Allentown Parks Director Details Cedar Creek Park Improvements

Parks Director Greg Weitzel considers his park plan something like the the English Constitution, a living document that can change as circumstances warrant. Below are segments of his detailed presentation to Allentown residents on Thursday night, which does answer many of the concerns.

I also have links to several video clips: Part One, Two, Three, Four and Five.

The Plan is a Living Document

"The Plan. We have four guiding principles in regards to this improvement project. One was highlighting and enhancing the park's unique features, including Cedar Creek, Muhlenberg lake and the Rose Garden. We also understood that we needed to provide a diverse variety of recreational opportunities to serve people of all ages, interests and abilities. We have protected and enhanced the natural resources of the site, as part of this project, and we wanted to provide trails for recreation and fitness throughout the park and beyond to nearby recreation sites. And lastly, consider and improve the park for special events.

"We started with a preliminary plan. We looked at our site opportunities and concerns and we came up with a Master Plan. I want to make this very clear. This is a vision, a living document that changes over time. ...

"While this idea of a skate park is proposed, we understand that there's other areas where a skate park may be built. ...

"This is a vision, this is an idea of what the park could be. It doesn't mean it will be the end result."

The Nitty Gritty

"So we have our Phase 1 plan and I've outlined what exactly we're doing as part of that plan. So here's a summary.

"We are replacing three deteriorated pedestrian bridges.

"We are replacing and renovating our picnic pavilion area.

"We are introducing a vegetative buffer along the Cedar Creek.

"We are expanding and enhancing our trail system.

"We are restoring and renovating the Rose and Old Fashioned Garden.

"We're installing a new playground.

"We're upgrading the existing parking lots.

"We're renovating four existing rest rooms and installing one new restroom.

"We're upgrading the electrical and lighting system.

"And we're going to introduce new signage and a link finding system.

"There will be a youth fitness trail and climbing boulders.

"There'll be a pavilion and family rest room. This will be very aesthetic with a decorative fence and stone pillars."

The Playground

"The playground is 19,900 square feet. The playground is less than half an acre. The park as a whole is 109 acres. I've done a lot of work in comparisons over the last several weeks. Our pool, for example, is 30,000 square feet. This playground will be slightly over the size of two basketball courts.

"We need to talk about this estimating the capacity of a playground. Research indicates that the greater number of square feet allotted per child, there's a corresponding decrease in the number of injuries. Seventy-five square feet is considered ideal, so that equals to about two hundred and sixty-five kids. Now do we anticipate 567 kids in this playground at one time? No. Will there be 200 plus kids in the playground? Most likely during July 4th, Mayfair, Sportsfest and maybe other special events.

"Now one of the other concerns we have is this is going to change the character of our park system. That when you're driving down Hamilton Street, this huge monstrosity of a playground is going to stand out right at you. So we did a comparison to show people from eye level on Hamilton Street exactly how the playground will look. You will see this will not be sticking out as people are concerned."

Parking

"Another factor in our renovation is upgrading our existing parking lots. We're going to refigure and restripe our existing lots. There are no new parking lots being proposed as part of this project. We can fit 120 spaces in the existing pool parking lot. We also have 60 overflow spots next to the basketball courts. We're going to have 24 spots north of the pool, which is often referred to as the bake oven grove. There'll be 45 spaces at the Rose Garden pavilion area and 50 at the park and rec office. That's equalling 299 spaces as a whole."

Flooding

"What's the city going to do to address this problem? The proposed improvements respect existing flood prone areas within the park. The new natural vegetation and flowers along Cedar Creek will help to reduce these flood impacts. Improving the park trails will lessen the damage to the trails and reduce the sediment reaching Cedar Creek and Lake Muhlenberg. ... No new facilities are proposed in the park's flood plain."

Increased Maintenance and Supervision

"We believe this investment in the park will promote increased appreciation and stewardship. ... [Audience starts laughing and even Weitzell starts to smile at this obvious bullshit burger, and Council Prez D'Amore chides them] ... The proposed improvements such as the natural vegetative buffer along the Cedar Creek will reduce long-term maintenance and improve the appearance of the park. City crews will continue to operate and maintain the park in a first class manner."

Funding

"Phase 1 being funded through $1.8 million from grants provided by the Harry C. Trexler Trust, the Pa DCNR and the Lehigh County Green Future Fund. No city tax dollars will be used to complete any of the above-mentioned renovations and also, it's very important to understand this funding is project specific and cannot be used for other city parks or operational expenses."

Incremental Ongoing Costs

"The city anticipates no new costs as a result of these renovations. In fact, we believe the maintenance will decrease. Proposed improvements such as the renovation of the trails will reduce our long-term maintenance and improve the appearance of the park."

Disabilities

"It is estimated that over four thousand children in Lehigh County have a disability."

Why Not Make All Parks Handicapped-Accessible?

"Obviously, we would love to make all of our parks completely accessible and we'll work towards that effort."

What do you mean by destination park?

"This is a term used across the country. We want all our parks to be destinations."

Noisy Games at Playground

"Yes, the playground will have NEOS and it does have some noises, but we can adjust the volume and even turn it off if we want to."

Playground and Park Security

"We have the police reserves and the Allentown Police Department and we also hope the parents of these children will protect them. [Crowd starts mumbling again]. We have maintenance monitoring the park seven days a week. We just had an accident at the pool a couple of weeks ago and it took them less than four minutes to arrive on site."

Nazareth Skate Park One Year Later: A Success!

When Nazareth's skate park opened last July, it did so amidst all sorts of controversy from worried adults. Let's face it. With their bizarre language, dress and style, skateboarders are anti-establishment. We love to see our kids in those Little League uniforms, but turn our noses up at the very sight of kids with bulky trousers and caps turned sideways. We fail to understand that skateboarding, like baseball or football, is actually an athletic activity.

No sooner had the skate park opened than one overzealous borough councilman decided to shut it down, citing nonexistent safety concerns. That silliness only lasted a few hours, but it was long enough for Channel 69 to shoot news video of the controversy, complete with a car spray painted to say, "Open the park."

Worried borough officials gave park manager Heather Coyle a raise for her "extra responsibility," and even supplied her with binoculars so she could spy on the kids from the bathhouse at the pool, where she spends most of her time.

Over the past year, the place is packed every day. It is cleaned by the users. There have been just two problems. An angry father once demanded Coyle to eject skaters sitting on a pipe, preventing others from skating. Turns out his son was one of the obstructionists. The other incident is a broken ankle.

