The Union Terrace Train

The Conrail engine backs across Walnut Street, as it delivers a flatbed of large granite slaps and blocks to the former 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 it's run to Wentz's, 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 March of 2016

The Train Of Lehigh Parkway

When the 15th Street Bridge was closed, as people detoured over the  Schreibers stone arch bridge,  few were aware of the industrial past surrounding them. The Barber Quarry railroad branch line crossed the road, just south of the bridge. On the left was the Union Carbide's Linde plant, the concrete loading dock is still visible. Although the last train ran in the early 1980's, the wooden railroad trestle is still there, to the west and south of the bridge. The area is now used as part of the disc golf course. The photograph was taken by Dave Latshaw in 1976, and is part of the Mark Rabenold Collection.

reprinted from previous years

Allentown's West End Train

The Lehigh Valley Railroad operated a train branch line which served Allentown's commercial west end. It ran along Sumner Avenue servicing the scrap metal yards, warehouses and numerous coal dealers located there. The line then crossed Tilghman Street on a diagonal at 17th, before looping back east by Liberty Street at the Fairgrounds. The line ended at a rail yard now housing the small shopping center at 12th and Liberty. Although many of former commercial buildings still exist, all now house more retail type businesses. The B'nai Brith Apartments occupy the site of the former Trexler Lumber Yard. These historical shorts are difficult to write. Most current residents have no frame of reference to our former commercial past. True historians, such as the local railroad buffs, cringe at the lack of detail and specific location of the tracks. Suffice to say, that once upon a time, the mid-section of Allentown had much more commerce.


reprinted from March of 2016 and earlier

NIZ And The Allentown Budget

Budgets for Allentown show a structural deficit of 4 to 5 $million annually in the current five year projection.  This is in spite of almost a $Billion dollars of publicly funded, privately owned new buildings.  I believe that it is fair to say that financial data for the NIZ, at the clearest, is obscure.  Although, over $33 million a year in state taxes is going for J.B. Reilly's debt service,  there may be substantially more going his way.  Another $30 million goes for the arena,  and where Reilly's portion begins and ends is unknown.  For instance, although the first floor of the arena facing Hamilton Street is considered public arena,  the second floor and up belongs to Reilly.  How the prorations were assigned, nobody knows. Furthermore,  nobody scrutinizes the tax money distribution back to Reilly and the arena board.

What we do know is that despite all this construction and expected increase in property taxes,  Allentown is in the red.   If all this new construction hasn't produced a windfall,  and the homeowners endure tax increases,  what is the public benefit of the NIZ?

Lehigh Valley Election Expectation

Recently, I referred to the Morning Call/Muhlenberg Poll as a broken clock.  I have been making the same accusation since 2005,  when Muhlenberg had the mayoral election wrong by 26 points.  Although they have been wrong ever since,  and were wrong again last night about Susan Wild and John Morganelli, this morning the paper still quotes their pollster as if he is a genuine authority. It's amazing to me that The Morning Call keeps going to the same sources.....I suppose that they value loyalty over accuracy.

Talking about loyalty, yesterday I referred to the machinations of Bernie O'Hare,  in his campaigning for John Morganelli.  Although he started out polite enough toward Susan Wild,  he became a virtual hit man as the campaign progressed.  He excused his metamorphosis on Wild breaking a promise to Morganelli.  He seems to value loyalty over decency.

For the fall campaign expect the Morning Call/Muhlenberg Poll to continue being a broken clock.  Expect Bernie O'Hare to continue bashing Susan Wild, but now acclaim himself as a non-partisan.  Expect molovinsky on allentown, when necessary, to point out local nonsense.

Pawlowski's Political Legacy In Allentown

Recently Robert Trotner, a local political activist, asked me...Do you think Pawlowski and his sympathizers still wield much in the way of direct power in Allentown? If so, how much?...

A considerable amount of power still resides with his former associates, because during  his tenure over three plus terms, (since 2006) he made so many appointments and filled so many positions. However, I never favored the clean broom approach, because the city would lose so much institutional knowledge. I think that over the last two years most employees have put as much distance as possible between themselves and the former mayor.  Furthermore, I question how many of these employees are his sympathizers. For the most part they are people who appreciate having a job, and hope to contribute some value from doing it well. Once he is sentenced this chapter in Allentown will really be over.

Today is primary election day.  Readers may notice that I have not beat the drum for or against any  candidate in the primary.  I urge readers who feel properly informed to vote.  Being properly informed , now a days, is a research challenge in itself.  It certainly doesn't come from campaign mailers or even in the local blogosphere,  such as with Bernie O'Hare's machinations.

above 1962 postcard showing the new Allentown City Hall

Examining The Morning Call

The Morning Call has announced that in July they will conduct a journalism course. My question is who is going to evaluate the Morning Call? Their recent article about the new United States Attorney for Eastern Pennsylvania once again associates Pawlowski with Allentown's $Billion dollar buildout. The paper can't seem to understand that he was only an accidental tourist on that train, not the conductor.

In fairness to the paper they have some excellent reporters who do good work.  This isn't New York City in 1950, with five newspapers competing for readers.  This is small-town USA, with one paper trying to survive. The paper is further restricted by outside corporate ownership,  dictating staff size and budget.

Fortunately, they have an examiner apprising them of their shortcomings... you're reading him now.