Blogger's Note:Opinions Online is a regular Saturday feature. If you'd like to express your opinion on any topic, click on the Opinions Online button on my left sidebar. You can also call 385-325-2564. In addition to these submissions, I sometimes highlight comments from throughout the week and re-publish them here.
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Why stop at simple medical marijuana? Legalize it all the way and make it a division of the LCB-MMJ. After all, we sure do know how to tax and run a monopoly...
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I urge all of you to look at the 2016 election through the eyes of someone not registered with EITHER party.
Look at this as just a regular and average citizen. What is going on behind the scenes should SCARE the crap out of everyone!
Because current leading candidate Trump threatens the power of our INCUMBENT politicians, RNC Chairman Reince Preibus is now questioning why we even HAVE a Primary Election! According to him, the PARTY BOSSES choose who runs, not the citizen voters. How nice!
Sounds like a new political ELITE CLASS is forming to rule over us. You and I are just annoying rabble, it appears.
Send a message to ALL INCUMBENTS next time you vote. . . . .
YOU'RE OUTTA HERE!
Fred Windish
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I received the following email from Carl Strye today (swear to god) ...
How Are You Doing?
Sorry for any inconvenience, I'm in a terrible situation. Am stranded here in Manila Philippines. I was hurt on my way to the hotel I stayed and my luggage is still in custody of the hotel management pending when I make payment . Am waiting for my Family and Friends to send me money to get back home but they have not responded. my return flight will be leaving soon. Please let me know if you can help and I will refund the money back to you as soon as I get back home. Hopefully I can return a favor to you and i wish you the best in the things you have working
Please let me know if you can help..
Carl
Blogger's Reply: I received the same email. This is a scam. I sent Strye an email warning him to contact everyone on his email list.
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Saturday, March 19, 2016
Friday, March 18, 2016
NorCo Parking Deck To Get Facelift
Northampton County Council voted 8-0 last night (Peg Ferraro was on assignment) to spend $101,240 with Timothy Haahs and Associates for architectural and engineering services for renovations at the Courthouse parking deck. The actual renovations, once the work starts, will be in the millions. But if the County fails to act, it is going to be paying that much in damage claims for various cars that have been subjected to falling concrete and acidic water that destroys the paint on vehicles.
Former Wilson Borough Mayor Ken Dunn Visits NorCo Council
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| Peg Ferraro and former Mayor Ken Dunn |
He was in good spirits, as you can see in the photo above, and had no problem walking into the building I had a pleasant conversation with him, as he told me stories about long-time public servants like Gerry Gross, who may be in his last term as Mayor in neighboring West Easton.
"I really respected Gerry," this Republican told me about a Democrat.
Unfortunately, when Dunn was invited to speak, he had some sort of episode. I called 811, which is actually the 911 center, and an ambulance was dispatched. In addition, three well-trained Deputy Sheriffs rendered assistance. I was concerned he might be experiencing a stroke.
Fortunately, after a few minutes, Dunn was fine. Paramedics from Easton Emergency Squad thoroughly examined Mayor Dunn and recommended that he go to the hospital because both his blood pressure and blood sugar were elevated. But as much as Hizzoner loves Gracedale, he hates hospitals. He declined, although he did allow Deputies to take him out in a wheelchair.
After that, Peg Ferraro took him back to Gracedale. I gave her an excused absence from last night's meeting, but I'm pretty sure her driving is what got to Mayor Dunn.
There's only three Republicans left in Wilson Borough, and she nearly killed one of them.
All kidding aside, Peg's decision to bring Mayor Dunn down for a meeting was quite thoughtful. She genuinely cares about people.
How Does This Society Treat Its Weakest Members?
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| Gary Foley |
This incident happened a year ago, in February 2015. Foley told Lehigh Tp police that the little girl had started choking after he fed her, but an autopsy revealed that what actually killed her was a fractured skull. Instead of charging Foley immediately, police sought help from a forensic expert, who ultimately determined that the injuries had been recently inflicted. It was only then that charges were approved.
The children, of course, were taken away last year.
The mother, Heather Marie Surget, age 28, has been charged with child endangerment because of the conditions in which her children were living.
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| Heather Surget |
Can people really be this ignorant? That is what I was thinking as I wrote my story for a newspaper up the line.
About an hour later, while dropping in at the law library, I got an answer to my question.
A young man came in and told the librarian that he wanted to "give back" his step-daughter to his ex-wife. He was awarded custody of her about a year ago, but is moving and doesn't want to take her with him. So like an unwanted dog, he wants to return her to the baby store.
He got angry, too, when the librarian was unable to answer his questions immediately, and got even more irate when told he'd have to file a petition.
Unfortunately, there are some real assholes out there. It is not their poverty. Many people, including Morganelli himself, grew up poor. But they are very selfish, demand instant gratification and want everything handed to them.
Mahatma Ghandi once said, ""A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members." Based on what I am seeing, I'd say we're in reverse.
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Bennett Announces Run For Mayor on Business Matters
Sam Bennett announced her candidacy for Allentown Mayor during a taping of WFMZ-TV69's popular Business Matters program. According to Ron Angle, who was also on that show as a guest, Bennett made clear she will not accept Fed Ed's endorsement.
Bennett reportedly said she expected to see a crowded Democratic field, but not many Republicans.
Unless he resigns or is charged and convicted, Allentown Mayor Edwin Pawlowski will remain in office until the end of next year.
Bennett reportedly said she expected to see a crowded Democratic field, but not many Republicans.
Unless he resigns or is charged and convicted, Allentown Mayor Edwin Pawlowski will remain in office until the end of next year.
Opinions Online Back in Business
We went over the limit on Opinions Online, and I was forced to suspend it for a week. It is now back up and will publish again on Saturday. It is your chance to weigh in on any topic, but I will not publish anything that is arguably defamatory. I love comments about subjects or places I do not routinely cover. You can make your comment in the tab on my left sidebar. Overall, it appears some readers really like this Saturday feature, and I have learned a few things.
NorCo Selects New Elections Comm'n
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| Joan Rosenthal |
John Brown has submitted five names for appointment (or re-appointment).
He selected three Republicans - Judith Ladonis (Hanover), Mary K Diggs (Bethlehem) and Joshua Weinstein (Forks) - and two Democrats - Marques Grundy (Easton) and George Treisner (Bethlehem).
Joan Rosenthal, a feisty Republican who chaired the Elections Commission, has apparently decided to call it quits. Ken Kraft noted her years of service, and hopefully, Council will let her know she was appreciated.
Council is expected to confirm these appointments tonight.
Is Skimming at Nazareth Vig Under Grand Jury Scrutiny?
I've told you before that poker machines are illegal in Pennsylvania if they offer payouts to the customers using them. Small games of chance are permitted under strictly regulated circumstances. Although often regarded as a victimless offense, gambling addicts will spend their entire paychecks on a poker machine. Those machines are usually provided by someone with ties to organized crime. Also, unlike a strictly regulated casino, some social clubs will rig their machines to suck money away from some patrons while steering cash to others. Perhaps the biggest problem is skimming. Machine operators often get quite wealthy by pocketing a large percentage of the money used for gambling.
Along with the gambling, drug activity exists at some of these clubs. SGT Michael Carroll, who heads the Pennsylvania State Police's Liquor Control Enforcement Bureau in Allentown, told me last year that he had no reason to believe that it was greater in social clubs than in regular bars, but I've been told that illegal drugs are prevalent in many local social clubs.
In small boroughs and townships, many elected officials are also machine operators or officers in these social clubs. In Nazareth, for example, Council member Larry Stoudt tended bar at the local American Legion, and pressured Nazareth police to run the license plate of a suspected informant. He was charged with interfering with a state police election, and was later placed on ARD, a special program for first offenders.
Last year, he was easily re-elected.
How can the police be expected to trust a government official who was the responsible officer for an outfit that was cited seven times before last year's raid? Doesn't this place the fox in the hen house?
Borough police have little to do with gambling. They rely on PSP. But they do have jurisdiction over Crimes Code violations. That would include skimming,which is theft, and drug violations.
