When Northampton County Exec John Stoffa proposed a centralized human services building in Bethlehem Township, replacing two buildings in downtown Easton and Bethlehem, one of the biggest criticisms was that the County was abandoning Easton. Although most feel that the County would find a good use for its Bethlehem site, concerns about a vacant Easton eyesore were raised. But Easton's biggest cheerleader, Mayor Sal Panto, publicly supported Stoffa's proposal. He'd do that only if he had a better use for the property.
Today, at 10:30 AM, we'll learn who bought the Governor Wolf Building. Located at 45 N 2d St in Easton, this 52,171 sq ft schoolhouse, built in 1893, was purchased by the County in 1986 for $912,000. It is home to 173 human services workers. According to County officials, it needs $3.3 million in capital repairs and improvements over the next 5-10 years. CYF workers have complained about conducting supervised visitation amid asbestos, lead paint and bat guano.
Area Agency on Aging Director John Mahler has told Council that the ceiling was caving in at three different areas in his offices. Two of the sites have been recently repaired. He also detailed mold and lead paint problems.
VA Director Freddie Ramirez is concerned about access by 25-35 veterans, some of them disabled, who visit every week, and have to chug up a steep hill. The County has 23,690 vets.
Controller Steve Barron, however, injected himself into this issue and told Council to forget it. He had no regard for abused or neglected children. No regard for our disabled veterans. He was instead carrying water for SEIU and Jim Gregory, who has since been disgraced with woman beating charges and a PFA.
Barron later said that his grandfather was a vet, so that made everything ok.
Council ignored Barron and Gregory, and voted for centralized human services, 8-1.
40 comments:
Again,
You have made the mistake of Bringing Gregory into the issue..What's up Bernie, your readership down..If you remember, man without a brain, Gregory spoke on behalf of the building at the same meeting the children and youth people spoke up and showed their hilarious slide show..Of course, no one on council questioned how the building came to be so dilapidated.
His support of it is on tape! He spoke for SEIU. Its on tape, you joker. To say Baran carried water for SEIU is ridiculous..SEIU as a union supported it..The folks at Bechtel, the ones who can't wait to toss Kraft out on his ass, did not support this building because they feel it was a complete and utter waste. They are right..The County is wasting milliuons on a building they don't need and Council should be ashamed of itself! Except Bob Werner, the only one who voted against it..I can't wait to see who would be so incredibly stupid to buy a building that should be demolished. Can't wait!!
You opposed it, then supported it, and then opposed it.
Cuckoo.
Bernie,
Where is the announcement going to be from? And who is going to be doing the announcing?
I'll find out when I am there.
Bernie,
No, my mistake. I meant to ask where is the announcement going to be held at? Is this an event by the City of Easton or the County of Northampton?
I am not disclosing details to someone who is erratic enough to create a disturbance. You'll find out when I or one of the papers publishes a story.
The announcement will be at the Wolf building. Fact is unless the county is getting at least $2 million for the building, Stoffa one again will have dropped the ball.
The Wolf building has had offers of at least that much for years. It would be crazy to sell for less than $2 million. Most observers know that
Stoffa has accepted much less ansd the county will take a bath on the deal.
This guy has used veterans, children and emp0lyees to get something he wanted for seven years.
The same way he used seniors and employees to try and dump Gracedale. he is a dishonest and vengeful old man.
Be a great day in the county when he is out of office.
Ken Mohr told Council he could get $2.8 million for both buildings, and that money can be used for a lease and option to purchase at Emrick Boulevard. I believe he will get more. Incidentally, the County did not bring in human services customers and use them like props. That was Gregory's trick.
Great point 1:33. You are 120% on target..This moronic piece of trash paints Stoffa to be the greatest administrator of all time..Fact is that he has devastated this county..He is a joke!! Who are you talking to at 12:37..Gregory is at the Casino, lol. You gotta stop trying to piss on his leg..You keep missing and hitting Stoffa, lol!!!