Despite all those concerns by adults who prefer to see kids in shoulder pads, breaking bones and hurting each other, the skate park has been a smashung success.

Photo Credit: Steven Mikolaitis

Nazareth Follows Bethlehem With Dog Park: Is Allentown Next?

Bethlehem may be the only LV municipality with its very own dog park, but that's about to change. During a brief meeting last night, Nazareth Borough Council decided to go to the dogs, too, unanimously approving $5,385 to erect a fence for a dog park in the borough park. It did so without discussion. It even approved another $19,000 for a "mini pipe," whatever that is, at the skate park.

The funds for both dog and skate parks come from impact fees assessed to developers, not taxes. This must be spent on recreation or returned to the developer. None of it may be spent to maintain existing recreation, even a sports league.

At last night's soiree, only council member Bill Matz was absent. Fourteen residents were in the peanut gallery, a larger attendance than at many county council meetings. Express Times veteran reporter Tony Nauroth chronicled the event, but The Morning Call sent no one to cover the meeting, providing proof of its continuing decline.

I sat in the back with the babes.

Allentown is considering a "bark park" too, but residents are foaming at the mouth at the notion. The ever so gentle MC reader forum includes sensitive comments like this: "Provide for your own dog AND provide for your own poor children. The taxpayer has run out of money."

Just about every municipality in the entire world already has cat houses, so what's wrong with a dog park? Is it decadent? Can't we just walk our damn dogs with this invention called the "leash?" That's what I used to think until I visited Bethlehem's dog park. It was a great experience for me, my grandson and a little dog.

A park socializes dogs. In fact, it socializes the people who accompany those dogs. It's a meeting place, something any town can use. It's also a great learning experience for kids. My grandson was actually afraid of dogs. But now, he's met greyhounds and whippets, and sees firsthand why they are rated the fastest dogs in the world. He's watched lumbering English mastiffs, the world's largest dogs, and chihuahuas, the world's smallest. He can tell you about an intelligent German Shepherd named Max, who can leap the fence at will. He's watched a gigantic Bernese Mountain Dog playing gently with a three pound jack-a-poo pup. The real police dogs? Basset hounds , who perpetually patrol and bark at dogs who step out of line.

Nazareth people are cheap and would never agree to use tax money to fund a dog park. I have no idea whether Allentown has identified a funding source, but that seems to be the most important question.

Nazareth's dog park will be operational by Fall.

Conrad Bowers, Nazareth's One Man Wrecking Crew, Tries to Close Skate Park

Appointed Nazareth Borough Councilman Conrad Bowers is doing all he can, in his waning days on borough council, to prove voters are right about him. This is the story of how one unelected councilman took it upon himself to alienate skateboarders and cause even more divisiveness in Nazareth over an emotional topic.

Who is Conrad Bowers?

Nazareth Borough Council first disappointed Bowers last December when it decided to follow the Sunshine Act, even when it only involves borough committees. Bowers adamantly opposes opening the doors to the public. Giving people a say in their own government might make it "too unwieldy."

After being forced to open his "transition" committee to the public, Bowers still refused to allow them to participate. For that little trick, Bowers lost his chairmanship .

Bowers was finally forced to listen to people at the one place where it truly matters - the ballot box. He finished dead last among four candidates seeking two positions. He ended up with 55 votes. Perhaps we thought he might make council "too unwieldy."

Now a lame duck, Bowers has become a divisive one-man wrecking crew, intent on creating unnecessary rifts throughout Nazareth. And he's doing it with the skatepark.

Nazareth's Skatepark a hot topic

Skateboarding, at least in Nazareth, is controversial. When the skatepark opened this Saturday, many people responded enthusiastically. Over two hundred people attended the ribbon cutting ceremony. Among them was Congressman Charlie Dent. He was not there for votes, but because his sons insisted. Parents brought lawn chairs to watch their kids in action. Curt's Cyclery joined other sponsors mentioned in my original post. Businesses and families kicked in another $200 on opening day.

But there's a dark undercurrent in Nazareth that seems to detest the very idea that kids might enjoy themselves. "All I want from you is silence, and damn little of that." Here's what some folks anonymously say about the skatepark, skateboarders and me. They're only right about me.

Whoopdee damn doo.

Hey the world needs ditch-diggers, too. And, I guess, skateboarders.

Mr. Herbst almost did a good job with the skate park the only thing he forgot to do was..... THINK it through.

Your [sic] an asshole. Glad i moved out of that town before you moved in. Get a life. Vermen [sic] like you deserve everything they get.

I just read your crap about the poor skateboarders. You really have no idea what the community of Nazareth puts up with when it comes to these monsters. They have no manners and are not taught any respect.

Well, these folks now have a champion. His name is Conrad Bowers. And he's out to kick some skateboarder butt.

Conrad Bowers, Skatepark Inspector

Early yesterday morning, he took it upon himself to inspect the skatepark in his official capacity as chair of the public property committee. He didn't like what he saw - litter. Apparently, he filled half a garbage bag with trash that skateboarders had failed to dispose of on their own. But then, for whatever reason, he became a "committee of one" and decided unilaterally to shut the park down.

Conrad Bowers, Skatepark Supercop

When skateboarders and their parents arrived to find the park closed, they began to complain. Police officers arrived, including Officer Gabriel and acting chief Alan Koch. Amazingly, they decided to open the park. But that didn't last long. Conrad Bowers returned, and locked the place up again, claiming there were "safety" issues. Acting Chief Koch pleaded for the kids, but Bowers outranks him. He's the skatepark supercop, and he doesn't have to answer any questions.

Believe it or not, cops sided with the kids. They like that park open. It keeps kids off the streets, away from traffic. That makes it safe enough to them. Helmeted or not, kids in skateparks are a lot safer than kids boarding down a street or around a business. And lest we forget, an insurance company inspected the park and agreed to cover any claim. But it's still not safe enough for Bowers, who refused to say what particular safety issue he had noticed.

Conrad Bowers, Minister of Secret Safety

Mother: "What safety issues?"

Bowers: "As a mother, you should know ..."

Mother: "I don't know. The park was safe on Saturday and now it's unsafe. Why?"

Bowers: "I'm not at liberty to say. You'll find out tomorrow."

Top Secret! He could tell her but then he'd have to kill her.

