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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Allentown East Side Trash Transfer Station: Does This Idea Stink?

In last week's conversation with Allentown city council VP Tony Phillips, he told us that the city was approached over a year ago concerning a trash transfer station. Not long after the Phillips interview, The Morning Call broke the story, which effectively ended the Mayor's efforts to keep things hushed up.

Allentown East Side activist Dennis Pearson is wary. Here's what he says.

"The plan is not neutral if it impacts on Kimmet's Lock --- A boat ramp into the Lehigh River.

"The plan is not neutral if it impacts on Coca Cola Park.

"The plan is not neutral if it creates an odor.

"Being a leader of a neighborhood which admittedly has not met much this year, I think the Mayor should not take it for granted that we have lost heart to fight the big fight.

"Trust me Mayor, we will fight hard to undo decisions that potentially impact negatively on the East Side ...

"Also I find it interesting that the Developer of the Hanover Acres Reconstruction, now known as Overlook Terrace, seeks to use leftover Lehigh County money from a State Grant to rehabilitate 20 homes on the East Side for residents who have mental problems and who suffer drug abuse. You make the call. Is this another type of dumping on us? In addition, the County is debating whether to add more money to its reconstruction of the Linden Street Bridge. If they don't, the East Side will be continued to be inconvenienced with detours.

"Our neighborhood will need to meet about all these issues ... If we were considered lately to be sleeping ... We're now awake ..."
Photo credit - Dennis Pearson

9 comments:

michael molovinsky said...

bernie, that photo of dennis was taken about 25+ years ago, when he was also defending the east side. you missed the boat when you passed dennis over to support someone else for commissioner, btw, hows that boxing program going for 5 year olds?

Bernie O'Hare said...

Not too good. One of those liitle brats plastered me. He asked me, "What's the capital of Thailand?" It was a trick question.

Anonymous said...

A waste transfer station is not what that area needs and I doubt that Pawlowski would be pushing it if he lived near there.

If the waste transfer station goes in, it won't be long before a dump appears. Zoning would no longer be an issue, and when it came time for the DEP to do their 'harms/benefits' analysis, the company could argue that people already live next to trash (the waste transfer station) so the additional 'harm' would be minimal.

It should anger people that Pawlowski can give away tons of money to businesses like Johnny Mamana's yet feel comfortable DUMPING on East Side residents to cover for his fiscal mismanagement.

michael molovinsky said...

i have a concern about who's trash it will be. pawlowski said to could handle the combined trash of allentown, bethlehem and easton, but he DIDN'T say it would be THAT trash. why would they need to compact local trash for rail service when local trash uses a local dump? could it be ny and nj trash compacted for a trip west?

Anonymous said...

One thing to keep in mind in not one east side resident lives within nearly a mile of this place, maybe more.

Bernie O'Hare said...

I'm no Pawlowski fan, but I won't condemn this proposal until I know more about it. The facts are very sketchy.

Anonymous said...

It would be helpful if Pawlowski would release more information on this, such as the specific location. That was not clear from the newspaper reports.

Bernie O'Hare said...

But for the Tony Phillips interview and subsequent news account, I don't think we'd be seeing any information at all.

Anonymous said...

The MC didn't break the story, your blog did. Once again.