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.

My Opinion: Where did everybody go?

Writing this blog has taken me on a journey entirely of surprise. I would never have guessed that engaging myself in this sort of an activity could have possibly yielded the countless wonderful experiences I have had but it sure has. Without this blog, in truth, I have genuinely no idea where I would be today but I can tell you with certainty that it would not be anywhere half as pleasing.

One of the biggest surprises along the way was the sudden flare up of local controversy this past summer over "renovations" at Cedar Beach Parkway. All of the dissent and support built up to one, long, hot, crowded City Council meeting that trended towards over the top generalizations and wild accusation. Behind all that though was genuine concern, expressed by both sides of the argument and demonstrated by a truly involved citizenry. Without a doubt, that is something good to see.

Now, here in November, the hot fires of that argument have been extinguished. Work is continuing at Cedar Beach Parkway, for better or for worse depending on how you look at it. This post today is not about Cedar Beach Parkway. It is about my wonderment at the ability of that same citizenry, to now be so quiet regarding the future of our parks.

In particular, there are two things that have occurred or are occurring that have me wondering where everybody went.

First, the arson at Bucky Boyle Park. At the height of the Cedar Beach frenzy, most other local blogs were littered with posts regarding the subject. The Morning Call was actively running opinion pieces and news articles about it. WFMZ covered it as well. Excluding the initial story in the Morning Call, there has been little to no coverage or discussion of the sad vandalism that happened at Bucky Boyle Park and as a matter of fact, the "blogosphere" has been entirely silent about it. I cannot help but wonder why? If the construction of a playground in one park can cause such a fury, does not the deconstruction of one through an act of crime warrant a similar if not more furious response? I think it does. I think that what has happened at Bucky Boyle should be a rallying point for the community of Allentown and by community, I mean of the entire city. Strange how little noise has been made about this. It is actually sad and makes me curious about something that will lead into my second point. It makes me wonder if people think one park is more important than another one.

I ask this because, as you are reading this and I have documented many times, there are parks in Allentown that are in the crapper. There are no demonstrations for Trout Creek Parkway or Jordan Park or Canal Park. There is nothing out there excepting what I have put out there on here. These parks are in a bad way and now in the new cold of November, with added time for reflection, do they not warrant the same attention as say the Parkway?

Of course they do! And as a matter of fact, they need more attention considering the state they are in.

If I would be so bold as to call upon the same citizenry that showed up in droves to that Council meeting, I would ask them to relight the fire. I would ask them to bring these parks to the front of attention for City Council, Greg Weitzel and Mayor Pawlowski. I would demand upon them, as the lovers and defenders of the parks they claimed to be in support or protest of the Cedar Beach plans to make these parks the priority of the future of park development in Allentown.

So, where did everybody go?

Cedar Beach Update from Greg Weitzel

On Monday morning, I ran a post detailing the current conditions at Cedar Beach Parkway. Today, I received an email from Greg Weitzel, the Director of Parks and Recreation with an explanation of what is going on down there. The following is what Greg sent me.:


"With regards to the ongoing Rose Garden reflective ponds trail paving and recent concerns brought to my attention:


1. We are in the middle of the construction process, and drawing conclusions and assumptions on a partially completed project only further advances misconceptions.

2. Once completed, the paved trails will significantly reduce the footprint of the current paths. In some places, the stone paths were 20 feet wide. The new paved paths will be a uniformed eight (8) feet wide, and all the area adjacent to the paved paths will be leveled off with topsoil and seeded.

3. Erosion and sediment controls plans require a silt fence be placed next to the creek, therefore, encroachment on the newly planted riparian area (approximately 30 feet) was necessary. However, the new trail was shifted further away from the creek to allow for more riparian area between the creek and the path.

4. Staff was very aware of the new plants in this area and will replace this small amount of plants when topsoil and seed is reintroduced.

5. The open areas around the third pond walls will be filled with topsoil and seeded, and the open drain pipe will be cut and buried.

6. Lastly, the new paved paths will be stamped and painted (http://www.pavementimpressionsinc.com/) to match, to the best of our ability, the new Rose Garden pavers."

My original post can be seen here:

Cedar Beach Parkway, The good, bad, ugly and What!?

Cedar Beach Parkway: The good, the bad, the ugly and the What!?

The Good:

The completed pathways in the Rose Garden are beautiful. In my opinion the work done there is fantastic. The stone column array looks good as well and once roses are allowed to grow on the pillars, it should look very nice (I was told by Giuseppe the architect that this was the planned outcome). Also, there are fish in the ponds again, which was nice to see. They are orange and small and very camera shy.


The Bad:

They have indeed paved all the paths around the reflecting ponds and have significantly widened them in places. This will increase runoff but decrease gravel sediment in the creek; so it is a Catch 22. I don’t personally think going this route was the best idea but it has been done and cannot be changed. The paving should end here.



