The General Gently Weeps

General Trexler died in an automobile accident in 1933; had he lived a few more years and seen the completed WPA Projects throughout Allentown's Parks, it would have made him very happy. How he would feel about the go-kart track at Cedar Park is another question.

The Administration does not refer to these macadam paths as a go-kart course or an event midway, but rather as paths to facilitate multi-generational activities. Fortunately in the past, the Trexler Trust would have never tolerated the park being destroyed in this fashion, much less be paying for it.

Unfortunately the current Trustee's are minions of the Administration, which wants a recreational theme-park with a little nature in it. Contrast the $hundreds of thousands$ to be spent on this blacktop, with not one dollar allocated for the iconic WPA stonework.*


Currently the walls and structures in Lehigh Parkway are probably the most seen and used WPA structures.

However, without a doubt, the constructions in Fountain Park are both the most monumental and historically important.

The massive stairway rises off of Martin Luther King Drive and climbs up to Union Street.








The construction continues on the other side of Union Street with a colossal retaining wall which is several blocks long.








Contained in this wall is a tunnel leading to another mammoth stairwell which climbs up to Spring Garden Street.



These steps were used over the years by thousands of Mack Truck workers going to the factory on S. 10th Street, and thousands of kids going into the park to play.


*The Park Department is seeking bids to repair the WPA stonework. At this time no money has been budgeted for this purpose, but the go-kart track is fully funded.

Several photographs are courtesy of Andrew Kleiner.

$100 a Week

In 1935, a Jewish boy earning $35 a week carrying 300 pound blocks of ice, was offered three times more to fight; win, lose or draw. For one hundred dollars a week, Jock Whitney, British aristocrat and sportsman, owned Abe Simon. Abe won his first 14 fights, 12 by knockout. On his climb to fight Louis in 1941 he would knock out 27 opponents, including Jersey Joe Walcott.

REPRINTED FROM APRIL 3, 2008

Cedar Fair Midway

Unfortunately this post isn't about the Cedar Fair which owns Dorney Park, it's about the City of Allentown and Cedar Creek Park. Citizens who attended the City Council Park Meeting on Aug. 13th were told that the park plan was a living, breathing work in progress. As shown in the diagram below, that progress has resulted in a new circuit path in the Rose Garden side of the Park, which can serve no use other than a midway loop for special events. The new additional path is below or south of the stream and has two cross paths which bisect the open space even more. I have seen go-kart tracks with more open space. Seeking an explanation for this unnecessary path beyond use as a midway, the Park Director said I would have to ask his landscape consultant. Ironically in 2005, the Trexler Trust hired the prestigious firm of Gannett Fleming to study the Allentown Park System. Their conclusion on page 30 of a 143 page report:

The City’s reputation for hosting major regional events is unparalleled, However, too many of the activities are placed in the same limited locations within the City. This exerts excessive impacts on a few parks and their adjacent neighborhoods.... Lessen the impact of holding several major events at Cedar Creek Park

Cedar Creek Park, as we know it, is essentially being destroyed by Pawlowski and Weitzel. I don't blame them, they have no ties to the area or knowledge of parks. The dereliction of duty by the Trexler Trust is unforgivable. The plan clearly violates the
conclusions reached in the very study they sponsored. Stewardship of the park system is their primary mandate; Shame on them. Shame on Friends of the Allentown Parks. Shame on the Environmental Advisory Council. Shame on the Rose Garden Neighborhood Association. Enjoy your Go-Kart track, I remember when it was a nationally recognized park.

The Monster's Bounty

The Parking Authority, beside the prison, is the only growth industry in Allentown. Donny Cunningham, who is a little Eddie Rendell in training pants, wants some of the monster's loot. The Authority writes over 100,000 tickets a year, mostly to low income center city residents and hapless shoppers trying to patronize Hamilton Street. Although most pay at gestapo headquarters, and the rest get burped in district court, constables chase down the remaining 25%. Constables are mostly paid out of costs put on the defendant's bill. Don Bureaucrat Cunningham inserted a clause in his new budget to hire more County Deputies to collect this $1.7 million dollars, earning about $360k in fee's. In an article in today's Morning Call by Robert Orsenstein, Constable Association President Thomas Impink is quoted about the irony of some governments privatizing functions to save money, while Lehigh County seeks to take over something already privatized. Cunningham will hire five new Deputies, although Constables pay their own insurance and support staff. Although those opposed to this scheme will have to make their feelings known very quickly to County Commissioners, there is an opportunity today to confront The Monster itself.

Craig Friebolin asks all citizens of common sense and fairness to join him today at 4:00 pm as he confronts the Parking Authority at its Board Meeting, 10th and Hamilton Streets.

The Blogger

We here in the Valley are blessed to have the THE BLOGGER EXTRAORDINAIRE to both inform and conform us. Tirelessly attending one meeting after another, five nights a week at the midnight hour he bestows praise upon the deserving and criticism upon the weak. Bending the truth like putty, faster than a speeding Lanta Bus, all opposing comments are dismissed as non sequiturs, personal attacks and off topic.......to be continued

OPEN MIKE

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

Getting Carpentered

There are many politico's who would rather not hear Paul Carpenter's voice on the other end of the phone. A few told me in the past they hoped not to be "Carpentered", meaning they didn't know if they would end up being flattered or battered until they got the morning paper. Carpenter has been kind towards me; He defended me against a NAACP official who implied my 2005 Platform contention that Allentown has become a poverty magnet was racist. My efforts to have the WPA stone structures put on the park department repair agenda were accomplished by the publicity his article generated. Today, Tony Phillips benefited from his perspective. Carpenter believes Tony's right to privacy was abused. His point of view is not much different than O'Hares, but Carpenter doesn't defend Tony by personally bashing those who feel differently. Although the news staff at The Morning Call has been reduced to a skeleton crew, thankfully, both Bill White and Paul Carpenter have been retained; That is, unless I end up in White's Hall of Fame, or get Carpentered.

Parking Authority Preys On Poor

Although the shopping district in Allentown has shrunk down to only Hamilton and 7th Streets, the meter district remains as it did during the heydays of the 1950's. The meters extend from Walnut to Chew, from 5th to 10th, well over 1000 meters in 20 sq. blocks. Parking meters extend out to 10th and Chew Sts, three full blocks beyond the closest store.* These meters are a defacto penalty for the residents, mostly tenants. In essence, it is a back door tax on Allentown's poorest citizens. The apologists claim the tenants can purchase a resident meter pass, however their friends and visitors cannot. To add insult to injury, in 2005, to help finance a new parking deck for the arts district, the Parking Authority doubled the meter rate and fines. Testimony to City Council permitting the rate increase indicated it was favored by the merchants. At that time I documented to the Council that in fact the merchants were not informed, much less in favor. The vote was 5 to 2, with Hershman and Hoover dissenting
* I used the above copy on my posting of October 3, 2007. In the past several weeks the Parking Authority finally removed the meters in the 900 block of Chew St, 50 years beyond their legitimate need.

There's a new thorn in the side of the Parking Authority, his name is Craig Friebolin, and here's his message


Come One, Come All! To what may just be the greatest show on earth! The Wednesday September 23, 2009 - Allentown Parking Authority Board Meeting at 4pm! I'll be there (with a few others) to amaze and astound you! It will be a board meeting like none you've witnessed before! Chock-full of News Worthy information the general public WANTS TO KNOW! While it may not be the Jerry Springer Show; Tempers will Flare and that always makes for entertaining news, right?