Waiting On A Morning Call Promise

I was told by the top hierarchy of the Morning Call that although they wouldn't print  either my editorial or letter about Wehr's Dam,  that they would investigate and report on my documented assertions. I'm concerned about the township commissioners having allowed The Wildlands Conservancy to cast doubts about the dam's condition with Harrisburg. They attempted to poison the water about the dam behind the public's back. The state in turn sought clarification from the township about the claims by the Wildlands. I provided both quotes and dates from those memos. Two weeks have passed, and this week  they reported on South Whitehall's plans to utilize the house owned by the former mill operator, but ignored the dam issue.  The mill itself was torn down decades ago, and the dam is the only remnant left of this important part of the township's agricultural history.

The article reports that the house will become the township park office,  and be in the important Jordan Greenway project.  It doesn't reveal that the project was formulated, and is being administrated by the Wildlands Conservancy, which still wants to see the dam demolished.  Bill White, their remaining columnist, and closest thing they have to an editorial by the paper,  had previously publicly sided with the Wildlands in calling for its destruction.

Wehr's Dam was sanctified by the voters last November by special referendum. Although sanctify is usually used in the religious sense,  understand that the voters were willing to endure a tax increase to keep their cherished dam.  It has been a destination for generations.

The dam is still standing mostly from my efforts.  To stifle my current concerns about its future from the public, reflects a continuing bias on the paper's behalf.

photocredit: K Mary Hess

Raining Mayoral Candidates In Allentown

Allentown's Mayoral fountain runneth over.  There are no less than seven candidates on the Democratic side.  This post will limit itself to the four forerunners.  After the last election, and before the FBI investigation,  this blog already reported that both Sam Bennett and Charlie Thiel sought to be our next mayor. Both then claimed that they would openly oppose Pawlowski.  The current investigation has certainly made that decision less awkward.  Added to the mix is now Ray O'Connell.

As I've written before, with such a crowded field, it will not take many votes to win.  Pawlowski has been courting the small minority groups,  hoping to cobble together enough votes.  He is in a position to dispense favors, and promise more.  I believe that his name recognition and remaining power makes him the lead candidate.

Sam Bennett started early, and is an experienced organizer.  This is a Democratic town, and being a woman in this Hillary era, can only help her. She will certainly draw a substantial number of votes.

Charlie Thiel likewise has been on the scene for years.  He is a school board member who has the support of Jennifer Mann.  He has long standing ties with both the business and religious communities.

Ray O'Connell, in addition to currently being president of City Council, was an Allentown school principal.  He has been concentrating on the west end vote, which always has the highest turnout.

My preference would be anyone but Pawlowski.  The three others mentioned above bring a lot of talent to the race. Even among the three not mentioned, there are many qualifications.

Saving The Spring Pond

As a small boy growing up in the twin homes above Lehigh Parkway, I would go down the steep wooded ravine and cross the Robin Hood Bridge. The stone lined spring pond and miniature bridge was just the first in a series of wonderful WPA constructions to explore. Last year, when I organized the reclamation of the Boat Landing, my memory turned to the pond. Although overgrown with several inches of sod, I knew the treasure was still savable.





In the spring of 2010 I met Mike Gilbert of the Park Department, and pitched the idea of a partial restoration. On May 26th, I posted A Modest Proposal, which outlined my hopes for the pond. By July, Gilbert had the Park Department clear off the remaining stones, and clean up around the miniature bridge.


Park Director Greg Weitzel  indicated to me that the pond features uncovered will be maintained. Any further clearing would be at the discretion of Mike Gilbert. In our conversation he also stated that there are virtually no funds available for the preservation of the WPA icons.







I will attempt to organize a group and contributions for this most worthy cause. Between the Spring Pond and The Boat Landing there was once a bridge to the island. Wouldn't it be nice if a small boy could go exploring.
reprinted from previous posts
UPDATE August 2013Mike Gilbert has retired, and the Park Department has a new director. Although grass and sod are starting to again cover the remaining stones that surround the pond, the miniature bridge is still visible. I will make it my mission to again pitch the new personnel.

UPDATE June 18, 2014. The grass and sod has reclaimed the stones that surround the pond. Only the very top of the miniature bridge is still visible to those who know that it's there. Unless there is an immediate intervention, it's days are numbered.
HISTORY IS FRAGILE

UPDATE February 2017:In 2015, in cooperation with Friends of Allentown Parks, I supervised college volunteers to clear the new sod off the pond stones, and the new bush off the miniature bridge. Allentown is on its third park director since this post was first written, and has acquired two large parcels to create new parks. To be planning additional parks, when our existing park features are left to abandonment, is incredibility poor management.

Trump Haters Take No Rest

Nordstroms is having a boom because they dropped Ivanka Trump's clothing line. In their hatred of Trump, women are flocking there to patronize the store. It's hard to think of anything less supportive of women, than rewarding a merchant, because they don't like a woman's father. In this time of issues, such as North Korea's aggressiveness, liberal women are still obsessed with the results of November's election.

Here in the local arena, blogger Bernie O'Hare wrote; Locally, an assortment if bigots and xenophobes at Molovinsky Tabernacle Choir has been trying its best to justify just about everything Trump does, even when he's dead wrong. That's pretty much what has been happening nationally, too. Bernie was supposedly giving Trump the benefit of the doubt, until he used the phrase so called judge, two weeks into the administration. To Bernie, Trump is now a so called President.

In truth, I am not a Trump supporter, but a defender of our democracy. The country knowingly elected an outspoken, political outsider.  Although, I understand the entertainment industry seizing upon his unpopularity, women and liberals should consider, whether if at this point, they're just being obstructionists. Furthermore,  whether if this obstructionism is marginalizing their own country.

photo: Although, liberals have been over regarding SNL as news for years, now even the press is treating it that way, with reports on Sunday morning.

Molovinsky's Insulting Blog

In the course of covering the Lehigh Valley's current and historical events,  I offend numerous people. Often these people are our leading developers.  A young man on facebook recently speculated that I am jealous of their accomplishments.  In truth, I admire their business proficiency. However,  I lack the diplomatic and writing skills that would be necessary to present my observations without offense.  My yardstick for this blog is what's best for the overall community.  In that regard, I may find a developer's project counterproductive.  Likewise, I don't refrain from discussing different ethnic communities and their relationship to the greater community.  I'm old enough, and independent enough,  to speak my mind.  Although, I have some sensitivity in regard to people,  I afford no such courtesy to cities, bureaucracies, committees and institutions.

If this blog seems repetitive at times, or that I'm harping on something which doesn't interest many people, it's because I find the subject historically important, or politically compelling.  Understand, that this blog is not monetized in any way. How many people read it is of no consequence to me. Even my comment policy goes against common strategies for increasing readership.

For the record, I would like it be known that I take no pleasure when my posts offend.  Likewise, let me say that although I won't compromise for it, I do value your readership.

A Tale Of Two Bridges

In the mid 50's, it was a big deal to us southsiders when they opened the new 15th Street Bridge. Prior to that, we had to either go over the 8th Street Bridge, or use the old stone arch bridge by the fertilizer plant. The fertilizer plant is long gone, but the old stone bridge is still there. Schreibers Bridge was built in 1828, and rehabilitated in 1920. The new 15th Street bridge was built in 1957, and is now restricted to south bound only, until which time it can be completely replaced. So the new bridge lasted 54 years, while the old stone bridge is still in use, 182 years later.

Recently, I urged Donny Cunningham not to replace the stone arch bridge on Reading Road. His project manager, Glenn Solt, insists that the historic bridge must be replaced. He stated that stone arch bridges look nice on the outside, but inside, they're filled with "crap." Thankfully, Don and Glenn didn't target Schreibers Bridge, because we're really going to need it with the new 15th Street Bridge out of commission. Hopefully, they will reconsider about stealing our history on Reading Road.

reprinted from November 2010 and February of 2012

ADDENDUM: I did manage to save the Reading Road Bridge. I now encourage Allentown to restore the approach walls to Schreibers Bridge, damaged as it served heavy duty while the new 15th Street Bridge was being replaced.

In The Lehigh Valley Of Sacred Cows

If anyone is wondering what the issue was with my letter to the Morning Call about Wehr's Dam, the issue was me.  One of the consequences of having criticized the paper and various sacred cows over the last decade, is that my letters are submitted to a much higher level of scrutiny. Almost all the letters that they print have assumptions and opinions.  It is, after all,  the Opinions Page.  My previous letter on Wehr's Dam, before the referendum, took over a month of negotiations to have printed.  In the end, it was only printed because Bill White declined to make corrections to his piece on Wehr's Dam, and suggested instead that I write an editorial.

One must understand that we live in the valley of sacred cows and denial.  Only here can the township manager of South Whitehall go to work for the townships largest property owner and developer, and not raise eyebrows.  Only here can Allentown's biggest developer actually now own the newspaper building.

For the sake of journalism and access to news,  the Morning Call should be printing this blog as a daily column, instead of repressing my occasional letters.

Trump's Muslim Ban

The thing about Trump's Muslim Ban is that it is not a ban on Muslims, it's a travel ban against countries which for the most part are in a state of anarchy or hostility, and not capable of vetting their own citizens in regard to our security.  How safe do you feel about the current governments of Libya, Somalia or Yemen, checking passengers on their end of a flight?

My readers of liberal persuasion are probably beginning to doubt my claim of being a non-partisan.  The fact is I am bewildered by the misinformation and distortion concerning the Trump administration.  Now, I get that Trump has repulsed you numerous times in the last six months.  You are certainly entitled to your dislike and distrust of him,  but the distortions benefit nobody.

killing Christians on the beach in Libya