After all this had happened, some miserable old bastard appeared on scene. And no, it wasn't me! Hard as this may be to believe, Nazareth actually has a few miserable old bastards. This dude directed the thirty or so kids to start calling everywhere, and they did. There were calls to The Express Times, Morning Call and Channel 69. Borough council members, Mayor Keller, police, borough secretaries, and even Congressman Dent, were peppered with calls.

Conrad Bowers Takes a Powder

By late afternoon, Bowers was at the park again, refusing to answer questions. Jack Herbst, the councilman who promoted the skatepark, was also on hand. Unlike Bowers, Herbst does not consider himself a "committee of one." Channel 69 was also there, interviewing everyone. Finally, council prez Chiavaroli ordered the skatepark opened, and the kids cheered. A cameraman approached Bowers, asking to speak to him.

Bowers: "No!"

Cameramen: "Can you explain the safety issues that prompted you to close the skatepark?"

Bowers (now running to his car): "No!"

Gee, Conrad, the voters have already said "No" to you. I saw a news video of the controversy on Channel 69 last night. It really should have included Bowers running to his car, if only for comic relief. This evening, I visited the skatepark around 7 PM, and counted 32 kids in there, happily going up and down ramps.

Go figure.

These kids are off the streets, disturb no businesses and are engaged in a sport. That's where police want them. That's where kids want to be. Why is this so hard to understand? And why this constant negative undercurrent?

Bowers may think he's the skatepark inspector, supercop and minister of secret safety. He's actually a lameduck councilman who's proving to be a one-man wrecking crew in Nazareth. Maybe he should blog.

Update: Both The Morning Call and Express Times have entertaining accounts of yesterday's festivities. Only in Nazareth.

Lehigh Valley Gov't: Who Are the Good Guys (and Gals)?

Alexis de Tocqueville is still alive, you know. He comments now and then on my blog, usually to put me in my place. And yesterday, he made a great point about Allentown's Wall2Wall youth basketball program. "Just as one rarely reads of the plane that didn't crash, the celebrity who didn't get arrested, and the politician who didn't lie, one rarely reads of the kids who didn't get into trouble, and the adults and young adults who took the time to care."

That got me thinking. We do have them, you know. There are selfless government officials right under our noses in the Lehigh Valley, largely unappreciated, who work hard every day to bring government closer to the people. I take them for granted. In fact, I spend most of my time excoriating local pols, from Sam Bennett to Lisa Boscola.

It's a gift.

But can I use my blogging super-powers for good? Can the Lehigh Valley blogosphere identify the top ten government leaders of 2007, leaders who have tried to make government both transparent and accountable? I think we can, but it will take your help.

So here's the deal. Feel free to nominate any elected government official serving in local, state or federal office. I'll keep nominations open for a week. After that, we'll list all nominees and vote for another week. I'll ask LVPoliblog to do that as part of its weekly poll next week. If that presents technical difficulties, I can do it here but will try to con, I mean persuade, another blog to host the polling. After another week, we'll have our winners. Feel free to list your nominations in the comments to this blog, and explain why you think your selection is top ten material.

To give you an example of top ten material, I'll nominate someone myself.

Two summers ago, I was playing ball one lazy afternoon with neighborhood kids at Nazareth Hall Park. It was one of those horribly humid days. Even breathing was a major effort. But we had a home run derby going, so there we were. Everyone who wasn't batting sat in the shade, except for the idiot who had agreed to pitch - me. It was so hot my nose began to melt.

I was rescued from certain death by heat exhaustion when an even bigger idiot came to cut the grass. It was Nazareth Borough Councilman Jack Herbst. He unhitched a big mower and went straight to work.

That's Jack. Although plagued at a young age with heart problems, he's completely selfless. He fought the good fight when Essroc decided to build an underground conveyor belt to move cement. And he's coached kids for years.

In kids' baseball, he took a team of rejects and misfits that no one else wanted, and turned them into champions for three years straight. Not bad, eh? While other teams bought high tech aluminum bats, his team just practiced, nearly every day. The funny thing is that Jack wasn't really interested in winning. He just wanted those kids to learn the sport and feel good about themselves.

On borough council, Jack is one of three members who successfully resisted last summer when the good ol' boys decided, behind closed doors, to move borough offices into a kids' park. He later persuaded a reluctant council to conduct all meetings, including committee meetings, publicly. And Jack was the spearhead for Nazareth's skate park. After years, he finally nudged its borough council into funding a skate park, and pulled in money from other municipalities and private businesses.

Jack is one of the good guys. We do have them. He's my first nominee for the Top Ten Good Guys (and Gals) in Lehigh Valley Government.

My Computer Consultant Claims Nazareth a Mess

You all know how hard it is to kill a weed. I'm baaaack.

On Saturday, I gave you the bad news that my PC had finally died of old age. I ordered a brand new PC from Dell for a gazillion dollars and was told I could expect to wait two weeks to get it. I put my old PC in a casket, and hobbled down the street to John's Computer Consulting, Inc. That's in downtown Nazareth, only a few blocks from my estate atop the Army Navy store. I figured John would know how to recycle it or something.

"Are you sure it's dead?"

"Well, the damn light won't go on."

In fifteen minutes, John (that's his real name, too) had the computer up and running. He stuck his hand into my computer's guts and started disemboweling it. I nearly fainted. But he had her sewed up in no time, and his $59 bill was pretty damn cheap. It was just the power supply, probably smothered by all the cement dust we get in Nazareth.

John knows his stuff, and I'd recommend anyone with computer problems to give him a call.

But he works with his cell phone plugged into an ear, so half the time I didn't know whether he was talking to me, someone else or himself. It soon became apparent that this is one opinionated dude.

"I've heard of you. How is it I know you?"

- "Maybe you've read my blog, Lehigh Valley Ramblings?"

"Never heard of it!"

- "Maybe you remember my lawsuit that finally opened Nazareth's eyes about following the Sunshine Act?"

"Doesn't ring a bell. Hey, are you that guy who used to ride a bike with Karl Longenbach for Judge signs pasted all over your ass? Do you realize how many drivers you pissed off? Put on a few tons, haven't you?

- "Listen, I've written a lot about Nazareth. I wrote all about its skate park. Did you know Bethlehem is -"

"I hate the damn skate park. It will bring Nazareth down, mark my words. Didn't you see the graffiti near the pool? It's been there at least a week. Why don't you take a picture of that and post that, blogger boy? You can thank the damn skateboarders for that!"

- "I don't think you could draw that conclusion just because -"

"Well, then it's somebody from out of town. They let anyone in there, blogger boy."

