Molovinsky WPA Mini Tour

Many long time readers know that several years I started a group whose mission is to help preserve the WPA structures in the Allentown Park System. Consequently, I led two tours of Lehigh Parkway, in conjunction with Friends Of The Allentown Parks. This coming Saturday, October 25th, again in conjunction with Friends, I will be directing college volunteers to help clear some structures. While there, between 9 and 11-am, I'll be glad to conduct a mini tour of several sites. We will be meeting at the Robin Hood parking lot at 9:00-am, and concentrating on that side of the creek.

Molovinsky Stands Out

Independent candidate Michael Molovinsky may be a long shot for the 183rd state house district, but he had little trouble standing out in a three-way candidate debate Saturday morning. The candidate, known best for his "Molovinsky on Allentown" blog and persistence on infrastructure and environmental issues, combined confidence and bold, stylistic responses to questions posed by hosts from the League of Women Voters of Northampton County.Samantha Marcus/The Morning Call/Oct.20,2014

I agree with The Morning Call that I outshone my opponents,  but believe that my odds of being elected are much better than the paper indicated. Although it is true that independents are at a disadvantage of not having a party machine and money behind them, the people have had enough of politics as usual. They realize that Harrisburg is broken, with either Republicans or Democrats. They realize that the incumbent has been there long enough, and it's time for a change. They realize that too much of their taxes have been going to the large cities, and that they're not getting their fair share. They realize that I have the tenacity to stand up for them in Harrisburg.

Pa. 183rd District Debate/Forum

Another Oversize Postcard And Fib By Julie

Voters in the 183rd District received another oversize card and fib by Julie Harhart. In the latest fib, Julie portrays herself as an independent leader, working for educational funding in Pennsylvania. Very small print reveals that the very large card was paid for by the Republican Party of Pennsylvania, where Julie is known as a chair warming rubber stamp, certainly not a leader.

The Politics Of Wehr's Dam, 2

The South Whitehall Historic Overlay District resulted from about 1,000 signatures to save the King George Inn. Currently, there are 5,000 signatures to save Wehr's Dam, of which 4,600 were collected at the dam itself. The recent public meeting and power point presentation conducted by the Wildlands Conservancy on dam removals, was requested by the President of the South Whitehall Commissioners. When the Overlay District was enacted, I suggested that "and dam" be added to the Wehr's Covered Bridge listing.  The solicitor chimed in that such changes were not permitted at the ordinance reading; Actually, that is the exact legal reason for the final reading. The Commissioners have used every conceivable excuse and cover since June to protect the agenda of the Wildlands Conservancy. It's apparently incumbent upon the people of South Whitehall to now protect their park.

photograph by K Mary Hess

The Politics Of Wehr's Dam

Taking on the influence of the Wildlands Conservancy is no easy task. Their sponsors and donors are a who's who of Lehigh Valley, but that doesn't make them correct on every issue and endeavor. Although they may be a sacred cow, there are other things precious in this valley, such as our parks. Allentown's two recent park directors were from out of town, with no knowledge or feel for local history or tradition. The first one was given an award for his cooperation with the Conservancy. The second one, although he only stayed for about a year, is quoted on their website. That gentleman endorsed the demolition of the Parkway's Robin Hood Dam, after being in town for only several weeks. In Allentown, many local residents are upset about the riparian buffers in the parks, a Wildlands Project. These buffers block both view and access to the creeks, but because the storm runoff is piped directly into the streams, they serve no purpose. Just as the science of buffers isn't site specific to Allentown parks, their rationale for dam removals have also been generalized. This generalization was very blatant in regard to the Robin Hood Dam, which was only 14 inches high. Combine a sacred cow, with generalizations and a brand new from out of town park director, and you lose an historical structure of beauty forever.

Beauty and history is what Wehr's Dam in Covered Bridge Park is about. Last June, Wildlands told the South Whitehall Commissioners that the dam was neither aesthetic or historical. That distortion of fact has now awakened over 5,000 people, who beg to differ with the Conservancy. I personally don't believe that their conservation projects are appropriate to our parks. There are millions of acres of stream front in the state to conserve. I believe that the public, and especially children, are entitled to the stream side experience that differentiates parks from wildlands. The children are also entitled to the history of their parks, if it is a WPA dam from 1941, or a mill dam from 1904.

photograph by Gregg Obst

The Wildlands Conservancy Fakes Science

Chris Kocher, executive director of the Wildlands Conservancy, forgot to mention in a recent editorial that they will arrogantly fake and lie about the science, if it moves their agenda forward. Their current agenda is demolishing Wehr's Dam in South Whitehall's Covered Bridge Park, but lets examine their destruction in Allentown's Lehigh Parkway. I have a copy of the original 1940 rendering of the Robin Hood Bridge and Dam. This was the last WPA project in Allentown, and the city took great pride in it's design. The bridge piers and approach walls were designed to match and merge with the magnificent WPA stone walls, built in the park between 1935-37. The small dam, only 14 inches high, was no barrier to any self-respecting fish. The Wildlands testified in front of Allentown City Council that the dam was prohibiting fish migration with their canned speech about being experts on such things, never mind thousands of fisherman in the Parkway for 80 years. They also removed the Trout Nursery Dam, contributing to the kill of 2.000 fish this summer, but I digress. The firm hired to prepare the Covered Bridge Master Plan clearly states that removing the dam may very well increase flooding, as untold tons of silt change the downstream bed. The current firm, hired by Wildlands, calls that potential flooding a myth; Science to fit the agenda. Back to Lehigh Parkway. Although it is not my normal format to use two photographs in one blog post, the before and after views of Robin Hood Bridge are a tragedy. Before the Wildlands, the stone bridge piers raised photographically out of the water, a beautiful sight pleasing park goers for over 70years. After demolishing the dam, the Wildlands broke up the concrete and had the rubble placed around the bridge piers, despoiling the the vista forever.

top photograph by Tami Quigley

South Whitehall Commissioners Double Down On Master Plan

It's the year 2030, and a young girl asks her mom if they can go to Playworld's Plastic Playground. As they enter the parking lot, the mother tells her daughter that right beyond that large swath of trees and bushes, is where she played as a girl with grandmother.
  Why did you play there? the girl asks
  Grandmom used to like and sit and look at the dam, the mother replies
  What's a dam?
  It's a wall that the creek water would flow over.
  Is there a creek there mom?

In January of 2014 the South Whitehall Commissioners adopted the Covered Bridge Park Master Plan. It was an expensive plan created by a landscape architectural firm in tandem with input from the Wildlands Conservancy. The public input meetings were either sparsely attended or not at all. What emerged is a unimaginative hodge podge of contemporary environmental hocus pocus and catalog recreational tubberware. What is gone is the beautiful park, enjoyed by generations of township residents. The environmentalists would demolish the dam and replace the vista with a 75 foot wide riparian buffer. This buffer would run the entire length of creek, leaving only a glimpse of the creek as residents cross one of the three bridges. Former icons of the park, such as the dam, would be represented by interpretive signs. A huge playground, featuring Playworld equipment, would be the park's new centerpiece, replacing the current beauty and history.

Enter the Wildlands Conservancy in June of 2014, realizing that the Commissioners are invested both financially and mentally into the Master Plan. Out of this opportunity, they declare that demolishing Wehr's Dam is now their highest priority. We who are defending Wehr's Dam are here to tell you that like water over the dam, the money spent on the Master Plan is gone. However, we will not allow the beautiful park to be lost to our children and grandchildren, just to accommodate the Wildlands Conservancy's agenda.
photograph by Mary K Hess