Schantz stated that the Steel Ice Center has five hockey games that day, which were scheduled a year in advance, starting at 6:30 am. He said there will be no way for players to access his venue. "I'm paying these taxes to have my stuff shut down," he complained. He indicated the race was authorized by the City without contacting him or other business owners who will suffer during the event. It's just a shock that this could happen. I was the first one to build down there. No one else was down there. All these problems started coming down when ArtsQuest came down there. ... We're working side by side with ArtsQuest and they take and take more."
Schantz suggested that the race could be better run along the D&L towpath or Lehigh's campus. There's no need to host the race at ArtsQuest, "It's been going on for 11 years now since ArtsQuest has been down there."
Council President Michael Colon suggested that Schantz speak to Public Works after the meeting to see if some resolution can be found.
suck it up crybaby..you only deal with it one day ....everyone else has to put up with a week of this shit during musikfest
ReplyDeleteIdiot.
Delete5:19 do you own a business? Do you know what one day revenue means to a feeling entity like youth ice hockey? Did you invest your life savings in a brown field development when no one else thought Bethlehem would recover?
DeleteTake one days pay before taxes and do ate it to the cancer event if you are so high and mighty
You know you won't because deep down that's who you are, just aninternet tough guy just like me and every other anonymous poster here
Extraordinarily poor city management. Who is the idiot who approved this? Said idiot has a name and collects a tax-funded check. Let's have the name. It's the only way to address this embarrassing kund mismanagement.
ReplyDeleteOne could wonder. If only this business had flown an 'inclusion' flag would he get the attention he wants. I believe most residents never really excluded anyone.
DeleteIn other words, council told him to screw off. So typical of the 7 Dwarfs.
ReplyDeleteDon't be so dramatic. Hockey players can park in the brand new garage at Polk & Columbia & walk the 1/2 block to their game. Welcome to the city of special events. From February through December Bethlehem hosts some sort of race, walk, tasting, function, etc all over the city. Dealing with events is part of doing business in the city. Talk about gridlock, if the city had to check with EVERY business possibly effected by an event nothing would go on in the city.
ReplyDeleteThere needs to be access and parking for Steel Ice Center. It brings business to Bethkehem. 5 games is a minimum of 200 people in and out. Add 100 more for spectators and workers. Players come from out of town, and expect a better welcome from Bethlehem and its businesses. How about getting free parking at that new parking garage during the event for Steel Ice patrons?
ReplyDeleteSuch a great response from the puppeteer council prez.
ReplyDeleteHave any of you actually been down there during a race? After runners pass the intersection on 2nd St. cops allow cars to access their lot from Polk St. Since it is close to the start runners are still bunched up so it only takes a short amount of time until road is open. A race down there usually impacts the ice center for a FEW MINUTES, it does not shut them down for the whole day. If a run routes back to the area for the finish, cops intermittently allow cars through.
ReplyDeleteWow such a caring response to a tax paying business owner. assholes.
ReplyDeleteMayor’s sarcastic comment about Musikfest benefitting this business was insensitive at best but typical of his negative attitude toward businesses in Bethlehem.
ReplyDeleteHave you not been to a council meeting? Such a very arrogant individual. Besides he is a runner himself.
DeleteBernie, it sounds like some posters may be missing Tom Schantz's point, which is that nobody bothered to contact him or coordinate this event with their Steel Ice business. That's arrogance on the part of the City, and only a chance visit by someone else alerted him to the upcoming event.
ReplyDeleteLet's not forget that when no one else was was developing anything on the Beth Works site, Schantz and his partners did, and they used their own money and private financing to do it. There were no public grants or taxpayer dollars used. In addition, they had to provide parking at a cost of about $600,000 across the street, a portion of which they graciously allow ArtsQuest to use during Musikfest, Oktoberfest, Christkindlmarkt and any other events ArtsQuest cooks up.
The mayor's remarks were immature, and reflective of his 'my way or the highway' approach to governance in Bethlehem. He talks a lot about having conversations on many issues, but forgets that it takes 2 people to have those conversations, which often could have common sense solutions if given the opportunity.
Dana Grubb for Mayor. The residents of Bethlehem really muffed this up.
DeleteMayor Reynolds is arrogant, always has been. But he has become worse since his election and has let his power go to his head. He has told many business people in the city that, "he needs leverage over" them. Leverage? He means intimidation, control, abuse of power and using city planning and zoning departments to harm them if they don't do what the Mayor wants!
ReplyDelete