The Sunday Drive

My family wasn't much for recreation.  My father worked six days a week, from early morning until early evening.  We did go for a long car ride on Sundays.  Back then gasoline was cheap, and having no destination wasn't thought of as wasteful.  Children were more content to sit in the back seat and look out the window, now they want a video screen in the vehicle.



Even children's play then involved more imagination and interaction.  Howdy Doody was just a puppet on strings, who spend most of his time talking to an adult, Buffalo Bob, can you imagine?

 Sitting in that back seat in the mid fifties, I might well had



my "coonskin" hat with me.  Fess Parker was a genuine American hero.  It mattered little if he played both Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone, both were king of the wild frontier.  The ride probably lasted for two hours and then we would go to a restaurant to eat dinner.  Compared to now, there were very few restaurants.



My mother would cook all the other meals that week, and we probably ate out more than most.  Supermarkets were the new rage in food shopping, but the butcher, baker and candle stick maker were still going strong.  If my father headed west or south, chances are we ended up at Shankweiler's Hotel, famous for chicken and waffles.   They were at the intersection of Old 22 and Route 100.  The building still exists and currently is a bank.  The family also owned another hotel on Route 309, which had an adjoining Drive-In movie venue.



If my father headed north or east,  we would end up at Walp's, which was on the corner of Union Blvd. and Airport Road.  Walp's was a much more urban place.   While Shankweiler's was an old country inn,  Walp's was built as a modern restaurant.  I enjoyed those rides, they were a learning experience.

reprinted from previous years

The Fountain Park Flood Wall

Last week I used this photo in regard to the water lease controversy. It shows the rear of the Allentown water plant on Martin Luther King Drive. Although I identified the railroad track as part of the former Barber Quarry Spur route, a mystery remained. The rail line itself was on the south side of the Little Lehigh Creek. It would past Schreibers Bridge, and end up past Union Terrace, behind the present day Hamilton Family Dinner. An inquiry to Mark Rabenold, local train historian, was in order. Wow... that's a rare photo, indeed! What you have there is the remnant of the siding that used to cross a short trestle/bridge over the Little Lehigh creek and once serviced the city's water works. You're right in that it came off the Barber branch. According to Dave R. Latshaw's article on the Barber branch in the 1988 Proceedings of the Lehigh County Historical Society.

"Initially coal was unloaded from hopper cars standing on a siding located along the south bank of Little Lehigh Creek and was carried across the creek by donkeys pulling two-wheel carts over a bridge built by Col. Harry C. Trexler directly behind the pump station. In later years a conveyor operated by electricity hauled coal from cars spotted on branch track to storage bins at the pump station. Circa 1910, the water department constructed a railroad bridge from the branch to the pump station. This bridge allowed the movement of coal in hopper cars directly to the boiler house....In August 1936, because flooding of Little Lehigh creek on occasion threatened the pump station and filtration plant, municipal authorities approved construction of a flood wall along the creek's north bank. In addition, a pit was built to allow dumping coal between the tracks and a conveyor then lifted coal from the pit to a coal pile on the east side of the boiler house." "Because only one car could be dumped at a time, the branch train pushed a car loaded with pea coal to the dump pit at least twice per week." "Railroad service to the water department ended in the 1946-1947 era."

The wall, which still protects Fountain Park from flooding, was another project of the WPA. 

reprinted from April of 2013

The Perfect Storm

In August of 1955, the Lehigh Valley got hit with Hurricane Diane, one of the most powerful to ever hit the area. The flood stage reached by the Lehigh and Delaware Rivers has never been seen before or since. 

The Allentown Parks weathered the storm fairly well. Unfortunately now, fifty four years later, our beloved parks are about to be destroyed by the perfect storm. In 2005, for the first time ever, we elected an outsider for Mayor. In 2007 he hired an outsider for Park and Recreation Director. This gentleman, well qualified in recreation, has no background in parks. In 2002, because the Afflerbach Administration was misusing Trexler Trust funds for operational expenses, those funds were frozen by Court Order and accumulated. In 2005 The Trexler Trust paid for a study of appropriate park projects, done by an outside firm from Philadelphia, for future guidance on how its funds might be used; also during this year certain members of the Trexler Trust became involved in the effort to elect Pawlowski. By 2008 the Perfect Storm had formed to assault the historic view of our Park System; an outside park director, an outside mayor, a huge amount of money and a politically supportive Trexler Trust. The plans for Cedar Creek Park offend almost everybody who grew up in Allentown; most of us didn't learn of them until recently, long after they had been funded by City Council. They include a Destination Playground above Cedar Beach Pool and a Wedding Pavilion in the Rose Garden. Ironically, the Philadelphia Study, known now as the Master Plan, calls for less use in Cedar Park. 

