The Unhappy Camper

One of the reoccurring themes on this blog is the unlevel playing field called Allentown. While one merchant is given a buffet of incentives, the rest struggle to pay their taxes, subsidizing their competition. Have you seen the commercial where one little girl is given a small toy pony, and the other a real one? The narrator says even children know when things aren't fair.

The dinner shown, at 9th and Linden, first was victimized by Allentown and Lanta doing away with the bus transfer stops. Add a few over zealous Parking Authority tickets and the city promotion of the chosen ones, low and behold, an unhappy camper. This dinner used to be a half block closer to Hamilton, right behind the PPL tower, before they built the annex. The dinner was moved in about 1970.

The General Gently Weeps

I, Harry C. Trexler declare this to be my last Will and Testament:
......into the Treasury of the City of Allentown, for the perpetual maintenance of said Park, (Trexler) as well as the Greenhouse thereon located. This bequest shall include all the plants and other contents of said Greenhouse (1929)

The City of Allentown was granted permission to demolish the Greenhouse by the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas in about 1995, obviously with the compliance of the Trexler Trust at that time.

Although the will provides to improve and maintain the parks, nothing remotely refers to recreation. We know that if the General had his druthers, he would prefer a Greenhouse over a destination playground.

A Hole Too Deep

This photo is a metaphor for the Park Plan. It shows that they dug the hole too deep and too fast, and are undermining the structure. (photo shows eastern end of pond, several bottom stones have already fallen along the southern side of the pond) A comment on the previous post mentions the lost of the Trexler Greenhouse. It shows what can happen when the Trexler Trust, for one reason or another, doesn't exert itself in the best interest of the parks. Today I imposed upon Park and Recreation Director, Greg Weitzel, for a short meeting. He is enthusiastic about improving the park system and the recreation venues within. My vision for the parks is totally different; I see maintaining the existing features as the highest goal. I see additional facilities as an imposition on something which was perfected years ago. Today I noticed that several flower beds in the old fashion garden have been planted in grass; it makes one wonder what will happen in the future, if and when city finances and the Trexler Trust, no longer wish to finance the on going upkeep for the new playground, pavilions and other aspects of this comprehensive makeover? Besides this destination playground, how do you feel about changes in the rose gardens? How do you feel about the new pavilions toward Cedar Crest College and the lighted walkways? Mr. Weitzel and I also disagree about the amount of public input these plans received. Although meetings may have been held, how much of Allentown was actually represented? Construction began today on the ponds; pond #1, shown in photo, is having the stones cleaned in preparation for stone masons.

ADDENDUM: Opening at top of wall in photo is supposed to be there, it is the spillway which takes the water from the last
pond back to the creek

Greg Weitzel, although aware that I am a critic of the park plan, was both courteous and forthright when I
imposed on him this morning.

Out To Fib

To those of us somewhat familiar with free-standing stone construction, the above photograph was alarming. The lower right hand corner clearly shows that the unseen pond on the right was under-dug, threatening the bridge integrity. Although the bridge structure has some mortar, the pond walls are free-standing. It gets worse. Yesterday's article in the Morning Call on the park plans was disappointing. The reporter chose to ignore the fact that there is growing opposition to those plans, and that many informed people believe the plans are detrimental to the parks. It gets much worse. Today I visited the ponds to inspect the progress; the reporter was told (last week) that the ponds would be refilled within a month. No work, what- so- ever, has been performed on the walls. I learned that the bidding process for such work has not even been completed. The ponds, because of the weather, are again partially filled. It is my hope that the ponds survive this so called " improvement". It is apparent to me that this park/recreation director is obsessed with recreation plans, but in way over his head in regard to safe guarding the gems of Allentown, the parks themselves. The reporter was clearly mislead in regard to the ponds being completed. Likewise, the Trexler Trust has comprised its long term reputation by placing blind faith in these plans. It's bad enough that the pond job is still out to bid, it's worse when officials are out to fib.

