Upside Allentown Facade Grant Program Is Upside Down

Lewnes gets $2,000 from Huertas, she gets at least two grants

CACLV's website proudly proclaims, "We take care of our neighbors." That's true, especially if you're connected. Upside Allentown operates under the CACLV umbrella. Last week, I published an audit of their  facade grant program  It shows clear favoritism towards insiders like Miriam Huertas, Rebecca Torres, Christian Brown and CACLV's very own Main Street Manager Peter Lewnes. It also shows grants to absentee landlords. I was appalled by how Jennings reacted when Allentown residents Shelby Edwards and James Whitney, who prepared this audit, presented him with a summary.

"Feel free to shout your findings from the rooftops," he taunted. He accused them of blackmail. They were seeking their own facade grant for Little Drill, their nifty photography and marketing business at 1122 Hamilton. Main Street manager Pete Lewnes refused to approve it unless they agreed to paint it one of the ugliest colors in existence - battleship grey. His refusal is what prompted their research, but Jennings accused them of a "selfish insistence that you are more worthy than the many others who have gone before you."

Battleship grey. Jennings loves it. 

Those who have gone before them include Lewnes (two possible grants), Torres (four grants), Huertas (at least two grants) and Christian Brown. All insiders.

To his credit, Jennings on Friday asked the state Department of Community and Economic Development to do an independent audit of these facade grants. He also said a meeting concerning this property with the "Physical Design Committee" was imminent, and it is. Turns out it's tonight.

Jennings invited me to his house on Sunday. That way I could tell him in person what a piece of shit he is. When I got there, I also blasted the ugly battleship grey color. Turn out that's what color he painted the inside of his house.

1122 W Hamilton

He admitted he can get arrogant, but added that he sometimes gets frustrated in his losing war on poverty. His approach is different. Most human service agencies will help those who are impoverished, but in condescending ways. Their goal is to get people out of the ghetto where the incentive to fail is strong. Jennings wants those who can leave a blighted neighborhood to stay and improve it.

With respect to Allentown's 7th Street Gateway, where Lewnes is Main Street Manager, Jennings tells me that there was a 25% vacancy rate on 7th Street vacancy rate when Lewnes started working there. Now there are none.

But just as the good things that former Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski did is no excuse for his criminal conduct, the success of the facade grant program is no excuse for abuses in which insiders are getting what really is public money. It is no justification for ignoring their own guidelines.

Upside Allentown is actually the name being used for some reason by The Community Action Development Corporation of Allentown (CADCA). It is funded by eight companies. BBT, TD Bank, and PPL kick in $100,000 per year.In addition, Alvin H. Butz, Inc., City Center Lehigh Valley, Susquehanna Bank, Lafayette Ambassador Bank and Wells Fargo donate $50,000 per year. Because they get tax credits in exchange for their donations, this is really public money. According to an Allentown news release, it is also funded by the City’s Community Development Block Grant and Home Program.

Upside Allentown facade grant guidelines have no standards in place to protect contributing companies and the public from insiders seeking to enrich themselves. Torres is a CADCA Board member. Huertas is a LV Chamber VP who handed a grant to Lewnes. Christian Brown is a member of the Physical Improvements Sub-Committee that supposedly approves these facade grants.

This needs to change to prevent insiders from benefiting.

Pigs get fat. Hogs get slaughtered.

The facade grant guidelines that are in place are being ignored. These grants are supposed to exist for locally owned properties, not absentee landlords. Why on earth what someone want to encourage investors looking to flip a property?

The Physical Improvements Committee that supposedly approves these grants will meet tonight to review this grant application. This group consists of Pat Jackson, Lewnes, Brown, Joe Calhoun, Dan Bosket, Deb Rubinski and possibly Geoff Brace. Bosket, the Executive Director of CADCA and Peter Lewnes' boss, told Edwards and Whitney that yours truly is unwelcome. "No, we will not be having Bernie O'Hare at the Meeting," he said.

So much for transparency.

I've been kicked out of much nicer places. I know why I'm unwelcome. I learned just this evening that the greed extends beyond the actual grant recipients. Deb Rabinski, who reviews and approves these grants, is actually getting paid $500 for a "design consult." It is entirely inappropriate for her to be sitting on the committee that approves or rejects facade grants. If she's involved in just 10 grants a year, that's $5,000 in her pocket. Some "volunteer." Get this. Lewnes has discretion to award up to $1,000 in design fees, which might explain why he has so many pals. The people who do these designs should have no say in approving these grants.

Pigs get fat. Hogs get slaughtered.

On top of everything else, there's a $300 fee for each grant application.

This program is being abused by insiders. There are no guidelines to prevent this greed, and what guidelines are in place are being ignored.

Should Upside Allentown refuse to address this situation, the corporations who contribute should be asked to stop. Moreover, Allentown should spend no CDBG money on a program that just promotes a culture of corruption.

Previous stories:

Upside Allentown Facade Grant Program Being Abused

Allentown Facade Grant Abuse Details

This Old House: History of 1122 Hamilton St