My Opinion: Cedar Beach Parkway
It seems as if, judging by recent comments and questions received, that my stance on the construction projects at Cedar Beach has not been stated clearly enough. Today, I will share with you my opinion on those projects, one by one, so that you know exactly where I am coming from.
1. Rose Garden and Old Fashioned Garden Pathways
I love this project. I love what has been done. The day that the stone was installed I was a little apprehensive about its appearance given that it was raised a few inches from the ground. That issue has since been remedied and the ground has been entirely evened out. I commend all who labored in the summer heat to get the job done. It looks great.
2. Riparian Buffer Installation
I care more about this than anything else. I am 100% behind this and I was proud to be able to spend a couple of days at Cedar Beach helping plant the buffer. When spring returns you can expect to see a chronicled documentation on the growth of these plants and the development of this incredibly necessary project.
3. The Playground
I realize what a hot button subject this is for people but for me, a glance at the eroded banks of Cedar Creek and the bared roots of Willow trees puts this project in perspective. The environmental restoration of Cedar Beach should be the absolute priority of any construction project in the park. I believe that Muhlenberg Lake should have been addressed and fixed before the playground. Again, I do not oppose it. I question what “phase” of construction it should be involved in. It will undoubtedly serve as a gateway into a park that will hopefully offer a new generation an invaluable experience, which will be, a first real connection with nature.
4. Reflecting Pond Restoration and Path Paving
Cleaning up the ponds that were obviously becoming victims of eutrophication is a no-brainer. It absolutely should have been done, and I am glad it has been done. There is still work needed to be finished around the large pond and as I posted on here two weeks ago, Greg Weitzel has pledged that the work will be done.
I am completely, 100%, against paving the paths that have been paved. It does not benefit runners who are the most frequent path users. The environmental impact is negative and as they paved the paths they destroyed a large section of newly planted natural vegetation that was to serve as one of the most beautiful areas of flora in Cedar Beach. Dropping asphalt onto that was reprehensible and while I realize the paving is still a work in process, it currently looks poor and is negatively contrasting the good work done in the Gardens.
5. Future Projects
At this moment, I am not entirely sure what is going to be done when, so I am going to refrain from speculative commentary until I know what is next. I will say that I am against creating extraneous paths that will remove more vegetation in a park area that barely has any to begin with. It would also give me great satisfaction to see the projects that are being done now completed and immediate plans put forward to fix Jordan Park, Trout Creek Parkway and Canal Park.
It is my belief, and I think I have made this rather apparent, that those three parks should be priority and until they are, we are doing a disservice to our parks system.
I am not entirely for or against the project at Cedar Beach and I think it would be silly if I said I felt one of those two ways. This is not a black and white generalization kind of situation and to think that it is, is nonsensical. Unfortunately, I cannot say that I am 100% behind everything because I would love to be. That would mean of course, that the vision I would have for the parks was being implemented and I can easily be 100% certain that my plan would go over like a fart in church. Overall, I think what is being done is good. There are some things that could/should have been done differently, but no one/nothing is perfect.
So, there you have it. Andrew Kleiner likes the pathways in the Gardens. Andrew Kleiner has Buffer madness. Andrew Kleiner is supporting the playground because he can see the good that will come from it rather than dwell on speculative negative possibilities. Andrew Kleiner is militantly opposed to the recent pave job and extraneous path creation. Andrew Kleiner believes that there are more dire environmental circumstances at Muhlenberg Lake, Jordan Park, Canal Park and Trout Creek Parkway that should be addressed immediately and before any further development at Cedar Beach.
Thanks for reading, it is after all, just one man's opinion.
1. Rose Garden and Old Fashioned Garden Pathways
I love this project. I love what has been done. The day that the stone was installed I was a little apprehensive about its appearance given that it was raised a few inches from the ground. That issue has since been remedied and the ground has been entirely evened out. I commend all who labored in the summer heat to get the job done. It looks great.