The influence of social clubs on local government is by no means limited to Nazareth. Most of these social clubs are headed by people who are either connected to or are part of local government. Former Upper Nazareth Supervisor Bobby Recker, for example, was heavily involved in the East lawn Social Club, which for years was spared from raids.
After that raid, the social clubs got together and were able to out the undercover officer responsible. They made sure the identity of this person was disclosed at a Super Bowl Party held at Holy Family. But the fun was just beginning.
Officers at the Vig complained the club had far less money than it should, and made those concerns known to Nazareth police and the District Attorney's office.
Since that time, I have seen these fellows and other Nazareth residents at the courthouse on Grand Jury days. I exchanged several emails with Carl Strye, and although I won't quote from his private emails, he has vigorously denied any wrongdoing. He did say he was looking forward to an appearance before the Grand Jury, which tells me I was not seeing things.
In the meantime, rumors have intensified that the Investigating Grand Jury has uncovered evidence of skimming at the Vig. Whether a skimmer has been identified, however, is unknown. I decided to reach out to Strye again. He responded quickly, as is his habit, but only said, "I have no comment."
I questioned DA John Morganelli about this as well, and received a terse "No Comment" when I asked if the Grand Jury is investigating possible skimming at the Vig. He explained he is unable to discuss Grand Jury proceedings.
"Hero Next Door" Parks Next to Fire Hydrants
He's a school district employee and routinely parks a district van right next to a fire hydrant at borough hall, when dropping off papers from the Vigilance Hose.
When confronted about this by a Nazareth cop, he answered, "I'm the fire Chief."
Of all people, I would think a fire chief would find some other place to park. And should a school district van be used to conduct other business?
The picture you see above was taken March 2.
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Dent Condems ISIS Genocide of Christians, Ethnic Minorities
“The grotesque and barbaric actions that the terrorists of ISIS continue to engage in across the Middle East undoubtedly constitute acts of deliberate and horrific genocide. These fanatical zealots are carrying out a systematic persecution and destruction of civilizations that have thrived in this region for hundreds and thousands of years. I urge the State Department to recognize the immediacy of this threat and lead the international community in a concerted effort to prevent the extinction of some of the world’s oldest Christian communities,” stated Rep. Dent following the vote.
Through this bipartisan action, the House of Representatives added its united voice to a growing international coalition that has recognized that the horrific atrocities of ISIS constitute genocide and must be stopped. The European Parliament, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, Pope Francis, and many others stand in solidarity in condemning the ISIS genocide in the strongest possible terms.
The Resolution passed by the House also commends the efforts of our allies in the region who have gone above and beyond in aiding the innocent men, women, and children fleeing the violence of ISIS. Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq have all distinguished themselves by sheltering and protecting these refugees until they can safely return to their homes.
Bethlehem City Council, Snakes and Jim Gregory
Before the meeting started, at a Committee hearing, DCED Director Alicia Karner and Planning Director Darlene Heller stated that they've received no plans for the Martin Tower development, although there have been discussions. This is likely the result of a procedural challenge to the new mixed use zoning ordinance at the site, which remains undecided at this point.
The meeting started with an invocation by Planning Commissioner and former Council member Lou Stellato. I hate when public officials try to impress everyone with their holiness and refused to participate in the hypocrisy. If they can't arrange to get a preacher, then forget the whole thing.
I'm used to seeing 100 or more at a meeting, but last night, there were only 14 people in attendance, aside from City employees,
One citizen complained that he had filed a Right-to-Know request seeking records of all City employees who live elsewhere. He was angry that his request had been denied on the basis that there is no such record. Under our Right-to-Know law, a municipality has no obligation to create records that are responsive to a request. What this fellow should have done is request the home addresses of every City employee. But it might not do him any good. Home addresses of pubic safety personnel are exempt. Other employees must be notified of a request and provided an opportunity to make their own objection.
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| This guy can lead City Council in prayer next time. |
Joe Pearl and William Eaton have bought George's Light Lunch, which used to operate on the West side.They plan to reopen it at 129 E Third Street on the South Side. They sunk $1.5 million into the project so far, but just weeks before opening, they began to notice that something really stinks.
They followed their noses and it led them to 125 E Third Street, which is owned by Dr. Gary Hunsberger. He apparently raises snakes and mice in his basement.
Snakes stink. According to pearl, the odor is "atrocious." As near as I can tell, it's a defense mechanism in their asses.
Pearl got the City involved, and Hunsberger has been given 60-90 days to get rid of the snakes.
Pearl wants them gone now. "Every dime I put into the South Side is going to be useless," he complained. The City wants to show some compassion to the animals, but pearl wants some compassion for "living and breathing human beings."
Council Prez Willie Reynolds repeatedly told Pearl to take it up with DCED Director Alicia Karner, who had only learned about the snake problem earlier that day.
Willie and Council, however, would do nothing that might endanger the snakes.
Professional courtesy.
Former Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan was at this meeting, too. It's a good thing Callahan was there because Mayor Bob Donchez was at home, battling the flu. Callahan offered to take over a few times, but Dave Brong replied, "I got this."
It was Callahan's first time back at Council since his term as Mayor ended, and the only seat the poor bastard could get was next to me. He told me I stink, too. I must admit I do have a defensive mechanism in my ass, just like snakes. I have been told the smell is nauseating, although I enjoy it myself. Periodically, I shared some of that odor with Callahan, who bolted from the meeting.
As the meeting went on, Gregory couldn't stop staring at me. I'm pretty sure the odor from my ass attracted him. After being in stir so long, I understand his desires. But I'm not that kind of snake.
After the meeting, he cornered Chief Mark DiLuzio and I slipped away.
McNeill's St. Patty Day Fundraiser to Fight Heroin and Opioid Addiction
“This epidemic is tearing families apart throughout the Lehigh Valley, and I’d rather see the money we raise go to fighting this problem than to pay for another campaign mailer,” said McNeill. “I’m tired of hearing about another young life lost to heroin, and the money will be better spent on educating or treating these young men and women from this often deadly addiction.” McNeill states that he is researching where to donate the money.
His St. Paddy Daty Fundraiser, is actually scheduled for the day after. It will be at 6:00 p.m. this Friday, March 18, at the American Club Pavilion in Coplay. (300 Cherry St).
McNeill hosted a standing-room only Town Hall Meeting at Whitehall High School on February 24, and is planning on another at The American Club Pavilion on Wednesday, March 30. When i get more details, I'll let you know. “I want to keep the conversation going, to try to reach as many parents and young adults as we can. If we can keep just one young adult from traveling down the path to addiction, or help them get into recovery, then all of this will be worth it,” concluded McNeill.
For more details, contact Celeste Dee, who is with the Friends of Dan McNeill, at cdee@advantagepep.com.
Hospital Bed For Sale
A lady I know has a company-maintained Medical-Surgical bed that raises, lowers, weighs the patient and a Viking Lift for patient transport. Both of her parents died recently, and she is disposing of their estate. Few people can afford these wonderful pieces of equipment, but she is too scared to put it on Craigslist. She is offering to sell the bed and lift inexpensively, even though the bed and lift together cost $20k. The new owner would need to provide transport for the bed and lift which are about 3,000 lbs total. The bed needs to sit on a reinforced floor or concrete slab.
She also has a silver impregnated mattress that is worth $4k, which is used to treat skin breakdowns or burns.
Ifyou have an interest in these items, please shoot me an email and I am willing to act as a go-between. My email is BOHare5948@aol.com
She also has a silver impregnated mattress that is worth $4k, which is used to treat skin breakdowns or burns.
Ifyou have an interest in these items, please shoot me an email and I am willing to act as a go-between. My email is BOHare5948@aol.com
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Former GOP Chair: Say No to Trump
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| Wayne Woodman |
I have been a Republican for over fifty years. Before I was old enough to vote, at age 8, I went door to door in my Los Angeles neighborhood for Barry Goldwater. I graduated high school early and worked for the Los Angeles County Party as an intern and coordinator. Ronald Reagan inspired me after Watergate. In my fifteen years in the Lehigh Valley, I have served as a committee person, finance chair and two term Party chair. My parents were immigrants and I was taught early and often how rare a commodity freedom is and how a growing and ever more influential government could suffocate it and stifle ordinary citizens' pursuit of their own ambitions.
