Allentown's Housing Future

Some people read tea-leafs, I read deed transfers. It would be more accurate to say that I study deed transfer. There has only been two weeks in the last 35 years that I failed to scrutinize the list, and those omissions were failed attempts at relaxation. Recently, I mentioned Kenneth Heffentrager and his Tenant Association of Allentown. Kenneth has become a fixture at City Council meetings, complaining about housing and landlords. Kenneth is going to become a very busy boy. For the last several years the deed transfers have been dominated by landlords buying owner occupied houses. Many of these landlords are new to the business, attracted by $25,000, and even cheaper houses in center city. Landlording is tough for experienced operators, and the learning curve is steep. It will take years for the city to identify all the new landlords, and many will walk away when confronted with the realities of their new venture. Although Allentown has a strategy for Hamilton Street, it needs one for the remainder of center city.

Arena Authority Potty Training Abdouche

According to today's Morning Call, Albert Abdouche must jump through numerous hoops to receive the benefit of NIZ financing for the Americus property. Abdouche proposes a hotel on the lower floors, with apartments on the upper. Although the apartments are feasible, the hotel is not. This blog has previously stated that the new arena hotel will render the Holiday Inn, at 9th Street, to second class status, at best. Who could possibly believe that center city can support three hotels? Apparently, not the NIZ Board, because they have imposed requirements on Abdouche not inflicted upon the other beneficiaries of their financing. While J.B. Reilly was fronted money on his projects, Albert must secure his own financing. It's an enormous building, for which I believe the GodFathers have a plan, but I'm not sure that Abdouche is part of it.

Depot At Overlook Park

Old timers have noticed that the contractor's building on Hanover Avenue transformed into a community center for Overlook Park. But only the oldest, or train buffs, realized that the building was the freight depot and office for the Lehigh & New England Railroad. Lehigh & New England was formed in 1895, primarily as a coal carrier. The line ran from Allentown to Maybrook, New York.

In 1904 it was acquired by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company. The line ceased operation in 1961. Among it's infrastructure were impressive bridges across both the Lehigh and Delaware Rivers, both of which were dismantled. Ironic that a remnant of our industrial era is being utilized by the successor of a public housing project.

reprinted from May26,2012

The Butchers of Allentown

Those coming here today looking for a story about sloppy civic leadership will be disappointed. This post is literally about butchers, more specifically, some butchers at Allentown Meat Packing Company. A few days ago, while at the Fairground's Farmers Market, I learned that Bobby had passed away. Bobby was the "kid" who worked at my father's meat market on Union Street. Bobby grew up in an orphanage, a hardship which my father respected. One meat cutter that I knew nothing about was Lamont, other than he lived at the WestEnd Hotel. He was a bear of a man, who could carry a beef quarter from the cooler with no effort. I never saw Lamont in the market portion of the shop, he always remained in the back, either in the large cooler or the adjoining cutting room. While my father insisted that people working on the counter change their meat coat and apron several times during the day, no such rule was imposed upon Lamont. Although he would look over the trays of meat before being taken out to the display cases, he never spoke. Last time I spoke to Bobby. he told me that he appreciated that my father had taught him a trade, which he used throughout his life.

The Painterly Eye

Photographer K Mary Hess combines masterful technique with a landscape painter's aesthetics,  to create hauntingly beautiful images of the Lehigh Valley and it's surrounds.

Transformational Politicians

When I first started writing about Donny Cunningham years ago, I referred to him as an Eddie Rendell in training pants. Although I don't know how he progressed with those pants, he has picked up the new pol word of the decade, transformational. Donny is now head of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, where the first thing he did was fillet the experienced business recruiters when he got the position, to steer the organization into the 21st century. Now, Donny says that if the taxpayers up his budget by 15 times, from $2.5 million to $33 million, that he can do a better job. For that kind of money his agency could do transformational things, and he has the consultant's report to prove it. All this can happen by simply raising the valley's sale tax by one cent on the dollar. Those of little faith should know that this plan almost has Tony Iannelli's approval, It's good to see the region's leaders looking to create a grand vision for economic growth...

Street Sweeping Tickets Start March 1

Yesterday, was one of those days when the switchboard at molovinsky on allentown lit up all day. Seems as if the Parking Authority was putting flyers on cars notifying them that street sweeping tickets would resume March 1st in district 2, west of 10th Street. For hapless Allentown residents, some of whom are still parking in the hole they carved out, the Authority's enthusiasm was less than appreciated. Allentown has the knack of punishing the good deed of living there. Let up hope that next winter, with the hockey arena opening, that Allentown doesn't receive any snow.