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."
33 comments:
We heard rumor and we emphasize that, rumor, that Pawlowski and Weitzel laughed as residents spoke Thursday night. Is this true? You were there.
"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."
Could someone explain this? Where at Rose Garden is there onsite parking. Sure at the roadway but in the garden?
Is there? And just how far from the Rose Garden is the Rec Office? Will brides and their guests be willing to park there and walk to the Rose Garden in summer's heat to have photos taken? Does this seem logical?
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I am a concerned local blogger who is intent or preserving the individuals right to free speech.
This is Palowski's tactic and is representative of his behavior at the council meeting:
http://shrink4men.wordpress.com/2009/03/16/workplace-bullying-in-office-politics-what-is-mobbing/
Copy and paste this into your browser.
It is a change of topic and it is at the courtesy of Mr. O'Hare, but the Call's new online registration requirement is there to stifle free speech, including that critical of the Call. No one who works for anyone will from this point on reveal anything inappropriate.
Morning Call, Friday edition. Taken from comments following story on council meeting:
" Mayor Ed Pawlowski and Parks Director Weitzel were not paying attention (laughing and joking) even at one point I observed the Mayor falling asleep. To do this shows the kind of character this elected official has."
You all need to really stop being confounded by the obvious.
It you are interested in getting rid of King Edwin you need to start doing something.
Start posting about your impressions of King Edwin everywhere you can. His cabinet is full of like characters: staff, blue ribbon panel, Friends of Pawlowski, etc.
Everyone seems to think some magical gnome is going to sprinkle fairy dust on his head and he will instantly become the benevolent and wise leader you would all like.
It ain't going to happen. Sorry. Get used to it. Obama won the election in part due to the power of the internet.
If you are against King Edwin you are responsible to learn how to use these tools: facebook, twitter, the morning call, etc.
Volunteer to take action and be proactive. Identify the man for the thug he is and make as many people aware of it as possible.
Stop volunteering to be a victim of his "bullying" and "mobbing". Do some research. Get to know your enemy.
"We heard rumor and we emphasize that, rumor, that Pawlowski and Weitzel laughed as residents spoke Thursday night. Is this true? You were there."
Yes, I was there the whole night. I was in the front row. I videotaped segments of the meeting. There were at least three occasions in which the mayor and/or Weitzell had to ask that a question be repeated. They did occasionally seem to joke w/ each other. But to be fair, the mayor was mostly courteous to the public. He does have a tendency to get sarcastic, although he appeared to reserve most of that for council members. As I indicated earlier, he seemed tired. He was in a hot room and the meeting was long. He did have to fight to stay awake. But I think he was respectful to most of the people.
Annonymous: "It you are interested in getting rid of King Edwin you need to start doing something."
you're right.
Rated R Link:
I was reminded of Commandant Lassard from Police Academy when Howells was commenting at the meeting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rZCofcCbc0
It's clear that the hater-whipped hysteria was groundless. All that's left for the naysayers and regressives to cling on to, is to post personal attacks and snipes, as evidenced by today's comments.
Those who had or continue to have concerns are neither naysayers nor regressives, nor are they racist. Moreover, the reason for most of these concerns is the Allentown administration itself, which published false information concerning its intentions at Cedar Creek Park. It was very slow to correct itself.
Moreover, concerns remain. It defies credulity to suggest that maintenance demands will decrease or that a large playground, designed for differently-abled children, does not present special challenges in terms of maintenance and supervision. The city's unwillingnmess to acknowledge this is, in my view, negligence per se. MM has expressed concerns about a bike lane in a path that, in some stretches, is only 6' wide.
I'll agree that many concerns have been met. It has been scaled back from the original design.
the reason for most of these concerns is the Allentown administration itself, which published false information concerning its intentions at Cedar Creek Park.
Actually, Weitzel said the plan discussed Thursday wasn't even final.
Anon 10:55 sounds like one of Randy's Rangers.
A good example of the local administrations army of minions.
Any opposing party would be a "hater" to your prejudiced monolithic mind.
We need a mayor who is interested in the people.
The "haters", as you refer to them, are asking practical questions about the efficacy of building this aberration of Gen Trexler's vision.