- "How about the new dog park?"

"I hate that idea, too."

- "Well, you must be happy about the new police chief. He's ordered new uniforms."

"That guy? He's nothing but a pencil pusher who hired a corporal from New York. That corporal outranks everyone and isn't even certified as a police officer in Pennsylvania. Did you know that four officers are now leaving the Nazareth police force?"

- "No."

"That's right, you didn't know, did you, because everything is so hush hush around here. There's no gangs here. There's no drugs at the high school. Right, blogger boy?"

- "Well, I guess you can't publicly express your opinions because you're a businessman and ...

"I don't care one bit. You can quote me all you want. When I turned in a guy who had kiddy porn on his computer, I was warned that might be bad for business, too. I did it anyway. Hey, what's that picture..."

- "She's 18, I swear it. And I never saw it before in my life. Must be a virus or something. You must like kids. Good for you! Well, then, you must be thrilled that borough council decided against moving its new muni center to that baseball field."

"I'd have been OK with that. You know, I should run for mayor. What's your blog address again?"

- "It's called NewsOverCoffee."

As I left, I noticed pictures of Ron Paul on the wall and could hear a police scanner in the background.

We're all a little nutz in Nazareth. No shortage of opinions here.

It's all that cement dust.

Update: Computer geeks apparently can't spell. The picture of my blogging work station should use the word "you're," not "your."

Frey Fries Pawlowski in Cedar Creek Park Interrogation

It's safe to say there's no love lost between Allentown Mayor Edwin Pawlowski and Geza Frey, whose Down Low nightclub has been shut down as a result of a city-sought injunction. Not surprisingly, Geza has contributed $1,000 to Tony Phillips' mayoral campaign.

At Thursday night's city council session, Geza was eventually shut down again, but not before making clear that (1) the misinformation concerning Cedar Creek comes from the city itself; (2) Pawlowski's administration missed three opportunities to meet with the public; and (3) the Mayor attempted to get some local churches to play the race card. You can see the full video here, and below is a transcript of the last three minutes.

Frey: Why was noting mailed to the residents of the close proximity of the park until recently, now that that the project is ready to begin in a few weeks?

King Edwin: I'm sorry, what was your question?

Frey: Why was nothing mailed to the residents that live right by the park until recently?

King Edwin: We had done an extensive planning process and it went out. We put out public ---

Frey: The first time I received any mailing was this week.

King Edwin: We apologize for that. It's not typical in the park process, but we try to engage the public the best way we possibly can. I've outlined for you all the things that we've done. It's not like it's hidden from anybody in any way, shape or form. We had two publicly publicized public meetings.

Frey: I've been to the last three meetings and I've seen nobody from the administration until now.

King Edwin: Well, let me address that. The last meeting was just a courtesy of the floor, I was on vacation. It's the first time I've taken vacation in ---

Frey: One of these meetings you were in the building.

King Edwin: Can I finish talking please?

Frey: Sure, sure!

King Edwin: One of the meetings I was on vacation. Greg was here for a certain portion of the meeting and then he had to go and watch his kids because his wife was out that particular evening. [Blogger's note: Actually, Weitzell had has daughters with him at the meeting in question, and left only once it became apparent the public would be allowed to speak.]

The meeting before that, we were told by city council, and President D'Amore and I had talked, that two of three council people were not going to be there and the committee did not constitute a quorum and thus the committee could not have met. Councilman Phillips, to my understanding, did the meeting anyways. I was in the building for an interview with Channel 69. I had a prior commitment. I left the building because of that prior commitment, so it wasn't like we were trying to avoid. Had we known that the meeting was actually going to be taking place, we would have had somebody there from the administration, to start answering some of these questions.

We have tried our very best to do what we can to get this information out to the general public. I think we've gone - quite honestly - above and beyond, in many cases. You look at other planning processes that we've had in the city, this plan has probably been out there longer, has gotten more scrutiny, has gotten more input, has ... uh, we've had it on the web site, it was in city hall right here for at least a year ...

Frey: I know, but the pictures keep changing.

King Edwin: No, the pictures don't keep changing. That's part of the ... the exact plan that was out out there, if you look at the plan itself, it says possible proposed, you know, skate park. Possible, proposed. It doesn't say it's gonna actually be part of the plan. It was just the initial vision. We took in comments on that vision. It hasn't changed since the very beginning. There's been no bait 'n switch here in any way, shape or form. We have tried to give the most detailed information that we possibly can to the general public.

Now, realizing that there were concerns by people who live around the park, we sent out that letter. We also made sure that we worked with council and Council President D'Amore and I had talked, we set up this special meeting specifically to go through this time and express to you - the residents - what exactly is

Now, realizing that there were concerns by people who live around the park, we sent out that letter. We also made sure that we worked with council and Council President D'Amore and I had talked, we set up this special meeting specifically to go through this time and express to residents what exactly is happening because, as you saw, there's a lot of misinformation ...

Frey: Well, that's the thing with misinformation I wanted to ask you about. There was a lot of misinformation given this past weekend and I wanted to ask you why did you reach out to the churches and ask them - tell them - this is a race issue and a discriminatory issue.

D'Amore: Hold on. Mr. Mayor, you can answer that if you want to, but your time is up, sir.

King Edwin: I'm not even going to dignify that with a response.

Nazareth Skate Park Dedication This Saturday at 10 AM

It takes a village, right?

We all want our kids to be better than we were. I spent most of my 12 years of grade school in detention. Something about not listening or something. I don't know. I wasn't paying attention. But we're always looking for a "healthy alternative" to keep our kids out of "trouble." If we stumble across a healthy alternative they actually enjoy, we all win.

This is where Nazareth's skate park comes into play. It will be dedicated this Saturday at 10 AM, and is even accompanied by a blog-like website, designed by Richard Strucke. Our goofy cops have already demonstrated their disdain for the sport, which is bound to make it more popular.

All the biggies will be there, from Nazareth officials to a possible appearance by Congressman Charlie Dent and sons. If he comes, I hope no Democrat gets the bright idea of suggesting that his kids try skateboarding on the cool basketball court.

I'm glad they're all coming. On Saturday, Nazareth will feature one of only seventeen skateparks in Pennsylvania. A unanimous borough council supported this project with $30 thousand in cold, hard cash. They should all take a bow. So should Northampton County Council, Bushkill Township, Tatamy Borough, Upper Nazareth Township and state rep. Rich Grucela. They all kicked in.