I have lived through the elevating experience of a visionary President Reagan, who appealed to the best aspirations in all of us. I have experienced the well intended but rudderless leadership of George W Bush. After 8 years of Barack Obama I was hopeful and hungry for a Republican presidential candidate who could recapture the imagination of voters; whose vision and leadership could heal the partisan divide of the last fifteen years and unite the nation behind an aspirational vision that would establish a constructive course for the future. Sixteen candidates stepped forward, the best crop in a generation, and each offered their ideas and policies. I was optimistic that one would rise to the nomination and the others would unite behind him to retake the White House. And then Donald Trump entered the fray and very quickly the nominating process took on all the ugliness of a reality TV show.
Mr. Trump is now my Party’s front runner. He has achieved that status, not by appealing to the better angels of our natures with an aspirational vision but, rather, with a blinding ambition that caters to the lowest impulses that human beings harbor. His leadership, such as it is, is characterized by his narcissism, his amorality and his prevarication. He leads in the same way as Huey Long, George Wallace or Father Coughlin; he appeals to fears without basis in fact, and to emotions grounded in anger.
That anger and frustration is understandable if not constructive. Under fifteen years of George W Bush and Barack Obama, we have had historically low economic growth. Republican politicians did not reform the growth of the federal government under Bush and Republican voters' expectations were raised again when we began to retake majorities in the House and Senate in 2010. Rather than speak unpleasant truths, they told comforting lies about what was possible and how long it would take to accomplish. The GOP as an institution needs to recognize its own role in the morphing of Donald Trump from a crony capitalist narcissist to a Presidential front runner. Trump is a channel for that anger and large numbers of Republican voters are more motivated by the potential to destroy the Party that elevated their hopes than they are of elevating the state of our Party’s politics.
I respect the will of the voters if Trump is chosen as the Republican nominee. I believe in competitive primaries and the governing power of market forces. However, there is a prerequisite that supersedes even that. My first judgement of any candidate is character. Without character, there is no integrity, and without integrity, it doesn't matter what a candidate says he stands for. Flexibility is not a principle. It is a tactic and a useful one in politics. But without principles that can be counted on, a candidate is nothing more than a sapling in the wind and his supporters are nothing more than his saps.
Mr. Trump’s character is deeply flawed. My assessment is based on a close following of his businesses career from his Casino days in Atlantic City to his use of his name to deceive people into parting with their money for products from failed condo projects to phony University curriculums. His principles seem to begin and end in his narcissism. His vision ends in the mirror. His behavior is reflective of an authoritarian rather than an American President. He wishes to “loosen” libel laws so he can use the judiciary to threaten a free press. He says he can get along with Paul Ryan but if not, Ryan will have big problems. That is not the vision that unites the Party or the country. It is, rather, the language of a mob boss running a protection racket. “Nice Speaker's chair ya got there Mr. Ryan. Be a shame if anything happened to it.” The anger of his supporters seems to make all this meaningless. New York may once again have another Teflon Don. However this one will have the potential to do much more damage than a Queens Mafia boss once did.
So while I respect the will of my Party’s electorate I ask for that same respect in return. If Mr. Trump is elevated to my Party’s nominee I will not support him. If Mr. Trump defines what it means to be a Republican then I cannot be a Republican. I will leave the Republican Party to become an Independent. I will not lend my name and reputation to the GOP under his leadership. I will fight for those candidates in the House and the Senate who do have vision and character in the hopes that they will rise to the occasion to defeat the policies of the left that have so damaged this country for so long. I will support those who are willing to resist and oppose a President Clinton or a President Trump, despite his being of their Party. Profiles in Courage is great book but also a thin one; and thin for a reason. Let's hope, like Senator Sasse, more leaders rise to the occasion. I searched my heart and my conscience to reach my decision. I hope I have motivated you to search yours.
Panto's Weiner Defense: "I Was Hacked!"