The Ugly:

I first noticed these fissures around the largest reflecting pool over the summer. I had not posted pictures of them because I thought they were going to be taken care of during the construction process. They have yet to be fixed and are growing. Some are filled with standing water and it is my belief that the water comes from a leak in the pond walls and not rain. The water has been there for months.



The What!?:

As documented in this blog post, two weeks ago a group of volunteers spent the day (and later days) at Cedar Beach planting thousands of flowers and some trees and shrubs around certain sections of Cedar Creek’s banks. These areas will serve as riparian buffers. The idea is to increase the beauty of the park, add needed wildlife habitat, and most importantly, help the health of the stream. The most plants we installed were placed in a small grassy strip between where the current buffer ends at the end of the largest pond and the wooden bridge at the end of the Rose Garden. The flowers that were planted would have been beautiful once grown and really added to Cedar Beach Parkway. That sentence is in the past tense because this morning I found that area of newly planted vegetation like this:



It used to look like this:



As it is currently, the reckless pavers have completed eliminated any of the good that could have come from the planting that occurred there. That creek bank is now more threatened than it was before the planting happened. Seriously folks? That is unacceptable and given the fact that nearly half the grass has been replaced by a macadam pile, nearly irreversible. What message is being sent here? Let’s hope other pavers or future mowers leave the rest of what has been planted alone.

Unreal...

Flooded Ponds at Cedar Beach Parkway

Following heavy rainfall this morning the Cedar Creek at Cedar Beach overflowed its banks and in turn flooded the ponds by the Rose Gardens.




With this flood event, whatever was in the ponds was rapidly spilled into Cedar Creek. The gravel on the paths as well as the gravel pile by the large reflecting pond were in the path of flood waters as well, which means that gravel was being carried into the creek. The Riparian Buffer that was recently mowed down was under water and it is to my understanding that that buffer was put in place to help prevent pond water from getting into Cedar Creek.

So, is this not an environmental mess? Like I have said before I am not an Environmental Scientist (yet) nor am I an expert in hydrology but the situation I saw at Cedar Beach early this afternoon seems to me to be a problem. I want to see as much environmental restoration as possible in our city parks and am looking forward to the major Riparian installation taking place this fall.

That said, in order to keep Cedar Creek as environmentally hospitable as possible, does something need to be done to correct the sort of situation I saw there today? I realize that at this point with upstream development and storm water drainage etc, at best these types of flooding events can be affected at a low level.

I ask my readers who know the answers to my question to please respond. The more I learn about the watershed around here the more it becomes a worry to me. A few token Riparian projects can not be the sort of solution that allows people to sit back and say, hey we did something. We need to be doing everything we can to make sure our watershed is protected and if that means sacrificing some of the things that we take for granted in our parks, so be it.

We are stewards after all, not creators.

Beyond Berg: Top 5 Allentown Parks to visit

Today is moving in day at Muhlenberg College and in honor of all the students returning to Allentown in pursuit of higher education I offer a top five list of Allentown Park destinations to check out during the fall semester. As a life long “townie” and now as a Muhlenberg College student myself, I will tell you that with the expense of a little gas or spent footsteps, these locations will provide a respite for any student or anyone. Take a chance, take a walk. There is a world out there constantly begging to be discovered and rediscovered.


1. The Lehigh Parkway

The experiences that are possible at the Parkway are limitless. It is a place for joggers, disc golfers, hikers, naturalists and fly fishers alike. There are many places inside the parkway that are worth checking out. There is a fish hatchery, a bait shop, a museum of Native American culture and scattered throughout the park are old limekilns; ghosts of a proposed railway that went up in the bust in the 1850’s.

I recommend four individual hikes, although they can be combined or done all at the same time.

1. Hike One
Park in the lot that is down from the main entrance and across the little open grate bridge; the parking lot is easy to notice just behind the large stone walls that frame the entranceway. Head towards the paved path that leads into the more heavily wooded area. A few feet into this path head up the trail into the forest itself. It is a short but moderate trail hike that provides great views and excellent opportunities to encounter wildlife. The trail will end back on the main paved trail, which after crossing Scrieber’s bridge, will lead you back to the parking lot. Look out for the lime kilns along this path.

2. Hike Two
Starting in the same parking lot, head across the bridge and onto the creekside path. Follow on that path and cross the pedestrian bridge. Turn back and follow the path on the other side of the creek back to the parking lot. This hike offers the best views of the Little Lehigh Creek.

3. Hike Three
This time start at Bogart’s Bridge. (it is the red covered bridge off of 24th street) Head along the paved trail to the right of the bridge. This path offers great woodland experiences and is part of a planet walk that simulates the distances of the planets in our solar system. Once you reach the pedestrian bridge, cross, turn left and the path will eventually take you through Bogart’s Bridge and back to the parking lot. You can see the Allentown Police Academy on this hike.