In addition to these public grants, private businesses and individuals have also contributed, and they should be recognized: Rob Mertz and Syndrome Distribution; Alexandria Manor - the Negrao family; Amateur Athlete - Joseph Yoo; Brian's Professional Cleaning Service - Brian Schmidt; Cool Treats - Norman & Michelle Roell; Mr. & Mrs. George Daransky; Mr. & Mrs. John Fulciniti; The Java Lounge (Nazareth News Agency); the Herbst family; the Karch family; Smart Cents Notary; Richard Strucke; Mr. & Mrs. Les Walters; and Mr. & Mrs. Ed Yunkes.

But the lion's share of the credit goes to Nazareth councilman Jack Herbst. He's spent nine years of his life making this dream a reality.

Now, as always happens after I say too many nice things, I have to hurl.

Nazareth Goes to the Dogs

Nazareth's bark park, located in the borough park, is now officially open for business.

I missed all the speeches at Saturday's rainy grand opening, but would like to know just where that black dog has his nose. Bad doggie!

Funds for Nazareth's dog park come from impact fees assessed to developers, not taxes. This must be spent on recreation or returned to the developer. None of it may be spent to maintain existing recreation, even a sports league.

Without Borough Councilman Jack Herbst, who also sponsored the skate park, this would never have happened.

Nazareth's War on the Townies

The StickerGang's Trevor Gehret is a townie 

Last week, when Nazareth Police Chief Thomas Trachta finally got to fire crossing guard Karen Herbst, in what one of my readers calls the "political equivalent of hitting little girls", I'm sure he was very pleased with himself. After all, this is the wife of the guy whose picture he had hanging in the police station with a knife in the back. Mayor Carl Strye was undoubtedly delighted, too. Jack Herbst, Karen's husband  and former council member, was Hizzoner's opponent in last year's Mayoral race. But it was more than revenge. It's just the latest volley in Nazareth's war against the poor, whom are disparagingly called Townies.

Jack's a Townie. It is Herbst who stood up to ESSROC, as a citizen, and demanded they do something about the cement dust that settles everywhere, helping make the Lehigh Valley one of the air pollution capitals of the United States. The result was an underground tunnel to transport material from one plant to another. Herbst also successfully fought efforts to ruin the Memorial Square Park on Green Street, where kids play baseball day and night. A secretive Council wanted to turn it into a new borough government center and police station. As a Council member, he persuaded colleagues to finally start following the Sunshine Act. He even raised the money for a skate park and dog park, defeating all kinds of opposition.

And ac Chair of the Police Committee, he held them accountable.

He actually represented the people and tried to make their lives better. So naturally, the rest of council hated him. Not one would vote to support his appointment to a vacancy on Council, after he lost his Mayoral election.

In a way, they may have done him a favor. His health has never been good. He's had several close calls in recent years with his heart. It's always been too big for the town in which he lives.

Herbst had no fear of Trachta, despite the files the Chief kept on everyone or the intimidation of Jack's wife by always parking near her while she was on duty. Jack ignored the Chief's petty behavior, and tried to make the community better for everyone. Though he himself was a masterful baseball coach, he embraced the skaters, recognizing before many others that these are athletes every bit as much as someone who can dunk.

In stark contrast to Herbst, we have current Borough Council member Carl Fischl. He told me the one and only time I ever talked to him that he would have voted to destroy the park on Green Street. Now this guy is waging war on the townies.

In addition to practically salivating over the prospect of doubling the fines for parking tickets as a way of taking aim at those unable to afford homes with their own driveways and garages, Fischl persuaded the rest of Council to adopt a rental inspection ordinance so that they can keep track of those dirty renters.

Fischl has also publicly complained that, unlike him, nobody in the downtown has kept their properties as well maintained as he. I see. That may be because, unlike him, most downtown residents have not spent a lifetime sucking on the public teat as a teacher and football coach. They may not have the benefits and pension he was lucky enough to grab.

The difference between a guy like Fischl and a guy like Herbst is night and day. Herbst tried to make government more inclusive, while Fischl believes you must be a member of the landed gentry, like him, to have a say.

Fischl now heads up the Police Committee and apparently had the final call in firing Herbst.

He told her that her job is seasonal and she could be let go at will.

He's full of shit.

The fact is that Karen Herbst has been employed for eight years, having started under Chief Ruch. She only filled out an application once. Were she seasonal, she'd have to do it every year. She actually had a legitimate property interest in that job. And she was fired because, like her husband, she exercises her First Amendment rights. She's a Townie.

So is the Sticker Gang, who have stood up to Trachta.

So am I.

Emmaus Considers Baseball Stadium For Kids, Instead of Millionaires

In a two-part series, Pennsylvania Independent reports that under Republican Governor Tom Ridge and Democratic Governor Ed Rendell, taxpayers have invested over $1 billion in sportscenters like hockey arenas and baseball stadiums, including Coca Cola Park, home to the IronPigs. Without question, this public investment creates a lot of pride and spurs other kinds of economic development, but it's still corporate welfare. They make rich owners like Craig Stein and Joe Finley even richer. But who could possibly oppose publicly funding a baseball stadium for kids? Look no farther than Emmaus.

Yesterday, someone forwarded me this email from Otto Slozer, enshrined in Bill White's notorious Hall of Fame for reasons lost in the mysts of time:

"We are trying to put together a 'Strike Out the Stadium' rally Monday before the Council Meeting. We are going to meet outside Boro Hall at 6:10 until 6:30 then proceed to the Council Meeting Room to be seated. We believe events are about to move forward and the Council needs to see that we ARE STILL ON TOP OF THIS ISSUE!

"In case of rain, skip the rally BUT PLEASE GO TO THE MEETING!"

According to WFMZ, Emmaus' baseball fields are in such bad repair that high school teams have been playing in Lower Macungie over the past dozen years. East Penn School District wants to bring baseball back home, but it costs too much. And that's when somebody, somewhere, decided that the school and borough could work together and rehab one of the diamonds used by the Legion at Community Park.

Built in 1967, the current field has seen no significant improvements, other than the installation of lights, in 43 years. Dugouts are falling apart, the field is uneven and the diamond is starting to
deteriorate. So the idea was to combine resources and kill two birds with one stone. East Penn School District ($300k), Emmaus ($100k) and private sector donors ($50k) would build a stadium for the kids.

Borough Council has been besieged with a petition signed by 900 people, who mostly have no objection to fixing the field, but hate the notion of a stadium. One Emmaus resident even suggests that the Borough forget about baseball and instead build a skate park for the grunges and goths, where they all can do kickflips and nosegrinds.