Props???..You are such a joke Bernie..She wanted to come in , ask her..She is at Good Shepard..She had a stroke..Gregory found her and called the ambulance..Why dont you ask her family whether he brought her or not ..They are there with her every day!! You have to reach up to find the scum in the pond..To bring her up now is despicable!!
Stop with the poor veterans speech. There is disabled parking in the front and a first floor entrance and handicapped ramp, you ass. You and Stoffa should be ashamed of yourselves the way you use people as props to get what you want.
For seven years Stoffa let people work and use in a building he did nothing to help, then decides he can play his "caring" card with his hacks.
Really is terrible the way he talks about helping people while cutting the services more than anyone in county history.
You can keep selling that crap to the koolade drinkers, the people in the county know the truth about all this nonsense.
You are the person who brought and used her like a prop, but women don't mean much to you.
You keep saying that but it simply isn't the truth..It is easy to find out the truth..Freaking ask her, you idiot! Otherwise stop the prop lies! She is at Good Shepard..Stop by there and freaking ask or shut up already..You lie to everyone and are challenged and you just repaet the same lie, over and over again..Are you demented?? OK Redundant! lol.
I don't have to ask her. I saw you use her like a prop.
You didnt see shit. You were there and you didnt even bother to ask her..great investigative reporting Bernice.
Do you even read what you write? You are so freaking ignorant. Lots of damage from alcohol abuse? It's OK
Help is on the way. LOL
As far as the PFA goes, Grehgory tried to file his own PFA on Friday night at Bethlehem PD because the ex girlfriend and her friends stole a gold chain and an IPAD from his house..Her friends were not invited on the property and will be charged with Criminal Trespass. Thats why he went to file..ON FRIDAY!! She found out and filed her false charges on Monday. The pathetic charge and the PFA will be tossed if she even shows..Got any money big mouth..Want to bet on it????
I'm certain Gregory is willing..His witnesses to defeat the ridiculous harassment charge include many County office holders and friends of theirs..The empress has no clothes? Or so says the ones who saw the tapes. lol
Stoffa screwed the county on the Wolf building. First, he let it deteriorate so he could make a case to dump it. Second, he is selling it for a song, screwing over the taxpayers.
The guy is not only incompetent but has messed up the county big time. Sued by the DA, sued by the County council, even sued by the people. He is the biggest disgrace in county history.
Can't wait for his departure. he is just that bad.
Wow 300 am,
You hit that out of the park. Bernie has to know we aren't Gregory. So who is he going to blame for that? Barbara
N again. Steve Baran is one of the newest guys around and also a great family man. That must kill Bernie because he is the polar opposite. No family that claims him and no true friends. Poor creature, even Stoffa just uses him for his ends. We need to pray for Bernie's wretched soul and maybe one day, soon, his heart will grow to the size of an amoeba. Could take a lot of prayer. Maybe Mr. White will induct him into his Hall of Crazies. Don't know though. At least they're funny. He's just sad.
Gregory is back!! And referring to himself in the third person in a lame attempt to through off the scent. Must be off his meds again.
or doubling those meds...
I think he's playing Bernie's role. Bernie thinks that no one knows that he's playing ten different characters on his blog besides himself. Talk about a need for meds Bernie,your 614 is so pathetically you. Also, I guess Gregory never sleeps either you fish brains. If you check the comments, you'll see they are only hours apart. To blame Gregory for everything shows how ignorant Bernie is. So yeah, 614,
I'm sure Gregory only sleeps three hours a night and spends his few waking hours attacking that piece of trash.
Ok , he might be crazy, but you are just freaking dumb, lol
Well, Bernie uses Chris B. character to do his dirty work
However talk about a need for meds. Those cigs aren't helping calm that character down. He's still crazy and freaking stupid , lol. Go back to bed Bernie
WHen Jim G hits the casino whats his game of choice? I'd like to saddle up next to that slab of aged beef and take his mind off all the bickering and blogging for just one night. Jim Greggy if you let me I will milk your prostate drier than the Gobi desert.
