Injury To Allentown's West End

After the "improvement"

For almost a hundred years the western stretch of Chew Street beyond Muhlenberg College had a quiet elegance to it. This was by no accident, as the neighborhood was developed by General Harry Trexler, also father of the park system.

Regular readers of this blog remember that recently I lamented the decision to blacktop the cement streets.  Little did I know that the macadam would only be the first assault on the neighborhood.

Despite the fact that virtually no cars park on Chew Street in that area, parking lanes have been painted. Although, there is little traffic or even walkers, cross walks have been painted on four sides of each corner. Add the double yellow lines and bike logos, and you have a blinding smorgasbord of paint.

There's something wrong when an improvement depreciates the value of a neighborhood.

Before the "improvement"

The Politics Of Local Basketball

Mayor Pawlowski had three of the four basketball nets removed from Andre Reed Park after neighbors complained of rowdy late night playing. According to The Morning Call, a youth coach has accused Pawlowski of accommodating a few neighbors over the need for youth basketball, to curry political favor in the neighborhood.  Cynthia Mota is crying foul because of the deprived youth.  Dennis Pearson is threatening to move back to Allentown and run as a write-in candidate, unless the courts are restored.

When contacted by phone,  the founder of this blog and park activist Michael Molovinsky, said that the trouble started when Pawlowski renamed the park from Irving to Andre Reed.  Furthermore,  they removed one set of WPA steps, rather than repair them.  When you have a park department that forsakes it's history and iconic structures for recreation,  then suspends the recreation for politics, what do you have left?

photocredit: The Morning Call

ADDENDUM:This story attracted the attention of both myself and blogger Bernie O'Hare. Both of us paid homage to Dennis Pearson, an east Allentown activist for many decades, who recently married and is in the process of moving.

Pawlowski Forsakes Iconic Park Structures

Despite my efforts for the last six years, the city has given no maintenance to the WPA structures except by necessity of circumstance. I began my campaign to save the WPA structures on this blog in 2010, and conducted public meetings at the Allentown Library. Fortunately, the director of the Friends Of Allentown Parks, Karen El-Chaar, attended a meeting and developed an interest in the mission. I subsequently gave her a private tour of the structures, and she invited me to conduct two public tours of the structures for her organization.

Although, I was told for years that money was in the park budget for renovation of the wall in Lehigh Parkway, no maintenance was ever performed. After a portion of the wall collapsed several years ago, it was only rebuilt because it was actually a retaining wall for the park entrance road.

Karen El-Chaar then secured a grant for the steps at Fountain Park from the Trexler Trust. At that time, I prevailed on the city to have the stone masons do an emergency repair on the steps at Union Terrace.

So, besides a collapse necessitating a repair, and a modest grant from the Trexler Trust,  nothing has been done by this administration to preserve this unique legacy bestowed upon the Allentown Park System.  Next week, I will reprint several posts on the structures with appropriate updates.

photo: El-Chaar and Molovinsky in Lehigh Parkway

Allentown's Treasures Deteriorate

The Allentown Park Department just completed installing 18 concrete pads throughout Lehigh Parkway for the Disc Golf Course. While the starting pads were unnecessary and unsightly, not one $dollar or ounce of cement was applied to the deteriorating WPA structures. Shown above is the top of the double stairway in Lehigh Parkway. While the top landing seen in the photo is in poor condition, the stair landings below are completely crumbling. Water is seeping down through the flagstone landings and undermining the steps themselves.

Unfortunately, it is clear that the current park director has no appreciation for these irreplaceable structures. Her background is completely in recreation, hence the new frisbee launch pads.
One would think that after the adjoining wall collapsed from neglect,  the administration would have realized that some preventative maintenance was long overdue.

These structures were designed in 1928 by a nationally recognized landscape architect hired by Harry Trexler himself.  Although, the Great Depression delayed construction,  they were then built by the WPA in 1935.  They are part of Trexler's legacy, and their neglect is becoming inexcusable.

A Letter From The Mayor

Office of the Mayor of Allentown

Dear Ce-Ce, Mike, and Robert, 

I wanted to take time away from my busy schedule as mayor to thank you for all your efforts on my behalf. After the primary I was very concerned about my chances to be re-elected in the fall, but your efforts to mount a 3rd party write-in campaign for my good friend Ray is just the shot in the arm my campaign needs to guarantee success again in November. I couldn't do it without your support.

Together we can keep Allentown Moving Forward. 

Your truly, 

Mayor Ed Pawlowski

 July 3, 2017 at 1:40 PM

The above comment, meant as a parody, was submitted by Scott Armstrong.  Scott is a partisan,  and in his view my recent posts recognizing  Ray O'Connell's write-in campaign is heresy.   My intent here is not to once again analyze whom such a write-in campaign would benefit, but rather my position as a blogger.


I separate my personal political preferences from my blogging. I will not color my words to promote one candidate over another.  I will not refrain from observations, even if they contribute to an undesirable  candidate's victory. In the campaign there will be many mailings and promotions from the candidates and their surrogates, but this blog isn't one of them.   

As Allentown Turns

LATE MORNING EDITION

 The presses were down overnight, but we expect to be back to normal publishing hours by July 4th; Then again, Cedar Park Pool was suppose to be open by now. Otherwise, here at molovinsky on allentown, the staff remains intrigued by the race for mayor.

Although, write-in votes are normally a tremendous hill to climb, Ray could easily create an effective machine election day. A write-in no longer has to have his name spelled out correctly. Any version that conveys the voter's intent suffices. The voters would only need to type in RAY. He already has enough support to man all the polling stations. If he can be competitive with campaign funds remains to be seen. It will be an interesting race.

Blood In The Water, Allentown 2017

The last time the Republican Party actively participated in Allentown politics was 2005,  when Bill Heydt ran for mayor against Pawlowski.  In 2009 Tony Phillips was a default Republican candidate, left to his own devices.  In 2013 the party fielded no candidate,  and Michael Donovan was the second man on the ballot as an independent.  Now come 2017,  with Pawlowski facing a pending indictment, and the party apparently thinks that the city is in play again, for the first time in twelve years.

Ray O'Connell told me that he has received numerous calls telling him that he will only benefit Pawlowski if he runs as a write-in.  The Republican's aren't saying that they want their man to win, but instead that nobody should do anything that will enable Pawlowski to win office again.  They're saying that Ray should put the city first,  not his own ambition; How civic minded of them!

Now, I'm not saying that the Republicans are wrong in their calculations about Ray being a spoiler, but I'm questioning their motive;  Is it a better Allentown they seek, or a Republican Mayor for the first time in over a decade?

Many of my posts offend one party or another,  sometimes both.  Readers should understand that I'm nonpartisan, and that this blog's mission is to provide informed commentary.

O'Connell's Methodology

In a call yesterday, Ray O'Connell stated that he is employing a methodology to determine if he can win in November.  His team is conducting a poll of registered voters.  If they determine that a plurality of voters will support him, he will proceed waging a write-in campaign.  He expects the survey to be completed by late July.

I don't initiate such conversations; I find them to be somewhat constricting.  If I express any doubt here about everything that I am told,  the caller usually takes even more offense than I normally cause.  Likewise,  although I will occasionally endorse a candidate,  I have no interest in an on-going promotion of any candidate or office holder.  However,  I am always available to hear out anybody.  I never want this blog to misrepresent anybody's position.

I do believe that O'Connell is trying to be scientific about his decision.  If emotion and enthusiasm cloud his data,  we'll know the morning after the election.