Sounds good to me.

School Board member Julian Stolz, who voted against the stadium, complains there is no money and no real need. He likens it to "keeping up with the Parklands."

Over the past few years, my grandson has competed against those nasty Emmaus Hornets in baseball, football and basketball. No matter what the sport, those little thugs (most of them are juvenile delinquents) come ready to play. Just a few weeks ago, they clobbered the Bethlehem Steelers in youth football.

Enough already!

So I'm all for depriving these little monsters and screwing with any attempt to improve their high school programs. If they want a stadium so bad, let them do it the old-fashioned way. Become millionaires. Then Rendell will bring over a few cardboard checks faster than you can say Comcast.

John Callahan Sure Likes to Spend Your Money

Congressman John Callahan.

Do you like the way that sounds? But what does it mean? Callahan has so far ducked taking a position on health care, our most pressing national issue. I have no idea where he stands on Speaker Pelosi's cap-and-trade energy bill, which will cost about 60,000 jobs here in Pennsylvania. What's his position on important foreign policy questions, like the recent proposal to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan?

Beats me.

Callahan plays it safe, hiding in his throne room with his finger in the air, trying to tell which way the wind is blowing. In contrast, LV Congressman Charlie Dent has reached out to his community. This year alone, he's conducted 17 town halls all over the Lehigh Valley. This is in addition to numerous Q&A sessions with senior center residents.

Dent leads from the front while Callahan is still in the rear, stocking up on supplies that include $1,000 contributions from developers like Nolan Perin, who is still looking for public money to fund his Wind Gap road to nowhere.

So tell what type of Congressman John Callahan would be, we need to look at his record as Bethlehem Mayor. That record shows he likes to spend taxpayers' money. Local news media has reported an audit showing a $2.7 million deficit in Bethlehem’s 2008 Budget. Even the Democrat Chairman of Bethlehem City Council’s Finance Committee said that Callahan’s overspending the budget was “unacceptable.” Maybe Callahan should think twice about running for two offices at the same time.

Did Mayor Callahan consider for a moment that this nearly $3 million deficit was the result of overspending? No. His Administration instead blamed the deficit on their inability to continue his longstanding practice of raiding other city funds (like the Water Authority) to cover holes in the City’s General Fund Budget. In other words, Callahan uses non-recurring revenue to pay for recurring expenditures.

Mayor Callahan wants voters to believe that things are looking better for Bethlehem’s finances in the coming year. In fact, Bethlehem will receive millions, just for hosting a casino. So can city residents expect the tax relief they were promised in exchange for opening their community to gambling? No.

“Mayor Callahan has built up such a mountain of debt that it is highly unlikely he’ll be able to offer property tax relief at a time when people could certainly use it,” said Shawn Millan, Dent’s campaign manager.

Instead of property tax relief, Callahan has a better idea - a $1.5 million skateboarding park. As a councilman, he opposed that idea, bit I think what sold him is the idea of putting a few slots there and in the dog park.

“These are the same misguided priorities and out-of-control spending that Mayor Callahan supported by saying he backed the failed Stimulus Bill. We’re in the middle of tough economic times, but you would never know it from the way the Mayor spends taxpayers’ money,” Congressman Charlie Dent said.

As Mayor of Bethlehem John Callahan has raised property taxes, imposed a $52 municipal services tax for people working in Bethlehem, fought to increase the sales tax, ran up a $2.7 million budget deficit, sank the City’s Water Authority with debt and thinks that $1.5 million of taxpayer money for a skate park is prudent spending as opposed to giving the people of Bethlehem tax relief.

Congressman Dent has a different view. “This is the record that Washington Democrats think qualifies John Callahan to serve in Congress. If you want to know what kind of Congressman Callahan would be, here’s your answer: he’ll be the sort of Congressman that Speaker Nancy Pelosi just gave $4,000 to elect.”

Blogger's Note: Ken Petrini has the text of the Dent campaign's news release here.

$500,000 For Bethlehem's Skate Park?

That's what Northampton County Council is gearing up to do, and Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan hasn't even been elected yet! In fact, this might be Republican John Cusick's idea.

In 2007, Northampton County Council pledged a cool million to ArtsyFartsyQuest. Another million is going to PBS-39, which after all televises debates for most of the local offices.

Wait a tic, that stopped years ago. Too boring, compared to Charlie Rose.

This money comes from a portion of the hotel tax designed to promote tourism. Given the explosion of arts and entertainment  from SteelStacks and PBS' new broadcast studio, it does seems like a great investment.

Now another $500,000 is being proposed for Bethlehem's SkatePlaza, a 750' long, 43,000 sq ft complex located at the eastern end of the City's Greenway.  "We are attempting to fill a void that other communities shy away from," explains Parks Director Ralph Karp in a documentary. It is a tourist attraction. First, skate parks are conspicuously absent in most communities. Second, it does attract visitors from the tri-state area.

Northampton County Council will vote on this tonight.

Thanks to Nazareth Skateboarder, the Dent Interview Has Been Saved

After bragging all of last week about my interview with Lehigh Valley Congressman Charlie Dent, I very nearly destroyed it. In the process of transferring the file from recorder to PC, I managed to lose the file, except for some gibberish unrecognized by any media player. I tried downloading all kind of different programs that could read anything, but not this. I even called John's Computer Consulting, thinking he might be able to help. He's off at a Ron Paul convention somewhere.

Then the answer suddenly hit me. Who knows more about computers and software than anyone?

Kids.

Last summer, I was really impressed by the videos and other graphics that Nazareth skateboarder Stefan Herbst had been able to upload on the Internet. He and his fellow miscreants went to work. By Saturday, the Dent interview was back! The only problem is that, every now and then, Charlie says things like "Can you do a 360 heelflip?" and "Let's all go do a few ollies."

Stefan sure is a lot smarter than his father, Nazareth Borough Councilman Jack Herbst.

Now I have to go clean the skate park.

Magic in Nazareth!

He ran out of the building and into the night, screaming and waving his arms! This was the reaction of one Nazareth News Agency customer on Friday night.

No, it was not another candidates' night. No, I was not playing my violin again. This time, the performer was local mage and mentalist Odes Odhner. If you're a magician, that's a pretty good reaction, so long as the guest has already paid.