The WildLands Conservancy will plant a Riparian Buffer Zone throughout the Park System. As these bushes grow higher, except for a few places, park goers will not be able to see or approach the creeks. As the Riparian Buffers grow wider, more recreational venues are planned in the remaining green spaces; including skateparks, additional parking lots, additional picnic pavilions and restrooms. The Conservancy refers to seeing the creek as the old fashioned English and French Park values. What the Conservancy fails to understand is that our parks are not wildlands, they are parks. What the mayor and park director fail to understand is that thousands of Allentownians treasure our old fashion park values. Although much of these projects will be funded by the Trexler Trust and other grants, the maintenance costs will be borne by the Allentown taxpayers. I and other old fashion types will continue in our attempt to defend our parks. 

Addendum: Of the $3.8 million dollars Mr. Weitzel was allocated to remodel our park system, $482,000.00 may be spent on professional services and consultation.

above reprinted from August 2009

UPDATE AUGUST 23, 2021: Twelve years later, and I'm still fighting for our former traditional park system. The Wildlands Conservancy and their riparian buffers have denied Allentonians view and access to the creeks for over a decade now.  Ironically, because the storm sewer system is piped under the buffers, directly into the creeks, the buffers serve no positive benefit. On the contrary, they become overgrown with invasive species. In compliance with a EPA recommendation to mitigate invasives,  the buffer was recently temporarily cut back in sections of Cedar Park near the Rose Garden. I continue to lobby the park department to groom the park as originally designed.

Pennsylvania's Plum System

Julio Guridy, Allentown's current longest standing council member, lost the vice presidency of council last night. Last year he lost the presidency, which is the current backdoor to being mayor. With Pawlowski's pending baggage, this could well be the year that a council president moves up, via resignation. However, don't cry for Julio, once Allentown's rising star. About a decade ago, the power brokers in Philadelphia got Julio appointed to the Joint Toll Bridge Commission, with which he has earned close to $100 grand a year ever since, for an unnecessary position, involving very little time.  These positions are political plums, and have existed in Pennsylvania forever.

above excerpted from January 2016

UPDATE NOVEMBER 28, 2019: The 2016 post above was not intended to disparage Julio Guridy, but rather the commission system in Pennsylvania.  A woman in Easton was just appointed to a commission by Governor Wolf, and is receiving congratulations by numerous political types, from both parties. Likewise, as with Julio,  this post is not meant to disparage the woman. Such appointments represent what is so wrong about this state. The congratulations represent what is so pervasive about the system. Wolf ran as a reformer for his first term, but quickly put aside any such notions.  One thing's for sure, nobody will be offering this blogger a no-show commission job for being a good boy. 

UPDATE AUGUST 20, 2021: When Julio lost his bid for mayor this past spring, he still retained the plum consolation prize, his state commission seat and check from Harrisburg. Julio has been collecting this check since 2005, when he was appointed by Rendell. While I don't blame Guridy for his good fortune, I do blame our state representatives for their silence about these commissions, and lack of any reform in Pennsylvania.

Hope And Opportunists

I have been impressed with acting police chief Charles Roca.  Yesterday he announced forming a Community Board to enhance rapport with the various neighborhoods.  The Morning Call, in covering the story, put loudly forward opportunist Hasshan Batts of Promise Neighborhood. They quoted Batts "..The police have the information and data and they can share with the community..." While Batts thinks that the police department should provide him with data to justify his ever increasing empire, Roca's intent was that the community will come forward with information to help investigate crimes. Batts called on the city to invest in programs. “It is the community’s role to nurture and support the village,” What Batts means is that the city should invest more in his organization. The Morning Call has the same old stale stable of people they quote for various topics...Unfortunately Batts is now their community crime go to person.

Roca is an experienced police officer who has been on the force more than nineteen years. While he knows that information about violence and shootings seldom come from affected neighborhoods,  the outreach nevertheless is a very positive gesture. Community activists, such as Wanda Genao de Salas, were hopeful about Chief Roca's visit to Stevens Park. The above photo is a screen grab from her facebook page.

The Bricks Of Allentown

When Mildred Gehman* portrayed the house on the southeast corner of 12th and Walnut Streets in 1950, it was already about 60 years old. Another 60 years have passed, and the house still looks the same today. The bricks of Allentown hold up well. Yesterday, as I passed the corner of Madison and Chew Streets, I noticed three buildings in a row wearing a new orange tag, Unfit for Human Habitation. I have seen many clusters of these orange tags. They are generally handed out to one unfortunate owner or another, by one inspector. Recently, I received a phone call from such a hapless owner. His two buildings were tagged for some superficial reason, such as peeling paint. Everybody knows who has painted, or paid to have his house painted, that the stuff starts peeling off in short order, since the lead and other emulsions have been removed. Back to hapless owner. Because his buildings were tagged, the tenants were forced to move. In addition to the disruption in the tenants lives, the owner was denied the income stream to meet his debt service. Upon completion of the work on the list, the inspector then created a new list upon re-inspection. The re-inspections required scheduling specific inspectors, such as plumbing and electric, and dragged out the time frame. The primary inspector then inflicted a third list on the owner. Over a year has passed, his two buildings remain vacant, and the owner is out over $Thirty thousand dollars. Buildings on 12th Street, just north of Chew, have been tagged so long that the orange is fading on the notices. The city can mistreat rental operators because the public has little to no sympathy for that class of ownership. Several years ago, Allentown passed a Point Of Sale inspection law, which requires inspections of all private houses for sale. Welcome to the bureaucracy. 

