Growing Up Allentown

I'm a baby boomer. I was born in December of 1946. As soon as my mother climbed out of the hospital bed, another woman climbed in. I grew up in the neighborhood now called Little Lehigh Manor, wedged between Lehigh Street and the top of the ravine above Lehigh Parkway. That's me on our lawn at the intersection of Catalina and Liberator Avenues, named after airplanes made by Vultee Corporation for the War. We had our own elementary school, our own grocery store, and the park to play in. On Saturdays, older kids would take us along on the trolley, and later the bus, over the 8TH Street Bridge to Hamilton Street. There were far too many stores to see everything. After a matinee of cartoons or Flash Gordon, and a banana split at one of the five and dimes, we would take the bus back over the bridge to the shelter of our neighborhood.

Duck Paté Once Again At Cedar Park

In yesterday's post, I wrote about the Poison Hemlock and other invasive species taking over the creek banks in the Allentown Park System. This is a result of the ill-advised riparian buffers, promoted by the Wildlands Conservancy.

Yesterday morning the park department started to clear cut the stream banks in Cedar Park, the only way to get rid of the invasives. Removing them by hand would require the labor of the whole department, for the whole summer.

The buffers serve no ecological purpose in Allentown, because the storm water is piped directly into the streams, under the buffers.  However, the Wildlands Conservancy never lets specific realities get in the way of their generalized science.

These faux buffers have numerous victims. Yesterday this year's batch of ducklings were turned into paté  and mulch, when the mower went over their nests. For the rest of the summer, the city will allow the faux buffer to grow,  blocking both view and access to the creek.  It's not a good plan for the ducks or the children.

Allentown should defer to General Trexler's landscape architect, and again allow its citizens to enjoy the parks, as designed.

above reprinted from May of 2020

ADDENDUM MARCH 15, 2021: Hopefully this post can save some ducklings this year. I humbly suggest that the park department change mowing policy for the hatching season. Certain sections of the creek and lake banks could be kept mowed, which would discourage nesting.  Other sections could remain growing, until which time the ducks have left the nests. 

Biden's Missed Opportunity

Talk of unity comes easy to seasoned politicians...It rolls off their lips.  During last night's speech Biden could have given mention to the Warp Speed project which produced the vaccines in record time.  He didn't have to mention Trump by name, but just a momentary passing reference to the contribution by the previous administration.

During the campaign and before the inauguration, Biden spoke often about the need to unify the nation.  Last night Biden passed on an appropriate opportunity to do so. 

This blog, while formerly an early morning weekday daily, is now published on a less rigid schedule. I have installed an email widget on the web version sidebar, which will forward the blog postings to those who subscribe.

Lehigh Valley Censure Of Toomey

I believe that the Lehigh Valley Republican Party censure of Pat Toomey was ill advised.  Not all conservative voters, be they Republicans or independents, found Trump's post election behavior appropriate.  Who is the censure's message supposed to influence? It goes without saying that Toomey voted his conscience, and had previously confirmed that he would not run for re-election.  

For a party rightly concerned about the down ticket in a polarized environment, diversified opinion should be at least tolerated.  

Historically the midterms should belong to the Republicans.  However, they seem determined to project an extremist posture... Not a good or smart look. 

As an independent, I always vote for a candidate, not a particular party. There are Republicans who will receive my vote this coming November, regardless of this ill advised censure.

photo shows Trump's ill advised speech January 6th, 2021

Wehr's Dam Challenges Integrity Of Wildlands Conservancy

Chris Kocher, President of Wildands Conservancy, publicly stated on their website and in a Morning Call editorial that Wildlands Conservancy will certainly respect whatever decision South Whitehall Township makes about the dam’s future. The same pledge was also repeated by their director, Abigail Pattishall, prior to the vote on March 18th. This blogger has learned that there is a back door plan under way to still demolish the dam. Prior to voting on the dam, Commissioner David Bond suggested that perhaps the issue should be turned over to the voters in form of a referendum, because of the expense involved in keeping the dam. Bond voted to save the dam, but only after the yes votes were already in a majority. My sources reveal that Commissioner Christina Morgan, who voted against the dam, and the Wildlands' Pattishall are encouraged by the prospect of a referendum. They know that any question to the voters which increases taxes or expenses always loses.

The entire Wehr Dam study lacked integrity. The million dollar price tag assigned to repair the dam was a blatant scare tactic. Realistically, the repair cost would be only a small fraction of that amount. Unfortunately, this inflated figure has been taken at face value by The Morning Call, and repeated article after article. What Christina Morgan and Abigail Pattishall fail to realize is that unlike their inflated dam study, support for the dam is very real. The thousands of people who signed the petition, while visiting the dam, are very real.

