What Was The NIZ Meant To Do?

Molovinsky writing blog in early morning

If the NIZ was meant to revitalize center city Allentown, it has failed miserably. A simple walk down Hamilton Street shows less activity than before the $Billion dollar influx. I believe that its intention was only to enrich a few individuals. Although apologists for the subsidy say that anybody could have done what J.B. Reilly did, with courage, they are in fact only enablers for this scheme. In truth, Reilly was fronted the money before the ANIZ board formally existed,  and had agreements of sale for much of the NIZ property before the general public even had knowledge of the program's specifics.

One of the rules for retail success is the illusion of easy parking. Never mind that you're parked half a mile away in the mall parking lot, the stores are in your line of sight. In Allentown, the administration controlled Parking Authority offered and sold the line of sight surface parking lots. Furthermore, they are now charging $2 an hour to park, although the arena has very few events. There is nothing to indicate that revitalizing was really the goal, and there's less to indicate that the revitalization will succeed.

The mayor, waiting to be indicted, is going around cutting ribbons for the little people, and serving lunch to the poor people, of which there is no shortage. Prior to the air being left out of his ballon, he thought he was going to ride the revitalization to Harrisburg or Washington. His campaign fund is now his legal fund. The Morning Call has begun to begrudgingly tone down its cheerleading, realizing that their credibility was being jeopardized. Meanwhile, to keep up with all the shenanigans, I had to increase the blog staff.

Pawlowski As Hitler In The Bunker

After reading Tuesday's waste to energy article by Emily Opilo in the Morning Call, one could only think of Hitler in the bunker at the war's end, moving around Panzer Divisions, which no longer existed. The best of course was City Council's reactions.  Julio Guridy would only consider another waste to energy proposal after vetting the public on their feelings. People who need people are the nicest people in the world.  I was almost at the Delta Thermo council meeting. First, I had to get pass the union bikers outside city hall, meant to discourage the public. Then, I had to stand out in the hallway,  because of all the union workers from out of town, imported to pack the council chamber.  Julio voted yes, yes, yes.

One of the companies involved in the new round of proposals is from New Jersey. Harrisburg went $300 million in debt, ending in receivership, working with this company. They sound perfect for Allentown.  Apparently, Pawlowski and city council, although wounded, are more dangerous than ever.*

* The concept of Pawlowski as Hitler in the bunker, came from someone associated with the city, who wishes to remain anonymous.

NIZ Stock Depreciating

With National Penn having been acquired by BB&T,  Reilly and Allentown is losing more than just bank headquarters status.  Scott Fainor had been a long time center city booster.  Before Keystone merged with National Penn,  he placed a Keystone branch in the PPL Plaza.  He has been Reilly's primary banker, lending him $16 million start up for acquiring and tying up the lion's share of property in the NIZ zone.  Since then, National Penn has continued being Reilly's banker.  News accounts now say that BB&T will reduce staff at 7th and Hamilton by 87 positions.  Fainor was very good to Reilly.  Although, knowing the bank was reaching the asset point of sale,  he signed a 20 year lease with Reilly.  The location will now function as a regional center for BB&T.

In 2018, the Talen workers are scheduled to relocate to Jaindl's riverfront NIZ, but wait!!!! Rumor has it that Talen might be acquired, who then would be Jaindl's anchor tenant?  Meanwhile, back uptown, Reilly has put his mega project on hold, and is proceeding with his office condos.  The Morning Call will have its hands full spinning the decline as progress.  The cigarette tax loophole might become more and more important for the NIZ's future.

Jennie Molovinsky Was A Quiet Neighbor

For nearly a hundred years the Wenz Memorial Company had a tombstone factory at 20th and Hamilton.  Their parcel extended from Hamilton Street back to Walnut Street, across from the home of former mayor Joe Daddona.   Years ago, large granite slabs would be delivered by railroad, using the the Barber Quarry spur route.  During the Phil Berman era,  the facilities were also used to produce large stone sculptures.  Behind the office and production building, most of the property was used for storage of tombstones.  Some of the stones were samples of their handiwork, and others were old stones that had been replaced with new ones, by family members.  Such was the case with my great grandmother's first stone, which has laid at wenz's for several decades.  The row houses and their front porches on S. Lafayette Street faced this portion of Wenz's, and it was very quiet, indeed.

Some readers may have noticed that Wenz's has been demolished, and the parcel will now contain a bank,  Dunkin Donut, and Woody's Sport Bar.  The residents of Lafayette Street,  experiencing complete quietness for all these years, attended the zoning hearing as objectors.  Their previous view, a dark, quiet lot, would now be replaced with a lit parking lot, with bar patrons coming and going.  Although I will not comment on the zoning issues,  residents were supposedly told by the zoners that the development would improve their quality of life.  It's one thing to have the quality of your life degraded,  it's another to have your intelligence insulted, to boot.  Perhaps the zoners need some training in sensitivity.

Allentown Park System's Misguided Priorities

The park department purchased and installed fifteen pieces of outside exercise equipment in Jordan Park.  Beyond being a novelty in a park with a swimming pool, basketball courts and baseball fields,  it symbolizes what's wrong with the park department.  Three things are for sure about this equipment; It is a fad from a catalog, it was expensive, and it won't last very long. Meanwhile, throughout the park system, things unique to Allentown  that could last indefinitely, are being allowed to crumble.