Before I published my story, I gave Panto a chance to tell me about it, but he never responded. Later that week, Dennis Lieb asked Mayor Panto to explain himself during a City Council meeting. Panto refused.
But on Sunday, Panto was among his frenemies at a meeting of Democrats that was strangely held at the very exclusive and very Republican Pomfret Club While there, he told his audience that he had been hacked and that it wasn't really him saying all those nasty things about his supposed friends.He advised everyone to make sure they have really good passwords or it could happen to them, too.
Of course, nobody actually believed him. Panto's explanation is actually an admission that he set up these false accounts. Essentially, he admitted to dishonest behavior.
It gets better. Someone who is more technologically savvy than he - and that would apparently include everyone in the room - eventually pointed out that Panto had just admitted to dishonest behavior.
Don't worry. He had an explanation for that, too. He claimed the accounts were only set up in anticipation of last year's election. So it's OK to be dishonest as long as you are doing it for political reasons.
But guess what? That explanation is bullshit, too. Comments under the name tom18017 extend as far back as July 2014, six months before the election year started. Also, given Panto's fascination with every comment on LehighValleyLive, he surely would have seen the comments under his two pseudonyms. If someone really had hacked two different false names that he set up, Panto had ample opportunity to notice and do something about it.
Also, if these accounts were hacked and not really him, wouldn't the comments continue? There have been no comments under either of his false names since I outed him.
Mark Twain once said, "If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything." Panto was caught posting under two pseudonyms.Rather than just fess up, he has compounded that simple lie with more lies.
If he wants to give advice to other Democrats, he might offer a word or two on the importance of honesty. But he seems to be inexperienced in that field, as are most politicians.
Morganelli Wants More Debates in AG Race
"I will debate any place, anywhere, and any time," claims Morganelli.
In previous debates, Morganelli zeroed in pretty effectively on Shapiro's complete lack of experience and willingness to accept a large contribution from a charter school PAC while simultaneously claiming to endorse public education.
Quite frankly, I believe that Josh Shapiro is ducking any further debates, and will try to stall and run out the clock to primary election day. Josh Shapiro has been exposed in every forum we have had, and there is more to come and he knows that. Josh, let me say this-- there is NOTHING that you are doing that is more important than to face your opponents in a real debate. You have ducked the questions about your lack of experience and your hypocrisy when it comes to your lectures on integrity. Why are you afraid to engage in a real debate? Not a forum where you can give lofty speeches with no substance, but a real debate where you and I can have a real exchange.Morganelli has appealed to Pa news agencies to host three debates "so the people of Pennsylvania can decide for themselves who is the most experienced person to be Pennsylvania's chief law enforcement officers."
Short-staffed newspapers will decline. But after the election is over, they will piously condemn the apathy among every day voters.
Full Disclosure: I have made a small contribution to John Morganelli's campaign. If I could make a big one, I would.
Monday, March 14, 2016
Donald Trump: Is Now a Good Time to Worry?
Politico has just published a litany of Trump's errors, exaggerations and outright lies. Now all politicians can be caught in miscues, but what's amazing about the Politico story is that it limits itself to just the past week.
A week ago, I told you that Trump's appeal is NOT his penchant for discussing his penis size, which some of you find refreshing and "telling it like it is," even when it isn't. No, it's his appeal to the Authoritarians in our midst, people who want order and fear unknowns like two little Syrian girls or the gay community.
Trump's last week has included violent protests in places like St. Louis. A Guardian stringer called the crowd "midwestern nice," but turned ugly when the doors were closed at an overbooked event. Midwestern nice had suddenly become a mob. "Extraordinary fury was unleashed by the ordinary, in plain sight, in the midday sun, and political darkness rose."
Unfortunately, Trump will attract Democrats and Independents and is likely going to be elected President. A thin-skinned narcissist with no real understanding of domestic or foreign policy will not make America great again, but might bring this nation, and democracy itself, to their knees.