The current Explore issue of South Whitehall Park News fails to mention or honor the dam's retention. Likewise, the Wildlands Conservancy has not acknowledged the decision, and a previous pledge to move on to other projects. Randy Cope, South Whitehall's park director, might be a member in good standing with the Wildlands, but he is failing the citizens of South Whitehall, by ignoring the peoples' wishes to celebrate the dam. Any referendum on the dam,  originated by commissioners, will be a vote against the wishes of the townships' residents.

photograph by K Mary Hess 

above reprinted from April of 2015

ADDENDUM MARCH 10, 2021: The integrity concerning the dam only went downhill since I wrote the above post in 2015.  Although the referendum to keep the dam passed in 2016,  the Wildlands continued their scheme to demolish the dam.  They communicated backchannel with the state DEP about issues with Wehr's, which weren't really relevant in regard to a low hazard dam.  Pennsylvania DEP never met a dam they like, and they publicly boast that Pennsylvania has demolished more dams than any other state. This ex-parte communication has greatly increased the current cost to repair the dam.  Meanwhile, former park director Randy Cope was promoted to Public Works Director, and never defended the dam.  On the contrary,  his father was a Wildlands official, and the Wildlands was given a major contract for work within the park. Although I offered documentation of the situation to the Morning Call, their editor (and local sacred cow protector) refuses to report on the situation. 

I'm taking the unusual step of publicly supporting two candidates in the upcoming Republican primary for commissioner,  Monica Hodges and David Kennedy.  Both of them will respect the voter's wishes on  Wehr's and other township issues.

This blog, while formerly a weekday daily,  is now published on a less rigid schedule.  I have installed an email widget on the web version sidebar, which will forward the blog postings to those who subscribe.

Worry And Opportunity In South Whitehall

South Whitehall has two seats up for election this coming fall.  One is held by Tori Morgan(R), who has been there since 2008.  She is responsible for the ongoing threat against Wehr's Dam. Ever since the Wildlands Conservancy announcement in 2014 that they want to demolish Wehr's, Morgan has been in league with them, to accomplish their goal.  If the dam survives,  its repair will now cost much more than it needed to, because of back channel shenanigans by the Conservancy with the state, allowed by Morgan.

The other seat up for grabs is currently held by Joe Setton(D).  Setton was not elected, but appointed by Mark Pinsley, when he office hopped up to county controller. 

In addition to Morgan,  Republicans voting in May's primary will also see Monica Hodges and David Kennedy on the ballot.  While both Hodges and Kennedy would bring much needed democracy and fairness back to the commission, only two of three candidates will advance to the general in November. 

My worry is that township residents will lose the chance to be represented by one of these outstanding new candidates.  The opportunity is that Morgan will lose,  ending her long stranglehold against good local government. 

photocredit:Wehr's Dam by Jason Fink

Allentown's Desolation Row

When Allentown demolished its historic mercantile district, I was there.  I accompanied the former merchants to meetings at city hall, where they were lied to about straw buyers and eminent domain.  I photographed the buildings before, during and after their demolition. 

Despite all the new construction, Allentown is still desolate, even before the pandemic. While there is a slight pulse during lunch hour,  evenings and weekends remained deceased. 

Once the pandemic subsides, hopefully the arena will start scheduling numerous events.  In reality, most of the Hamilton corridor is now owned by one man, whose debt obligations are serviced by redirected state taxes. If the corridor remains the domicile of the invisible and walking dead, it matters little to his bottom line. Eventually he will be cashing out, a $Billion dollars the plusher for it.

Needless to say, nobody is hiring me to write brochures for downtown Allentown.  Unfortunately, those yarns are being spun by the Morning Call.

photocredit:molovinsky

Blogging Battles

As a blogger, over the years I have been in a lot of battles. Pre NIZ, the unwashed Lanta passengers were removed from Hamilton Street, and segregated to 6th and Linden. This social engineering deprived the Hamilton Street merchants of their customer base. Of course things would only get worse for the merchants, as they themselves were then removed.

During this period my posts caught the attention of fellow blogger Bernie O'Hare, who previously was a supporter of Pawlowski. O'Hare and I would join forces for a couple of years, defending the passengers and merchants. 

One common denominator of my battles was that the Morning Call was missing in action on all these issues of inequity. They were, and continue to be, part of the problem in Allentown. The current Lanta terminal sits on previous Morning Call property. 

As this blog transitions from a weekday daily to a weekly, I will review some of the issues which have made me an outlaw with the establishment.

photocredit: molovinsky    8th & Hamilton above; Save for the Farr Building, nothing else shown remains. While the historic mercantile district was demolished, this blogger and his camera documented the destruction.