The minions want everyone to follow blindly and keep their mouths shut.
The minions fear their own opinions.
The minions do not trust themselves.
The minions need a worldly savior.
Good luck. You have a long wait ahead of you.
First Afflerbach and now Pawlowski. Who is next?
It does not defy anyone's credibility to suggest maintenance will decrease if you are familiar with the park.
The reparation buffers will reduce the mow areas quite a bit and the endless fight to maintain the haphazard stone paths will now end.
Every time there is a good rain those stone paths have to be relaid in certain sections.
Anon 5:21, don't bother to inject any reason into this discussion or you will be labeled a minion.
Anon 6:16, Thanks for interjecting such maturity into the conversation.
The buffers and loosing the stone paths will compensate for any excess created by the improvements?
OK and ?
Riparian buffers folks, not reparation. Not to be rude but reparation buffers really draws some bad connotations.
Also, we need those riparian buffers in all our parks, pronto.
"It does not defy anyone's credibility to suggest maintenance will decrease if you are familiar with the park"
Let me be a little more clear. It is downright nonsensical to suggest you can add a 19,000 sq ft playground, appeal to bikers w/ a paved path, reconfigure parking to attract more visitors, add a new pavilion, and NOT have additional maintenance. It's just nuts.
In fact, when Weitzel said that, he himself started to laugh. The city knows this is untrue and is only making that claim to avoid the very real criticism that this will eventually cost taxpayers.
Good for you ANON 8:46!
Oh wait, that's right
GO BULLDOZERS
Bernie,
The litter alone will be significant. If you doubt me on that just follow the litter trail left behind daily as Allentown's children make their way to and from school. Graffiti and vandalism will also be a constant problem. How will the police respond to the new calls that will no doubt be generated from this new playground? Cars that are currently busy dealing with the multitude of problems downtown will have to be sidetracked to this deep west end location. Is good for Allentown's public safety?
But these are just realities.
Scott Armstrong
Thursday night's meeting:
While Wetzel said (as if he can guarantee such) there are NO poisonous snakes in the Rose Garden, he did not say there are no snakes at all.
There are no poisonous snakes in Allentown. I conducted an interview with Dr. Abigal Pattishall on my blog about the riparian buffer installation at Cedar Beach. Not only is she in charge of the program, she is a PHD in herpetology who did her dissertation on snakes in the Allentown park system. I believe her when she says that there are no poisonous snakes. There are however, garter snakes and water snakes present. These are completely harmless. Here is the interview: http://rememberkleiner.blogspot.com/2009/07/interview-with-dr-abigal-pattishall.html
Andrew:
Is that the same herpetologist that claims to have been bitten by 10,000 snakes?
Must be tough being in a profession where so many of the clients/patients do not like you.
But let's all defer to the good doctor. These intellectuals seem to run the city these days.
Andrew,
PHD in herpetology! Why isn't she at the Bronx Zoo?
She is, but I imagine that the comment about 10,000 snakes was an exaggeration to make a point.
Andrew Kleiner said...
"There are no poisonous snakes in Allentown."
Andrew, that's a huge claim. We know you’re a young guy and we really like you, but Andrew, in a world economy such as ours, animals can travel in crates, luggage, produce, shipping containers, etc. If not so,
How does an occasional Black Widow land in the bananas?
"she is a PHD in herpetology who did her dissertation on snakes in the Allentown park system."
I know a few snakes in the grass and she didn't interview me.
Anon 11:28, Ok, there are no poisonous snakes that are naturally occurring in our park system. There is always the chance that someone owns one (which they shouldn't) and frees it etc. That is the only way a poisonous snake would ever be found in one of our parks.
I am a supporter of a playground for handicapped children and cannot figure out why people are fighting this.
Everyone supports that, but people are upset at the city's misinformation.
Andrew, this blog is like Faox News. How dare you bring an educated source into the discussion. This is about rumor, and gossip.
PHD, HAW!!. I own a S&W, so I trump you.
We don't want no elitist liberal educated types blogging around here.
Unless you have screwed up your life so bad you have no other life left. Now go home and watch CNN or MSNBC, I got a town meeting to go scream at with my big iron on my hip.
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