Ken Mohr is a pompous ass Stoffa imported from Lehigh County because people got tired of Mohr there. His predictions border on lunacy and self enrichment. Don't listen to this guy.
I see. He's only the guy who came up with the funding plan for Coca Cola Park, and who created the Borough Business Revitalization Program. He has a reason to be pompous.
But he's actually a very nice and open guy. You sound jealous.
Dear 8:16,
Very funny Bernice. Everyone knows your scam..You are every character on here..Probably even the fake Gregory s, lol..Good job..But I got a life ..C U later.
Careful 645. You really shouldn't go there.
By the time all is said and done, Northampton County will have close to 4 million "four Million" dollars or more into the wolfe building site. That includes parking, purchase price, maintenance and upkeep. It may even be more than that. Than they have the Bechtel Building. That has to be more than two million or maybe even closer to three million when you take all the above into consideration. The county should purchase the Martin tower building for twenty million and I will get some investors to buy it for 2 million. This is pure lunacy. It never should have gotten this far. Who was director of Human Services when the Becthel building was purchased? Seyfried was Executive. If I'm not mistaken, Stoffa was his Director. What a turn around
Sroffa demanded Jerry
Seyfried buy the Bechtel building. he told Jerry we MUST have a site in Bethlehem. don't believe it, ask Jerry.
How much will the county pay the new owners for the lease of the warehouse??? How much? Stoffa is mum on that deal. I hope county council demands an answer before they approve the sale. The guy is probably buying it because the county will help subsidize the sale with a crazy lease amount.
Also have to wonder howmuch Mohr has got to "wet his beak" on all the county business he has gotten from his pal John Stoffa for eight years. Fortunately when we get rid of Stoffa, Mohr is gone too.
"Also have to wonder howmuch Mohr has got to "wet his beak" on all the county business he has gotten from his pal John Stoffa for eight years. Fortunately when we get rid of Stoffa, Mohr is gone too."
that borders on libelous
The county will pay between 19,000 and 20,00 for 5 years to lease back the warehouse. It's such. Small amount. It's a good price for the building and a good deal.
3:49, Nearly 6 months ago, and precisely because of these anonymous scurrilous accusations, the county did a Q&A that laid out Mohr's compensation. The inconvenient truth is ignored.
http://lehighvalleyramblings.blogspot.com/2013/01/centralized-human-services-just-facts.html
"Sroffa demanded Jerry
Seyfried buy the Bechtel building. he told Jerry we MUST have a site in Bethlehem. don't believe it, ask Jerry."
I know the whole story, which you have not shared. The Governor Wolf Building was supposed to be the centralized human services building. The demand for human services, especially in Bethlehem, outgrew Wolf. That's why Bechtel was bought.
Not complicated.
The guy buying the Governor Wolf Building is the same guy currently doing demolition work at the silk mill with grant money and his buddy's from new jersey but yet the work wasn't publically bid to allow us PA laborers bid? A few blocks away from a union site work contractor. We have been told that the only money being spent at the site is state grant money that is not being matched by private funds. Is this true? Is it legal? Don't they have to publically advertise bids if state funds are not being matched by private dollars?
Ask Mayor Panto.
Bernie,
Point was made that Stoffa wanted the Bechtel building because he wanted a building in both downtowns, Easton and Bethlehem. He stated then that is where the majority if people live and who use the services. This is not something new.
Now he and his buddy, Ken Mohr drafted up this scheme of a triple option lease for a centralized human service building. Mohr made a speech to council that there would be an excess of over 10,000 extra square feet in the building and that can be used for when the programs expand and add workers as the county has seen and will see tremendous population growth.
Well, there is no room for any more workers in the layout and certainly nowhere near the 10,000 plus extra square feet.
Another lie perpetrated by the man!
Considering there are less people working in Human Services than ever before, it would seem Mohr and Stoffa are planning on space for the phantom workforce Stoffa has created.
Thank you county council for your due diligence on this building nonsense. Snark, snark.
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