2. Riparian Buffer Installation
I care more about this than anything else. I am 100% behind this and I was proud to be able to spend a couple of days at Cedar Beach helping plant the buffer. When spring returns you can expect to see a chronicled documentation on the growth of these plants and the development of this incredibly necessary project.
3. The Playground
I realize what a hot button subject this is for people but for me, a glance at the eroded banks of Cedar Creek and the bared roots of Willow trees puts this project in perspective. The environmental restoration of Cedar Beach should be the absolute priority of any construction project in the park. I believe that Muhlenberg Lake should have been addressed and fixed before the playground. Again, I do not oppose it. I question what “phase” of construction it should be involved in. It will undoubtedly serve as a gateway into a park that will hopefully offer a new generation an invaluable experience, which will be, a first real connection with nature.
4. Reflecting Pond Restoration and Path Paving
Cleaning up the ponds that were obviously becoming victims of eutrophication is a no-brainer. It absolutely should have been done, and I am glad it has been done. There is still work needed to be finished around the large pond and as I posted on here two weeks ago, Greg Weitzel has pledged that the work will be done.
I am completely, 100%, against paving the paths that have been paved. It does not benefit runners who are the most frequent path users. The environmental impact is negative and as they paved the paths they destroyed a large section of newly planted natural vegetation that was to serve as one of the most beautiful areas of flora in Cedar Beach. Dropping asphalt onto that was reprehensible and while I realize the paving is still a work in process, it currently looks poor and is negatively contrasting the good work done in the Gardens.
5. Future Projects
At this moment, I am not entirely sure what is going to be done when, so I am going to refrain from speculative commentary until I know what is next. I will say that I am against creating extraneous paths that will remove more vegetation in a park area that barely has any to begin with. It would also give me great satisfaction to see the projects that are being done now completed and immediate plans put forward to fix Jordan Park, Trout Creek Parkway and Canal Park.
It is my belief, and I think I have made this rather apparent, that those three parks should be priority and until they are, we are doing a disservice to our parks system.
I am not entirely for or against the project at Cedar Beach and I think it would be silly if I said I felt one of those two ways. This is not a black and white generalization kind of situation and to think that it is, is nonsensical. Unfortunately, I cannot say that I am 100% behind everything because I would love to be. That would mean of course, that the vision I would have for the parks was being implemented and I can easily be 100% certain that my plan would go over like a fart in church. Overall, I think what is being done is good. There are some things that could/should have been done differently, but no one/nothing is perfect.
So, there you have it. Andrew Kleiner likes the pathways in the Gardens. Andrew Kleiner has Buffer madness. Andrew Kleiner is supporting the playground because he can see the good that will come from it rather than dwell on speculative negative possibilities. Andrew Kleiner is militantly opposed to the recent pave job and extraneous path creation. Andrew Kleiner believes that there are more dire environmental circumstances at Muhlenberg Lake, Jordan Park, Canal Park and Trout Creek Parkway that should be addressed immediately and before any further development at Cedar Beach.
Thanks for reading, it is after all, just one man's opinion.
Labels: Cedar Beach Parkway, Rose Garden
posted by Andrew Kleiner at
12:35 AM
13 Comments:
This comment has been removed by the author.
andrew i hope in fact you are "militantly opposed to extraneous path creation." these additional paths are not a future concept, but the next phase of construction. i have published the plan several times on my blog, referring to them as a "go-kart track". being militant requires speaking out in a more public fashion than just a blog. perhaps you will join me addressing city council or holding a press conference. through your activism and this blog you have developed into a voice for the parks, hope you choose to use it.
andrew, let me take back my last statement on the previous comment. you have become a voice for the parks. how and where you express yourself is your business alone.
when lehigh parkway was designed, the bridle path was only on one side of the creek. southern side till the robin hood bridge, then northern side for the remainder. it is the new paths which abut the water, the original ones had a buffer. how interesting that now we must remediate against changes and additions made over the years. you could not access the creek on the northern side between the two bridges. (except for picnic grove right at robin hood.) without a doubt, sometime in the future, activists will demand that the new cedar park extraneous paths be removed.