Odner improbably claims to be a direct descendant of Norse god Odin. If he's right, I know why the Vikings left Scandinavia. But in the garish night lights at the news agency, Odhner is a mysterious presence. His long hair, triangular earrings and ominous stories, immediately set the audience on edge. You won't hear him say, "Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!"

On April 23, a certified letter was sent to the Nazareth News Agency. Inside that envelope was a number of smaller envelopes containing predictions. The prediction that blew my mind was a prediction of Morning Call headlines for May 4. That's right, bippy. I don't know how he pulled that one off, but I'll soon be asking him for his election predictions.

Nazareth Borough Councilman Jack Herbst was asked to pick a foreign coin, and he picked an English 50 cent piece. Odhner predicted that he would make that choice in his April 23 letter!

After the show, he read tarot cards for those who dared. Recently, a little known state law was invoked to shut down Philly psychics and astrologers. City officials there must be worried about a possible loss of gambling or massage revenue. Nazareth has just begun following the Sunshine Act, so I don't think their officials will stumble upon that blue law against magicians for about another two hundred years. Odes, son of a god, played it safe and refused to charge. He also let Jack Herbst keep that 50 cent piece as a memento.

Hey Jack, isn't that bribery??? Jack tells me he'll use it for the skate park.

Update: The mage will appear again at the Nazareth News Agency on Saturday evening, June 16.

Facelift Planned For South Bethlehem's Eastern Gateway

Planning Director Darlene Heller, joined by Ellen Larmer of Bethlehem's Community Action Development Corp., unveiled plans for a facelift to the "South Bethlehem Eastern Gateway" during a meeting of City Planners on September 27. Although the Route 412 approach to Bethlehem from Route 378 is the "hub of a lot of activity" from a skate park, Daly Avenue and Sands Casino, Larmer lamented a "lack of sense of arrival" for City visitors. More importantly, she expressed concern for the safety of pedestrians in an area of the City dominated by mass transit users and walkers. "It's pretty intimidating to walk there," she noted.

About 5,000 City residents live in this area, and a survey of them reflect "a lot of concern about the conditions of the sidewalks," states Larmer. She and Heller are proposing a "lighter, quicker and cheaper" approach to improvements in that area, amounting to $100,00 per year over the next ten years.

These projects include planters with seasonal plantings on 4th St; wildflowers on sloped areas; encouraging local food vendors outside the Sands, Slateplaza and Gateway area; benches at the Skateplaza; trees at the Sands and Skateplaza entrance; murals on vacant facades; a sheltered bus stop; and more signage in appropriate areas.

Small businesses, especially restaurants with outdoor dining, will be encouraged in the area, as well as affordable housing. There was even discussion of housing that would appeal to the 74% Hispanic population in that area, including courtyards and larger bedrooms. Heller stated that, over time, these improvements will "serve the neighborhood," making it a safer to walk and more pleasant to live.

Because Route 412 is a state highway, City officials will meet with PennDOT to discuss pedestrian improvements.

Norco Council Takes Another $25k From Cookie Jar

If you give legislators a pile of dough and don't watch them, they're gonna' spend it. That's exactly what has happened to Northampton County Council's contingency fund. Originally set up for unforeseen emergencies requiring quick action, like empty food banks or a sinkhole requiring immediate action, Council members have perverted it into a source for annual grants to their pals.

Late last year, Tom Dietrich, who happens to be a volunteer fireman and an EMT, wanted to spend $50,000 for five chest compression devices at Bethlehem Township's Volunteer Fire Company. Worthy cause or not, it's no sudden emergency. At the time, I questioned whether Dietrich was just trying to ingratiate himself with his EMT pals. His proposal failed 6-3, with only Lamont McClure and Ann McHale joining him.

This failure is the exception. More often than not, Council members use this fund to show off with your money. The most egregious abuse of this fund occurred in 2008, when Ann McHale proposed giving Easton's State Theatre more than the $25,000 requested for a marquee. Eyeing a bid for County Exec, McHale was trying to ingratiate herself with the high rollers and country-club types who fund this rich man's charity.

There's never any sudden push to give the money to the Salvation Army.

Last year, when Angle cobbled together a budget, he trimmed the contingency fund from its usual $250-500k to just $100,000. That should make Council members think twice about raiding this cookie jar, right? Also, the new Republicans on Council were going to end this foolishness, right?

Wrong. In December, it was Dietrich, the candidate who promised the League of Women Voters he'd end "corporate welfare with taxpayers’ dollars, and political paybacks, etc."

Now it's Bruce Gilbert's turn. In December, like Dietrich, Gilbert wanted $50,000 from the contingency fund for The Butterfly House, a new transitional living center in Easton for female jail inmates. "You give them their life back," argued Gilbert, noting this would reduce recidivism and save money.

He's right, too. But is this some sudden emergency?

This proposal might have passed anyway, but was tabled because Council members had concerns about founder Anne Houston's previous public statement that the center would run independent of taxpayer dollars. There were also some zoning concerns.

Last week, Houston was back, and this time, they gave her $25,000 in seed money, with another $25,000 to come down the road. It passed 7 to 1, with Ron Angle being the sole No vote and VP Peg Ferraro off on vacation somewhere. Asked about zoning, Houston assured everyone that she already had a certificate of occupancy.

Here's what was discovered the following day.

1) Houston does have a certificate of occupancy, but it's for two apartments. She does not have zoning approval for a treatment center, and some neighbors are understandably concerned.

2) Houston is using the money to pay her salary and other operating expenses, not for improvements to the property.

3) Houston is daughter to the late Charles Spaziani, a distinguished and politically connected attorney.

4) Houston is married to a tipstaff at the Courthouse.

5) The Houstons and Gilberts are apparently on very friendly terms, and those terms are probably more friendly now.

I bashed Dietrich before and am bashing Gilbert now. But I have to add myself to the mix. I was irritated with Wayne Grube when he opposed the use of contingency funds for Nazareth's skate park but he was right. A contingency fund, to the extent it exists at all, should be limited to real emergencies.

Correction: Houston is not married to the tipstaff, but to his son.Updated 11:10 AM, Angle Press Conference, 2 PM: Anne Houston's Butterfly House, located at 134-144 E. Nesquehoning Street in Easton, is owned by UAM Episcopal Church of Easton. According to Preston McMillian at that church, there is no lease. It's "in negotiation. we're discussing that right now."

Northampton County Council just gave $25,000 to a woman who has no real interest in the property, but who has the right connections.