4. Hike Four
This may be the longest hike of the four. Start at Bogart’s Bridge and follow the trail to the left. You will pass underneath the vaulted ceiling of the route 78 bridge. Keep walking past the Little Lehigh Fly Shop and you will reach the Fish Hatchery which is worth a visit on it’s on. Follow the same trail back, cross the bridge and you will again reach Bogart’s Bridge. Cross it and you will be back in the Parking Lot.

View From Muhlenberg to the Parkway in a larger map
2. Trexler park

A few blocks from campus lies Trexler Park. At one time, this was the estate of General Trexler himself. Upon his death it was dedicated to him and little about the park has changed since that time. It is a short walk from Muhlenberg, and a very short drive.

The Hike:
Start at the main entrance, which is just down the road from Wegmans. Take the paved path to the left alongside the lagoon. You can spot an egret or two here if you are lucky. As you make your way around the path you will encounter the actual Springhouse that was on Trexler’s estate. If you cross the bridge here you can walk alongside the Little Cedar Creek and eventually you will begin to walk a steep hill that will lead you to the memorial statue of the General and of an incredible vista of Trexler Park and points south. Follow the paved trail to the left and pass through a large Riparian Buffer zone. Be attentive, there are many species of birds easily visible here. The path will return you to the main entrance at the parking lot.

View Muhlenberg to Trexler Park in a larger map
3. Cedar Beach Parkway

CBP is the closest park to Muhlenberg College and I am sure many students, past and present have used its green space for respite. There is a Rose Garden and an Old Fashioned Garden just past Ott Street that are worth a visit to. Make sure to take a stroll around Muhlenberg Lake. There are basketball courts and volleyball pits here as well. This is a great place to take a book to read or bring notes to study.

The Walk:
Behind the parks and recreation office there is a 1.3 mile trail that is often used by walkers and joggers. It includes a complete system of workout devices that challenge the body. It is a quicker walk, but one that is worth taking and it sure can serve as a workout.

View Muhlenberg to Cedar Beach Parkway in a larger map

4. South Mountain Reservoir

On the South Side of Allentown there is a park that is more to the appearance of a nature preserve. There are two large lakes here that you can fish in. There is a great amount of wildlife to witness and it is a great place for tree identification.

Hikes:
The mountainside is littered with trails. They range from average to an easy hard. Wear your hiking boots here though, sneakers and sandals are certainly not going to cut it. Take notice to the stone circles that at one time served as lookouts over the city of Allentown. If you keep an eye out you may see some gneiss rock. Be careful, some of the trails aren’t marked very well but a trip up on the mountain is at all time gorgeous and if you are looking for a quick escape from campus that is a little far away, South Mountain is the place to go.

View Muhlenberg to South Mountain Reservoir in a larger map

5. West Park

This is the first park that was built in the city of Allentown. Both the bandshell and arboretum of trees that were installed there 101 years ago are still there. West Park is a beautiful and timeless place situated in a very urban area. There isn’t much to call a hiking trail here but there are paved paths throughout that allow you to see and identify the different tree types, the war memorials, the classic ornate fountain and the white bandstand.I recommend grabbing lunch from someplace nearby like Kow Thai and eating it here. The ambience of the park will have you coming back for seconds. It’s a great place for a date.

View Muhlenberg to West Park in a larger map

So, fellow Muhlenberg students, this townie turned Muhlenberg Man has laid out for you five great opportunities to burst that famous bubble and steep yourself in the deep, varied, and wonderful park experiences that are easily accessed from campus. This blog has documented almost all of Allentown’s city parks as well as many nature preserves across the Lehigh Valley and some parks in neighboring cities and townships. Check them out too; perhaps you would like to make your own journey.

Welcome or Welcome Back to Allentown.

See Also:
Lehigh Valley In Site

Last Night's City Council Meeting and a Picnic in the Park

There were no war painted individuals ready for a fight last night in city council chambers. It was much less a circus than a civil discussion about the phase one improvements taking place at Cedar Creek Parkway. I thought it was very apparent that somewhere along the line a miscommunication developed between citizens, city council and the parks and recreation department. It would appear that for the most part the miscommunication has been cleared up.

Regardless of opinion, the amount of people that showed up at City Hall last night was very impressive. It showed me that the city of Allentown has a group of very dedicated citizenry concerned about the well being of their parks. To be honest, it surprised me.

I haven’t been on the blog scene for a very long time so it goes without saying that my daily readership, while growing, remains on the small side. I have held two walks in the park that serve as a chance for anyone who comes to share in the history and experience of our park system. The turnout for those events has been very slight. I am so very grateful to the people who have come, do not misunderstand me, but with the amount of folks at the meeting last night, I wondered where they will be when the current fire fizzles out.