Friends of the Allentown Parks is planning events to celebrate Bogert Bridge's 175th birthday. They will also conduct fund raising to paint and repair  that neglected symbol of Allentown.  The Pawlowski administration and it's park department haven't spend $1.75 on the bridge since his first term, in 2006. The broken WPA wall shown here is in Cedar Park, and has been broken for years. Although the administration is bragging about repairing the wall in Lehigh Parkway, it's only because it is a retaining wall, and must be repaired before the road can be reopened.

I understand that the decline of our traditional park system bothers me more than most.  Furthermore, there may well be many residents, especially newer ones,  who have no special affinity toward the traditional park features.  However, although I may be the lone voice on this topic, I will continue advocating for these discarded structures; They are irreplaceable.

The Magic Of Wehr's Dam

There is a magic place in the northwest corner of South Whitehall Township, called Wehr's Dam and Covered Bridge.  Because you can see watering flowing over a dam and under a covered bridge, people have been coming here for over 100 years.  Because it was a destination for so long, about 25 years ago the township created Covered Bridge Park, extending from that magic spot downstream, to Guth's Covered Bridge.   It now has become unfortunate that the dam lies in South Whitehall, because that township has become  politically disingenuous.  A series of uncontested elections has resulted in both arrogance of leadership, and outright cronyism.

Wednesday evening I approached the County Commissioners,  requesting that they adopt the dam, they already control it's partner in magic, the covered bridge.  Farmland Preservation has become the fashionable favor of the decade.  Lehigh County already designation $750,000 for that purpose, and has an additional $2million proposed for that end.  Farmland Preservation has its own page on the county website. At the bottom of the page it states;  Preserved farmland protects local scenery and promotes local tourism.  I suggest that the county acquire another acre,  encompassing the dam.  Although the parcel would be somewhat wetter than they normally seek, it easily surpasses their scenery and tourism criterion.

photocredit: K Mary Hess

Will Lehigh County Save Wehr's Dam?

On Wednesday evening I asked Lehigh County to value our history, and save Wehr's Dam.  The South Whitehall commissioners, in a disingenuous maneuver, decided to put the issue to referendum.  The dam is in overall good condition.  That's exactly how it was described in the inspection report by the state in 2012.  In 2014, the Wildlands Conservancy set their sights on it's destruction.  They used $259,000 of state tax money on a study designed to find the dam deficient.  Their engineer for hire, reported that it would cost $1.5 million to repair the dam.  Previously, before the Wildlands desired it's destruction,  township workers themselves would repair any issues noted on state inspections.   Myself, and several other people including descendants of the Wehr family,  managed enough public outcry in 2014 to halt it's destruction at that time.

Although, the South Whitehall Commissioners were supposed to hire a masonry contractor to estimate the true work, they instead bowed to the Wildlands connections,  and instituted another engineering study,  this time coming up with a $600,000 cost.  This figure was high enough that they could justify a referendum,  asking the taxpayers if they mind paying more taxes to repair the dam.  Referendums which cost the taxpayer money are almost always rejected. In the last referendum,  township taxpayers declined a new library for that very reason.  In 2014,  6,700 signatures of support were gathered at the dam itself.  The dam has been a destination for over 100 years.

One South Whitehall commissioner, David Bond, incredibly stated that he now favors a referendum, because he doesn't know how many of those signatures were from residents of South Whitehall.  I don't know either, but do know that most were residents of Lehigh County.  I have asked the County to intervene, because  of conflicts at the township level.  The Wildlands is the major park consultant for the township, and the township's park director is the son of a Wildlands director.  Beyond being a county destination for over a century, the former mill and remaining dam were part of our agricultural history. We seek to preserve thousands of acres of farmland, for which there are no farmers or agricultural demand. Let us resolve to save one more third of an acre.  Nowhere else can county residents see water flow over a dam and under a covered bridge.  I'm sick of history being destroyed by greed and cronyism,  and call upon County Executive Muller and the commissioners to save this beautiful part of our history called Wehr's Dam.

photocredit:Michael Kubel / The Morning Call

Adventure Allentown Omission

The Adventure Allentown magazine for Spring/Summer 2016 is being circulated throughout Allentown. In the front pages, Mayor Pawlowski takes credit for many things that he wasn't involved in. Pardon my ego, but one of the things the city takes credit for is the fruit of my labor.  Improvement to the steps at Fountain Park began with a post on this blog in 2008, entitled Stairway To Shame. Subsequently, I created public interest by writing numerous pieces about the WPA, and holding several meetings at the Allentown Library. Paul Carpenter joined me on an inspection of the steps, and wrote a column about the needed repairs. During this period I invited Karen El-Chaar, Director of Allentown Friends Of The Parks, for a private tour of Allentown's WPA structures. El-Chaar secured a grant from Trexler Trust, which was used to replace missing steps and repoint at Fountain. During those repairs last year, I prevailed upon Linday Taylor, Allentown Park Director, to allow the stone masons to also seal the the open top of the Union Terrace stairwell wall. While I wouldn't expect that Pawlowski would mention my name, that photograph in the city magazine represents over seven years of my work.

 Although, I'm not mentioned, The Wildlands Conservancy is featured on a full page. That organization, with no regard to the uniqueness of our parks, has been dictating the park policy throughout Lehigh Valley. Our iconic structures are allowed to crumble, and in some cases are intentionally demolished, to accommodate their agenda, for which they harvest state grants. Tonight, I will make a presentation on behalf of our history.