Donchez: We Need Your Involvement

Bob Donchez

Although three inches of April showers made it impossible for Bethlehem Mayor Bob Donchez to walk the streets, he still held his first Town Hall on April 30 at the Northampton Community College on the City's south side. Both the Mayor and his entire cabinet  listened to about 15 South Siders voice concerns over garbage, parking, snow removal, Lehigh students and Sands Casino vagrants. They also gave the City high marks for the greenway between 3rd and 4th Streets, which many use to commute, exercise, shop and go to school.

Donchez Wants Garbage Zones

Resident Jo Zavecz complained about garbage sitting in front of home for days at a time, in violation of local ordinances. Chief Housing Inspector Mike Palos that many Lehigh students do that when they leave campus in May. "It's amazing the stuff they leave behind." But Environmental Health Manager Jessica Lucas cautioned that, "for many South Side residents, there's no other place to go."

Jessica Lucas

Donchez announced he's working on a plan to deal with this problem with three or four different garbage zones for the City's estimated 22 private haulers. Garbage would be allowed outside on garbage day only.
He hopes to have it finished by year's end, after reviewing it with private haulers and Council members.

Snow Removal

Craig Evans noted that many citizens were slow to remove cars from snow emergency routes. Donchez agreed, but noted this winter was the first time in many years that any snow emergencies had been declared at all. He indicated that the signage has faded in some areas and needs to be fixed. "For the most part, people were very cooperative. Unfortunately, we did tow some cars." Public Works Director Michael Alkhal said that about two dozen cars were towed during each of the City's two snow emergencies. Police Chief Mark DiLuzio also noted that they did issue a few dozen citations for snow covered sidewalks.

Mike Alkhal

Parking

Resident Ann Evans complained about meters on Packer Avenue, where there is no commercial traffic, which result in people parking in front of her home. While promising to look into these new meters, Donchez announced there is a "strong possibility" that two parking garages are coming to the South Side. One would be located next to Northampton Community College, with another planned nearer the Fahy Bridge.

Sands Casino vagrants

With a disturbing undertone of bias, some residents expressed worries about the mostly Chinese bus riders who use the greenway daily. One woman asked for a bigger police presence there, though it is already patrolled by mounted officers. South Side activist Roger Hudak asked police to make sure the skate park is locked at night, to guard against what he called the "Asian invasion."

Donchez Transparency

In addition to regular town halls, Donchez reminded everyone he has open office hours every second Monday. He also provided his office (610-865-7100) and home (610-868-4680) telephone numbers.

"We need your involvement," he said. "You are our eyes and ears."

Sitting in the Peanut Gallery With John Morganelli

I was pretty nasty to Northampton County DA John Morganelli yesterday. I called him "Farmer John," made fun of his new book (I'm really just jealous), and even belittled his crusade against undocumented workers. I've done it before. A few months ago, I falsely reported that John was building a wall around the Lehigh Valley to insulate us from dreaded illegal immigrants. It would be funded by surcharges at Taco Bell.

After casting my stones, I was having great fun in the peanut gallery at last night's lengthy meeting of Northampton County Council. The suits were trying to save $2.6 million in public funding for a Wind Gap developer's road. This project was funded six years ago, but has gone nowhere. Council was finally ready to pull the plug. Ralph Stampone noticed that whenever the suits started talking, their noses grew longer. And from behind me, John Maher whispered that WWII was over in less time than has been allotted for that road. Some goofy old guy in a gigantic cowboy hat kept insisting they were really serious this time. Really! And his Green Knights had a gazillion dollars to back the project. Council finally flushed this project, no thanks to Lamont McClure or Charles Dertinger.

While we were laughing at these developments, somebody plopped right next to me in the peanut gallery.

It was John Morganelli! Holy cannoli!

He nailed me before I could run and hide. No wonder he's the DA! He laughed off yesterday's blog post, and even agreed it was funny. After this, I "introduced" John to Will Power and asked for John's support. I'm trying to "clear the field" for Will. Before long, John was laughing in the peanut gallery with the rest of us.

Morganelli is a very powerful Democrat, and I do pick on him at times. But I do respect and admire him. He's very accessible, personable and is probably Northampton County's best district attorney. Obviously, he has a great sense of humor. I just don't like his taste in county council candidates.

One final point. During last night's meeting, Nazareth councilman Jack Herbst made an eloquent pitch for county participation in a skate park. Council Prez Grube whispered, just a little too loudly, that he couldn't wait to see it built so he could watch me fall on my fat ass.

Since I'm always braying about open government, I can only blame myself. Now I'm going to cry myself to sleep on my little pillow.

Northampton County To Start Webcasts in January

With only Lamont McClure opposed, Northampton County Council last night approved a $16,000 webcasting system for meetings, starting next January. In addition to the livestream, viewers will be able to view portions of a meeting, using the agenda as an index.

IT Director Al Jordan describes the system: "What it's going to entail is two cameras; one camera will focus on the speaker, the other camera will focus on the Council members in general, showing everyone at once. The person that's speaking shall be pictured in a small frame inside the overall picture. ...

"The package also includes all the bells and whistles that we talked about, which includes posting minutes and agendas and those things online, and using the agenda as an index to the video. So if someone just wants to see a portion of the meeting in reference to a certain topic, they can just go ahead and skip to that portion.

"We will be able to stream the meeting live and also maintain an archive of previous meetings."

Is this popular? Will people want to view the webcasts? Council member Michael Dowd, a proponent of webcasting, mentioned the experience of Easton School District. "I can't give you a number, but The Express Times or Morning Call reported on that, and the initial number was kind of startling, far exceeding what I thought it would be." Council member John Cusick, another webcasting advocate, spoke with two counties - Chester and Allegheny - that already produce webcasts. "From their experience, how many people watch it depends on what's on the agenda."

The Northampton County Bulldog, Ron Angle, volunteered to find a few sponsors for the webcast to help pay the bill. "I am convinced I will raise the $16,000."

Lamont McClure, insisting "I'm not camera shy and it's because I'm so pretty," is nevertheless opposed to webcasts because the $19,000 outlay depletes Council's contingency fund. That has been used to support food banks, pre-school at a YMCA and Nazareth's skate park. "We're going to reduce the contingency fund by $16,000, and in a way that doesn't help people."

Cusick disagreed with McClure. "It's not our money. It's taxpayers' money, and I think what we're doing is spending it to give the citizens an opportunity to see their government at work."

Sometime in January, I'll be able to put my flipcam to bed.

Blogger's Note: Sarah Cassi's Express Times report is here.