Will there be a packed council chamber when the time comes to address the environmental issues in a place like Jordan Park? I sincerely hope so. It is without reservation that I offer the thought that there are issues in various civic arenas that could seriously benefit from the same amount of public concern that has been raised over the erection of a playground.

It is my hope that as time progresses and more park renovation plans make it to the public arena that people remain this involved. I attended the first public meeting for the trail network study and while I was impressed with the turnout that evening a few months ago, it paled in comparison to the voices present last night.

There remains a lot of work that is needed to be done in our park system. Unlimited and unlocked potential exists in a place like Canal Park and it is the community that needs to help light a fire to get it the attention it deserves. More than any of this though, with the same fervent intensity, the people at last night’s meeting need to become active stewards of the parks as they are.

So, with all of this in mind, I am pleased to announce our next gathering.

I invite all of you to join me at Cedar Creek Parkway at noon on Sunday August 30th for a picnic. Bring a blanket, bring some food and drink and come out for a discussion of the park plans and of the environmental restoration about to take place there.

If you have any questions or comments about the gathering, let me know. A facebook event page has been created as well(See here). It is my hope that many people join us for what should be a wonderful afternoon in a beautiful park. More details will be posted as the event draws nearer, free your calendar now and spread the word!

See Also:
Walk in the Park
Walk in the Park 2

Dusk at Cedar Beach Parkway (and bats)

Visiting Cedar Beach the other evening, following a thunderstorm, I was able to see some real beauty in the park. The newly filled ponds were a little rain swollen and in the fading light looked very much like mirrors.






Down by the creek I encountered a lot of bats out looking for dinner:

Being able to connect with wildlife in this fashion is one of the best things our parks can offer. These experiences should be highlighted and used to give the opportunity to many folks living in center city that otherwise would not be able to experience anything like it. More programs need to be developed by citizens and the park system that put people in the parks so that they can reconnect with nature in a world and at a time when people seem to be forgetting it. That was Trexler's goal after all.

Swollen Creeks: Part One

Sunday morning, a slow moving cluster of very heavy showers and thunderstorms made its way across the Allentown area. The following pictures are of Cedar Beach during that rain event. We have had a wet summer thus far, and on account of all that recent rainfall we were under a flash flood watch. I saw no flash flood Sunday morning but the creek was certainly full.





There are many factors besides rainfall that lead to flooding situations in our parks. Flooding is actually worse now because the agricultural fields that at one time surrounded our city have been replaced with housing developments. Without the fields, there is a lot of run off with no place to go but down; and that means into our creeks.


Another major factor in creek flooding is urban storm run off. Down at Trout Creek Parkway on Sunday morning, the creek was very full and evidence of a significant amount of storm water drainage was present.





Having excess urban storm water drain into a creek is in some cases the cheapest and most effective way to deal with the problem. However, it is not a good environmental solution. Storm water that runs down city streets becomes full of pollutants and those pollutants in turn affect our creeks negatively.

More to come on this important issue.

Cedar Beach Parkway 2: The Rose Gardens

Like so many of our parks and landmarks here in the city of Allentown, the history of the Rose gardens begins in the Depression Era. The mayor of Allentown at that time was a man by the name of Malcom W Gross. In Kevin Sinclair’s book Allentown, he says that the plans for the Rose Gardens were made before the stock market crash and despite public disapproval; Mayor Gross went ahead with the project. The gardens are now officially named after the former mayor and a statue of him is located dead center, towards the back of the gardens:

This section of Cedar Beach Parkway is undeniably the most beautiful and it may be the most memorable.


I am sure some of my readers have been involved at a prom or wedding picture session here in the Rose Gardens:

Walking around the Rose gardens, a glut of visual and olfactory sensation is present at all times. I applaud the workers who tend to this area of Cedar Beach Parkway. Their efforts are noticeable and beautiful.

The rose types are varied and run the gamut from a classic red to an ornate "peppermint stick" petal variety:




There is beautiful statuary here as well. An ornate fountain is in the middle of the gardens:

And this guy, hangs out on the west side:


The “Old Fashion” Gardens to the east of the Rose Gardens are absolutely beautiful as well:


Here, a section is tended to by the Allentown Garden Club:

The main garden beds are lined with rows of annuals:


A little farther past the Gardens are usually three reflective ponds filled with lily pads, fish, and various animals. They are however currently emptied; having been dredged for the beginnings of the first phase of the Cedar Beach Parkway renovations:

(I hired that model to add some extra appeal to the blog. He is single ladies.)

As a kid I was fascinated by the huge fish in the ponds as well as the statuary.
This cow, now on dry land, was my favorite:

If for some reason you have never been to the Rose Garden I suggest you go as soon as possible. It is one of the most unique and beautiful locations here in our city and more than worth a visit.

It is just a “Wow” kind of a place.


(Part 3 tomorrow with a commentary on the renovation.)