molovinsky and andrew, at neighborhood association meeting with greg weitzel, it was our understanding that several "extraneous" paths had been removed from plans. perhaps a phone call to Weitzel will give you answers on this question?
anon 7:07, mr. weitzel reads both this blog and mine. if in fact the plan has REALLY changed, he is welcome to comment at my blog and i sure here also. during the meetings at city council there were many semantics used, but at the end of the day, not one thing actually was changed.
ps. maybe your "group" should ask how the park department can build and maintain more things when 17 employee's have been laid off, and the remaining ones resent volunteers. have some koolaid!!!!
Micheal,
If I believed that approaching city council or doing anything else would make a difference I would; however, given that opportunity, I would rather focus on the neglect in Jordan Park, Trout Creek Parkway and Canal Park.
We really need to see development plans move forward for those places before anything else.
Anon,
I have heard the same thing which is why I didn't condemn or support any future (possible) project in my opinion post. Without being 100% sure on the subject, I didn't want to say that I specifically opposed anything. I really just don't want to see any more vegetation sacrificed for paved paths. There is not enough down there to keep removing more.
Andrew, I know we're not always on the same page with the Riparian Buffer stuff, but both the wife and I thought those flowers thingies looked pretty good West of the reflecting ponds. From what we could tell from your blog pictures.
Never got to see them. Because we when we took a walk a while ago. We were both a bit surprised to see the section where I think you planted them was cut 2 feet wider then necessary beyond the blacktopping. From what we gather over the top of your flowers? It seemed wider then any other the other shoulders along any other of the blacktoppings elsewhere.
If that was the case, it sort of looks like a spite job in our eyes. Sorry if this happened to you guys. I would have at least like to have taken look at your efforts. Again if it was what happened I consider that spiteful and mean, being the workers knew about them as you were planting them.
Something that shouldn't have happened. If these guys knew about it beforehand they should have said something.
Andrew, it's clear your learning in class. I don't know where you find the time for school and your blog. A minor correction; eutrophication was not the issue in the mirror ponds. While certainly not oxygin rich { they sure couldn't support trout} they did, even thru seasional algie blooms, support beautiful mature ornamentel Japanese carp and healthy specimen water lillys. Makes one think of the spray devices at the Union Terrace pond, named in honor of the many Americans who fought and died to preserve the Union during the Civil War { how dare anyone beleive they have the right to rename it.} The primary issue was siltification. Dreging, without an engineered solution for sedimentation, will ensure that this recent fix will only be a mid-range fix. Question Andrew: Do you know what happened to those beautiful koi?
Andrew, the Rose Gardec was a beautiful garden, designed with the sod as part of the concept. It was a quiet,green,slightly understated gem. Now it is a large,open,linier space. A walkway with a garden. Gone is it's cozyness, the quiet charm, the way the original designers planned.No doubt some will find the "renovations" an improvement,just as some love the garish, innappropriate " Lights in the Parkway", loud,bright,electrical,tasteless and crass.
Koi were in Trexler Park during construction, I think they are back in Rose Garden now?
The koi were moved to Trexler Park as anon above said.
There are small fish in the ponds now, but I do not think they are the same fish as before.
the carp are not back in the mirror ponds. if they are still alive thats most likely a good thing since there would be nothing for them to eat now in the mirrow ponds and no pond plants for them to hide from the blue herons. a couple of water lillys are all that was replaced and they are not doing well. where do those big,shy blue herons go when the thousands flock to the " new and improved destination park ?" there will be something for everyone! what about the bald eagle that stoped there last week. a picture was in the news paper. will eagles still stop alongside the creek when the " destination park " visiters arrive in their mini-vans. more people in the park with more silly fitness equiptment,more blacktop "trails",more tupperware plagrounds, yeah !!
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