A Walk in the Park

Blogger Michael Molovinsky will be conducting a walking tour of the Lehigh Parkway's WPA structures on Saturday, April 6th, at 10:00 A.M. It will begin and end at the Robin Hood parking lot, and should last an hour. Molovinsky expects local historian Frank Whelan to be on hand to answer questions about the history of these forgotten structures.

Because the weather promises to be nice, I'll be there too

Kim Beitler Steps Down as Lehigh County's GOP Vice Chair

It was nice while it lasted. Kim Beitler, elected Lehigh County's GOP chair on Tuesday night, has already stepped down. Here's her statement:

I have been serving this committee and the organization of the Lehigh County Republican Committee as Office Manager since January 2007 and I've been a volunteer for it since 2001. Last Tuesday; June 15th, unbeknownst to myself, I was nominated from the floor for the position of Vice-Chair. In my desire to serve the committee and defer to its wishes I accepted this nomination and was newly elected to the position of Vice-Chair. I wish to thank all of you for your belief in my abilities and in my leadership skills. This election was sincerely a humbling one for me.

Now, after much thought, deliberation and discussion, I have concluded I must step down from the position of Vice-Chair. My interest for this committee is to always do what is best for it; to not hinder it, to not create ill feelings, but to serve you. I realize there is a conflict of interest with my being a paid employee of this organization and an elected officer. I do not believe that this is a good situation for our organization. I will continue to serve you as office manager so nothing has changed. The many benefits of my work here is that I get to use my skill set while meeting and working with some wonderful and energetic (committee people) volunteers like yourself all while obtaining the flexibility needed to care for my mother during her illness.

So, in closing, I thank you for your support and your belief in me, I apologize for any confusion this has caused, I pray for no ill feelings from anyone and please know that I am still here to serve you as I always have. Please don't let this small issue overshadow the news of the promising new leadership of our new Chairman and all the other newly elected officers and the good work that all of us can achieve by working together for the good of this committee and our Republican Party.

Lehigh Street Bridge Open Again

The Lehigh Street Bridge in Whitehall is now open. It had been closed for repairs after an over-height truck hit a main support beam on April 19. The Lehigh Street Bridge crosses the Lehigh River connecting Hokendauqua to North Catasauqua.

Should LC Comm'rs Be Replacing One Comm'r or Two?

Last Wednesday, Lehigh County's Board of Commissioners were scheduled to appoint a Democrat to Bill Leiner's recently vacated seat, but the meeting was postponed until tonight as a result of the snow. They have until February 25th to fill the vacancy, or the judges could step in and fill it themselves.

Out of the original dirty dozen who applied, Glenn Eckhart's Appointments Committee whittled the number down to five. It did so after a lengthy interview in which all eight commissioners, excepting David Jones, participated. Those who survived the first cut are Marc Basist, Geoff Brace, Robert George, William Hansell and John Hofmann.

Any one of these people would make excellent commissioners, but there are differences. Marc Basist is the only applicant who ran for the job in the most recent election. Geoff Brace brings a wealth of knowledge concerning downtown revitalization, and thinks commissioners should take a more active role in union negotiations. Robert George, a common sense businessman, is clearly the most conservative. William Hansell is the most knowledgable, but spends a lot of time in Florida. Hofmann is the best listener. All of them expressed reservations over the bi-county health department, but only Hofmann is flatly opposed to the concept because of its inevitable cost.

If Commissioners deadlock, and we see black smoke curling through the streets of Allentown, or if they refuse to accept the Appointments Committee's recommendations, the nomination process will be wide open.

As I've noted before, Commissioner David Jones has been MIA throughout the appointments process. He snubbed prospective applicants on the night of their interview, ignored my telephone call and has yet to respond to most applicants or even other commissioners. Anyone who is that unwilling to talk, return phone calls, emails or do his homework, doesn't deserve to vote on the matter. Sure, Jones is busy, but so is everybody else on that board, and they answer calls and email.

Instead of making one appointment, Commissioners should be naming Jones' replacement as well. Hopefully, he'll quit.

Lehigh Parkway Bridge to Reopen Next Thursday

Next Thursday, Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham will be joined by other county and Allentown officials to open the new Klines Bridge in the Lehigh Parkway. The new span replaces a 1902 vintage through truss bridge, closed since 2000.

The new span is a pedestrian and light vehicle bridge. Plans are to turn the bridge over to the City of Allentown. It will be open to pedestrians and will be available under the City’s control for use by their parks maintenance vehicles.

The type and design of the new bridge, weathering steel truss with wood deck was chosen for its compatibility with a park setting, its low maintenance characteristics, and its cost effectiveness. The entire project came in at $280,000.

WHO: Don Cunningham, Lehigh County Executive, Lehigh County and City of Allentown Officials

WHAT: Kline’s Bridge Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

WHEN: Thursday, September 4, at 2:00 pm

WHERE: Kline’s Bridge, Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania