Wil Borkowski, Allentown
I own and manage several commercial properties with ample off-street parking in Allentown’s central business district.
Since 2001, I’ve also lived in the central business district so I’m familiar with the traffic, trash and trucks that come with living downtown.
But with all that, I still enjoy living in the heart of Allentown on Main Street.
So what’s my beef? Although I’m enthusiastic about the notion of more off-street public parking to support the other businesses in town, I’m very disappointed with the 3-5-7 South Main municipal parking plan provided the public to review.
I expected to see 40 to 60 new parking spaces at a cost of $400,000 to $500,000 given where it’s proposed.
What I saw was a plan that took 14 months to complete create a grand net total of only seven additional parking spots and an engineering cost estimate full of contradicting numbers that will lead to cost overruns.
Parking lot designs are straightforward engineering problems. Costs can be easily predicted and unknowns easily outlined in advance.
In other words, Allentown didn’t need to spend tens of thousands of dollars in engineering and legal costs (I found through billing records I requested) to figure out only seven net parking spaces could be built at 3-5-7 South Main.
If only seven additional spaces can be created from what exists today, why would anyone spend another nickel on more engineering and legal costs? Well, this is the mayor’s turn to tell us. He’s been in charge and has kept everything on paper a secret from the public’s view up to last week. I understand why now. This anemic plan doesn’t provide any substantial parking and at a ridiculous cost to us.
Please come out to the next council meeting on June 26 at 7 p.m. in the Allentown Rescue Squad Building on Waker Avenue. Also, the county will be there to discuss the Sensi Park project and reasons for the delays.
I will be there and ask these specific questions as well as why Sensi Park did not get a needed new dock as payment for its three years of use by the contractor.