"Share-A-Meal" Great Way to Help Easton Homeless
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| Henry Rodriguez , formerly homeless |
Sometimes late last year, DelBacco got involved in Share-A-Meal, a Facebook group that collects low value gift cards for Easton's homeless community. They hand them out on Saturdays at 1 pm at the parking lot behind the Great Wall at 4th and Washington.
You can message the group for instructions on where to send a small gift, like a $5 McDonald's or WaWa card. Or you can go in person
DelBacco invited me this past Saturday, but I'm unable to go out until Sundown.
Lieb on the Urban Parking Dilemma
(I was unable to give a decent report of Thursday's Planning Commission meeting because my brain short-circuited after about two hours. Fortunately, I write for a weekly, and have the luxury of letting things sink in. But Randy Kraft's story for WFMZ-TV69 is simply outstanding, and it. In the meantime, Dennis Lieb sent me an essay that essential argues that urban planners should de-emphasize parking garages. Lieb is a student od urban planning and was an Easton Planning Commissioner for about five years. Here are his thoughts.)
The Parking Effect On Urban Design, Mobility and Accessibility:
The complaints that more parking is needed to get the office development built is representative of the circular reasoning that created the car-dependency problem in the first place. I am not bashing anyone for holding this opinion since it is a common one that we have been led to believe, but it misses the counter-intuitive nature of the problem. As cities adopted suburban style development mentalities to compete with emerging suburban growth they provided more and more parking for places originally designed to be reached on foot or by transit. This was a misunderstanding of what the city had to offer vis-a-vis suburbia. The lesson - as yet to be learned in most parts of many cities, including Bethlehem - is that you compete by accentuating what sets you apart from suburbia, not by trying to become it. As we've seen all over the country, that was, and still remains, a losing proposition.
As parking lots and garages go up, their insertion into the street grid naturally spreads out the remaining destinations (housing, retail, office uses) over a larger physical area. As this occurs the willingness of people to walk to the remaining destinations diminishes. Studies have shown that most people are wiling to walk about five minutes or .25 mile (about 1300 ft). These walking statistical areas manifest themselves in something called a pedestrian shed: http://pedshed.net/?page_id=5
A series of them in a neighborhood might look like this (image courtesy of DPZ.com):
This is not an exact science and the real distances in any given place have a lot to do with the quality of the walk and what you can access by doing it. The average goes up to about 10 minutes and .5 mile if a quality transit station is at the other end of the trip - rail or bus. It you had a bit more of a sociable destination in mind you might want to whimsically map something like this:
As walking decreases, driving between locations increases and people are using more parking spaces as they move between destinations that were previously walkable. Downtowns with large gaps in their street faces due to empty lots and blank-faced garage structures actually discourage people - especially those without intimate knowledge of the place (like tourists) - from venturing very far down streets. Without getting too wordy, this diagram, lifted from Donald Shoup's book, The High Cost of Free Parking is used to illustrate the dilemma. If you start at the bottom of the wheel at "Suburbanization and Degraded Cities" and move clockwise you'll get the point:
Places like Bethlehem have a fairly compact core but a lot of suburban infiltration has occurred on the city's perimeter. It would be best to stop this before any more damage is done. Easton doesn't suffer much at all from similar fates since it is totally built out and has no sprawl potential and little opportunity for degradation of the existing fabric - but the city still makes a lot of iffy decisions as if it did; like the idea that we need two more parking decks downtown (a soapbox diatribe for another day). Anyway, more driving begets more cars and traffic, which begets more accommodations of both (roads and parking), which begets less walkable cities and the whole degenerating cycle winds down to urban deterioration.
So whats the answer to the person who says, "Well, we have all these people driving to get to things now. What else are we supposed to do?" The point that has been missed for a very long time is that when people are driving distances to get what they need the response should not be more accommodation of the car. It should be an evaluation of what is missing within their ped shed and to provide it. In technical jargon this would be called densification and intensification of the urban environment. In layman's terms its known as CITY BUILDING: give people what they need where they need it...commerce, supply and demand, capitalism. What is the big mystery here?
Build a better neighborhood that people think is beautiful; that functions simply for their everyday needs and that allows choices - along with the car but that are not exclusive to it - that address both mobility and accessibility issues equally.
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