 *Mildred Gehman,1908-2006, starting teaching at the Baum Art School in 1946. At that time, Baum was on the southwest corner of 12th and Walnut Streets, across the street from the house shown above.

above reprinted from May of 2012

UPDATE AUGUST 18, 2021: While Allentown heralds the new Strata Lofts,  the prevailing attitude continues to blame the converted row-house small landlord for the demise of center city. The Progressive candidates lament the lack of affordable housing...They're wrong on both counts.  The small landlords are providing the services and housing that would otherwise be at public expense. Today's new lofts will be Allentown's future tenements soon enough.  

This blog was started in 2007 to scrutinize local government, and the newspaper reporting thereof. I've succeeded in earning the resentment of numerous elected officials and editors. Over the years I moved my soapbox to different corners to enhance exposure. Currently this blog continues to be produced each weekday.  Additionally,  the history posts and some tamer political ones, may appear on the facebook group Allentown Chronicles.

The Milkman Of Allentown

Years ago, on the quiet, clean streets of Allentown,  the mornings belonged to the milkman, until people got up for their jobs. The streets are still quiet in the mornings, but they're not clean, and very few people get up for a job. Over the decades, center city became entrenched with the professional low income, migrating from the bigger cities. The Historic District, and other endeavors, served only as a finger in the dike for the middle class. As welfare rules tightened, the under-motivated became dependent on Social Security Disability, a life long de-motivator. On Monday, as the Budweiser Clydesdales walked down the street at noon, half the city's population was still asleep. As Allentown builds a shiny new arena, hoping for a revival, those very people they hope to attract have moved on and away from that urban malady, not inclined to return.

above retitled and reprinted from September of 2013

UPDATE AUGUST 17, 2021: Monday mornings are recon day for me in center city.  As usual, I found Hamilton Street deserted, with other streets strewn with litter.  Ninth and Chew might be the litter epicenter, but I have no empirical data to support that observation. I do know that years ago even a parade wouldn't have generated  that much trash.  Talking of data,  the Morning Call reports that while the Hispanic population of Allentown grew to 54%,  the whites decreased by another 25%. The article goes on to say that more translators are needed, because although most Spanish speakers know English, when they get stressed, they revert to Spanish.  When I get stressed, I revert to blogging. 

They Shoot Landlords, Don't They?

When I ran as a long-shot independent for mayor in 2005, against Ed Pawlowski and Bill Heydt,  the first thing I did was take The Morning Call reporter on a tour of the properties that I managed.  As an intercity landlord, I knew that  downtown apartments could  become problematic for Allentown.  After WW2,  it became fashionable to live in a twin or small ranch, and Allentown's row houses began being divided into apartments.  Those apartments were mostly occupied by singles or childless couples, and helped keep downtown and Hamilton Street vital, long past many of its sister cities.  In the 1960's, despite the thousands of converted apartments,  center city was clean, and Allentown was the All American City.  Both the tenants and landlords were hard working and conscientious.  As the urban poor from New York and New Jersey discovered the clean streets of Allentown, and its moderately priced apartments,  a steady influx of new residents arrived daily.  These changes were not encouraged by the landlords.  Nobody ever purchased a building hoping to replace their conscientious middle class occupants, with a poorer, more problematic tenant base.  Various social agencies staked many of these newcomers to the first month rent and security deposits.  Although politically incorrect, I said at the time that Allentown was creating a poverty magnet.  My phrase and analysis back then is now recognized as an unintended consequence of such programs.  During Heydt's administration, Allentown passed a Rental Inspection Law.  Some viewed  this as the solution to the rental problem, I didn't fully agree...You cannot legislate pride of ownership. Bad operators could, and easily did, cross the T's and dot the i's.  Pawlowski's solution has been to tag buildings as unfit for habitation, so many,  that the process itself has created blight.  Halls of Shame, either by the city or private groups, only stigmatize both the property and owner, but don't produce a solution.  The programs in place, if applied with more flexibility, can work.  The school district is starting to show concern about the consequences of more apartments and students.  Recent zoning changes allowing the conversion of commercial space by right, rather than by variance, will be an additional challenge.  At the end of the day,  all landlords want to see their investment appreciate.  The city must learn to work with that basic incentive as a vehicle for change.

above reprinted from February of 2014

UPDATE AUGUST 16, 2021: In the seven years since I wrote the above post, the migration of poverty to Allentown never slowed down. The school system is now officially distressed. Shootings and violence are now a weekly occurrence. There are those who say that the new crime is in line with the increase in population, they are wrong. A slight increase in population doesn't account for a large increase in crime. Allentown is now a very different city than it was for most of its history.