class. Suburban Allentown came downtown to see the Budweiser Clydesdales. As I stood on the front porch of a once nice apartment house, one by one, the sleepy residents came out. Yo, how the fu-k ya supposed to sleep with all this sh-t going on? I don't think Mr. Sleepy head, aka Mr. Nods, actually has a night job, but probably does business at night. I don't know what Pawlowski is going to do with Mr. Nods once the arena opens, but he won't make a good city ambassador.

photocredit:molovinsky 

UPDATE: I will post more Budweiser Clydesdale photographs this afternoon.

Allentown Arena Anticipation vs. Reality

In Ed Pawlowski's stump speech for Governor, he talks about the transformation of Allentown, and the four thousand new jobs he created in the city. Talk about miscounting chickens before they're hatched!!! Try as I may, adding up the announced new companies, I cannot even exaggerate it to 1000 jobs, but I'm not running for Governor. Anticipation alone hasn't earned downtown business owners one extra dollar. Although Pawlowski and Associates keep harping about the restaurant revival, several expensive ventures have already failed. I can tell you that the street life and people surrounding the Arena District are harder than ever. I believe that Pawlowski is running now, because he knows that the anticipation is better than the reality.

Did Allentown Lease It's Brain?

When Allentown leased it's Water and Sewer Systems to LCA, did our knowledge and memory go with the lease? We learned recently that Allentown must now form a new department for the storm sewer system, which was part of the water and sewer departments. When West End Theater District residents complained last week of the recent flooding, Public Works Director Richard Young told WFMZ that the new Storm Sewer Department would survey the system, and have a plan within one year. Holy memory Loss, this is the same man who directed the departments last month, before the lease. Holy memory loss, this is the same man who works in the same building, with all the city plans and blueprints of all the pipes. LCA is now operating the water filtration plant, will it take them a year to figure out how to purify the water? Will the residents of the West End Theater District accept this nonsense as a legitimate answer?