Supermarket Comes To Boom Town

The concrete monolith still stands five stories above Lehigh Street at the Parkway Shopping Center. Currently it sports a clock and a sign for St. Luke's medical offices. It was built in 1953 as the modernistic sign tower for Food Fair supermarket, which then was a stand alone store. Behind it, on South 12th Street was the Black and Decker Factory. The shopping center would not be built to decades later, connecting the former supermarket to the bowling alley built in the 60's. Food Fair was started in the 1920's by Russian immigrant Samuel Friedland in Harrisburg. By 1957 he had 275 stores. 1953 was a rough year for the butcher, baker and candle stick maker; the huge supermarkets were too much competition, even for the bigger independent markets, such as Lehigh Street Superette; it was further east on Lehigh, now the site of a Turkey Hill Market. The sign tower also remains at the 15th and Allen Shopping center, which was another stand alone Food Fair. That parcel remains an independent supermarket. Food Fair would eventually absorb Penn Fruit, which had a market on N. 7th Street, then turn into Pantry Pride. When the Food Fair was built, there was as yet no 15th Street Bridge. Allentown only connected to the south side by the 8th Street Bridge and the Lehigh/Union Street hill. (stone arch bridge, near Regency Tower, was route to West End) Allentown was booming and Mack Trucks were rolling off the line, a block east off Lehigh Street, as fast as they could build them. The factories on S. 12th st. are now flea markets. Mack Headquarters is being sold to a real estate developer. Perhaps those concrete monoliths are the monuments to better times, by those of us who remember.

OPEN MIKE

This posting is intended to provide an opportunity to comment on any topic, or on an earlier posting.

Crimes Of Lanta

NEW IMPROVED VERSION
Regular readers of this blog know I don't think much of Lanta. A couple years ago when they decided to sacrifice the Hamilton Street merchants for their own agenda, I got involved with that cause. Their board of directors is a case study in bureaucratic aloofness. From a alternative transportation idealist (currently not serving) to a professional politician in training, every wrong interest is represented, but the common shmo* who rides the bus out of economic necessity. The shmo used to be able to do his shopping, or fill his prescription, between buses on Hamilton Street. He now has been restricted to sitting on a cold bench or eating a stale donut while he waits. But there's big news for the shmo. Lanta has $9.3 million dollars in Stimulus money and now is squandering two of it on a GPS system. They refer to it as a "Monumental Step" toward improving conditions for bus passengers. Although the buses already have radio systems and cell phones for emergency communication, now Lanta will know where each bus is at every moment. Because the buses are on a fixed route with well publicized schedules, this is sort of like putting GPS on a children's ride at the fair which goes around in a circle.

This system will be monitored by the same guy who watches Allentown's crime cameras. He will take a taxicab back and forth between Lanta and Police headquarters. Back to the shmo; while waiting on the bench he will able to see a screen telling him where his bus is now, reducing his anxiety and improving his mental health. Lanta's buying these devices from a small company in State College, on a single bid. A review of their web site, between the lines, indicates they do not manufacture these devices. Can you take Chinese at Allen High? One would think with $7.3 million left over, Lanta might find an alternative to tearing down that baseball field.

* hapless victim of circumstance

Preaching To The Choir

Yesterday, Rendell came to Bethlehem to squeeze the udders of our new cash cow, The Sands Casino. Somehow, through interior design, this money vacuum cleaner is portrayed as having something to do with the former occupant of that parcel, Bethlehem Steel, which actually produced something. Already, we are being primed for table games; their fear is that some people may still have some money left when they leave the parking deck to go home. On the way to the ribbon cutting and his free steak dinner, Bam, he stopped to stroke Renew Lehigh Valley, progressive advocates for regionalism. The sermon was that somehow they and Rendell have a plan to save us money, down the line, by consolidating water systems and avoiding repetition of capital expenses in projected upgrades; and of course they would do all of this, cognizant of "smart growth". Last year, a chemical truck overturned on the turnpike entrance and contaminated a nearby well, one source of South Whitehall's water. Fortunately, our current "dumb growth" still had additional sources. By their recommendations, Trexlertown and Fogelsville could look forward to Allentown's fluoridated water. Now only if those old Dutchmen still had their baby teeth, the fluoride might have done them some good.

UPDATE: NEW AND IMPROVED VERSION