"We don't see an opportunity to release those particular funds,"

That was the line given to press by Rendell spokesperson Michael Smith. This was in reference to the state of Pennsylvania not releasing any money to the Lehigh Valley or the city of Allentown to help fund the construction of a hockey arena.

I get that our budget is tight. I understand the economic poo storm raging across this country. I acknowledge that the decision to withhold those funds is fine.

The manner in which this decision was spoken of is terrible.

In essence, Governor Rendell said that building this arena would not be an opportunistic decision. He, or rather one of his lackeys, said that the third largest city of Allentown is without opportunity. He gave up on us.

Building that arena as an anchor with the America on Wheels museum to define a new riverfront would be the spark plug of revitalization Allentown has so longed for. It would be a fiery catalyst that would create hundreds, if not thousands of jobs and it would bring thousands and thousands of people back into Downtown Allentown.
Stores, cafes and restaurants would open with the arena because of the opportunity it creates. (See The PigPen etc.)

It would give the city a great and new meeting place where people of all social classes can meet and interact. It would bring light to the city and with light it would also lower crime rates.

I, and I hope you the reader can see the limitless potential that RiverFront has.

The same potential the Governor ignored.

Allentown Park Log: Part One- West Park

When I was a kid my grandfather used to take me to West Park on summer afternoons. I can remember feeding squirrels and chasing pigeons but mostly, I remember the fountain. Back then, it wasn’t working and the frogs that were supposed to be streaming water from their mouths instead just look surprised about how dry they were. I was fascinated by that fountain and my grandfather (I called him Topo) always made sure that I didn’t hop into the empty pool bed.

West Park is an arboretum; with many different species of trees and placards designating what most of them are. As a child I had no concern over which tree was a ginkgo and which was a maple. Now, I find it a wonderful resource to study flora right inside downtown Allentown. I am still mostly distracted by that fountain though.

Cradled between Linden and Turner Street, West Park is the rarest oasis in Allentown. A green escape in between the concrete blocks of city, West Park serves its community as refreshment. The storied band shell provides summer time entertainment as the legendary Allentown Band and various other artists either as storied or as up and coming play out the notes ,that hang in the humidity of July evenings, and dance alongside you.

I look forward to spending time in West Park this summer. I look forward to hearing the Sousa concert.

I hope the fountain is running when I go, although Topo isn’t around anymore to stop me from jumping in.


(This is the first in a series of observations about the expansive and extensive park system of Allentown PA)

What I used to do (and am still doing a bit, and want to do again)

I worked at Hava Java on 19th Street in Allentown from 2002-2007. The highlight of my tenure there was creating a series of performance events that ran on Sunday nights. These events provided an outlet for the great and too often hidden artistic talent that is buried in the neighborhoods of Allentown.

At first, these events were small. They attracted mostly the regulars of the shop and few groups of folks from Muhlenberg and Cedar Crest college. Over time, these events grew to standing room only affairs that required people to be turned away at the door.

I had performances from groups and individuals as diverse as The Lehigh Valley Storytellers, great local poet Paul Martin, and college musicians that have now moved on to gigs in New York City and Philadelphia.



On the night of my last event I held a raffle that was created with the help of all the businesses in the 19th Street Corridor and The West End Theater District. I had managed to secure donations from almost everyone around and with an address to the entire student body at Muhlenberg College and with a heavy push of vibrant marketing; a new era of visibility began on 19th street.

I unfortunately had to leave Hava Java and 19th street shortly after that performance. The events have ceased and the great potential of 19th street as a gateway to the city of Allentown has been diminished once again to just a hope.

I had managed to make it happen once though and it was a wonderful moment and a great feeling.

On Saturdays I am running an Open Mic at a fantastic coffee house in Northampton. I am proud of my work there and encourage all of you to come and check it out.

My heart however; despite attempts to distance myself from it and deny it as a possibility, is forever entwined with 19th street in Allentown. I sincerely hope that one day, the potential I saw and that I helped come to a brief fruition can again exist.

The Morning Call's Exclusive

EXCLUSIVE: Philadelphia Phantoms still want to relocate to Lehigh Valley

Rob Brooks, one of the principals of the Brooks Group, the new owner of the Philadelphia Phantoms, announced Wednesday morning that his group is still set on finding a long-term home for the Phantoms in the Lehigh Valley.

"I'm calling to let everyone know not to panic," Brooks said during an exclusive phone call about Tuesday's news that the Phantoms will play in Glens Falls, N.Y., next season as a temporary home until a permanent one can be completed in the Lehigh Valley.

"As you know, we were approved as ownership by the American Hockey League, and we wanted to take make sure the franchise remained operating. Our long-term goal is to be involved in the Lehigh Valley. We're down to a couple of sites and we're still looking at both [Northampton and Lehigh] counties."

-- Reporting by Gary R. Blockus of The Morning Call




Given that it takes time to build an arena, this seems like it isn't a huge issue. I hope that city officials and the Mayor are taking this very seriously and that behind closed doors events are already in motion that will set up a new hockey arena down on the RiverFront.

Ghosts

I chose the picture on this blog purposefully. It is a photograph of the former smokestack at the Neuweiler factory down by Bucky Boyle Park. It is an abandoned region of the city with seemingly more and more empty buildings that once were hubs of manufacturing, textile production and burgeoning industry.

This is where Allentown can and must be reborn.

Riverfront.

From the new America on Wheels museum to the shell of Neuweiler exits a limitless possibility of revitalization and growth.

A Hockey Arena to serve as an a anchor?

Riverside cafes?

A bridge to connect the American Parkway?

The possibilities are endless.

What once was a silken backbone to the development of this city can be rebuilt and serve a purpose again.

It is time to use the river.

I will continue posting about the Allentown riverfront. This is a bit of a mission statement.

Blazin Saddles

Fill out this survey:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=hBDATTw3S6k86UfEHV5fzA_3d_3d

It is designed to help the city of Allentown improve and expand its trail systems. Given the immense amount of parkland in the city; any effort to improve the existing trails would be spectacular.

While you're at it, check this out too:

http://wdiy.org/treeinfo.htm

Listen to WDIY!