The groundbreaking of the new police station at 425 Hamilton St. was today. Did the city ever actually get funding for this? I still feel that spending $60 million+ (my projections of the total cost) on a new police station is yet another unnecessary and wasteful project by the administration.
Why weren’t the current 10th Stand 425 Hamilton locations just remodeled? Oh, wait! That is a cheap land grab by JB Reilly for his new art museum, and the mayor and council were so ready to give it to him.
While talking about spending money, it seems like the APD is winning this year, like the AFD last year. They have a labor contract expiring at the end of the year, working non-stop pushing that expensive DROP pension, and looking for better pay. Who is paying for all of this? You are!! Who makes the contract decisions? Tuerk, HR. and Finance. Do taxpayers get any say?
But Take a drive past the now former APD station at N.10th/Hamilton St. and you will notice the police aren't there anymore.
Where did they go?
Why did they leave their patrol station? If you recall, the mayor and APD Chief have been wanting a new police headquarters. and the patrol officers would have to move from the 10th St.station. All at a cost of 50-70 million to the tax payers!!!
Why? Simple. It is because the parking authority wanted to sell their plot of land next to the station, and the city agreed to allow the APA to sell the police building. At the time the city couldn't find a feasible place to house the officers until the new police station at 4th St. was built.
So, what actually happened? The city, using the APA as a proxy, sold the patrol station to the Allentown Art museum. Why? Well, money! J.B Reilly is highly involved with the failing museum, so why not move it closer to his music venue the Archer bringing more foot traffic. Soon you will be able to drive down Hamilton St and see a new version of failure with a failed Art Museum, next to a failing Archer Music hall and a rapidly failed DaVinci Center.
So where do you think the police moved?
How about behind the Archer. Well not directly the station but the police cars are all there. Sources tell me the city leases a floor in the building behind the PPL building and the police cars all park in the 940 Linden St deck. I have seen the police leave that deck driving home, but I am not sure where their station exactly is. Anyways, Why is police parking there important? Well, what safer place to park if you are going to the future museum or the Archer than where all the police park. Pretty smart white rich guys. Shady as all hell.
Onward
What did the move cost? Who knows? But we do know that the sale of the 10th St building generated about $775,000 after costs. I am sure the new station had to be renovated to suit the needs of the officers.
Who paid for that? What is the lease on this building? Has to be a couple years at least or until the new station is complete. Conveniently the Controller's contract page is not operational so the lease is not available for download. Laughing but the city probably has to pay the parking authority to allow police and their personal vehicles to be parked in their deck.
I'm sure all the profits from the sale of 10th ststation will be gone very quickly and the city will have nothing to show for it. It is amazing how Tuerk manages to take city tax dollars and funnel them to donators to his campaign. Groundhog dog.
I thought the plan was waiting until the new headquarters was completed then move the officers one time? This is another stupid waste of money idea by Tuerk, Patel, Roca and blessed by the Council.
The officers could be in a "temporary location" for the next two years or more, causing more unnecessary expenses to the city.
Who comes up with these ideas?We have the most special Mayor, and Council in the country. And these people want to further their careers in politics? In real politics, ineffective leaders don’t advance. They get filtered out — not by rivals, but by their own record. Tuerk was a failure before he came to Allentown and is fast tracking his political ‘career’ to be an even bigger failure.
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29 comments:
Im dead lmao. What a waste of money. Isnt this supposed to cost like 50million? How much are taxes going to go up? Couldnt they just remodel the station?
Your meme game is weak Abe, Hermano Tuerk is a hip rising star in the party your just a bitter anon hatchet wielding pusillanimous putz!
Funny he has your attention. Dude is no rising star. I work in city hall, and everyone laughs behind his back at these memes all day long.
Keep voting Democrat Allentown. This is what you votes for!
Abe I question the location of new station more than need !
You would think 🤔 it would have been practical to purchase the old train station at Hamilton and American parkway , convert that into new police station! Lots of parking and still accessible to city hall when ass kissing is needed!! Hell they could have acquired the car lot also and had new fire station, built, hey that’s thought, both are centrally located for great access, and one bond !!!
That is a great idea, but there isn't smart intelligent people making these decisions. Nothing is ever thought out properly. Big Ego's little brains.
Council open your eyes, what is the tax increase this year???
There will be absolutely no tax increases as long as Matt Tuerk is mayor. From what Frank Kane publicly alluded to—Matt’s travels on his global Allentown propaganda campaign is bringing the City of Allentown millions of dollars. How lucky are we?
Council? Open eyes? They are equally to blame. They control the approval of expenditures like this and they vote to pass time and time again. Hoping Council wakes up is laughable. We have a better chance of the full unredacted Epstein, or Curtis files being released
Or they could have build both in the NIZ, on that big lot 100 block North Seventh Street, next to the 7-Eleven, with NIZ $$$$
I am tired of hearing complaints about the new police station. Anytime a city invests in improving infrastructure it returns to the taxpayers over time in reduced maintenance and repair. It also improves safety and quality of life for employees.
It is about time to give ip fighting the police station.
40 million in reduction of maintenance and repair to the tax payers?? Haha what in 30 years?? The new building will provide safety and quality of life for the cops? Haha. How about fix the roads, stop the loud music, dirt bikes, removal snow. That is quality of life, not a new building. You obviously work for the city if you are hearing all of these complaints. But wouldnt complaints tell you this was not a good idea?
Nine out of ten ain't worth the space they take up let alone the air they breath.
As for Abe's memes, the are slammin truth be told!
The City taking out bonds to pay for Police and Fire Stations is insane…. Matt will be putting this City in debt for the next 30 years and by then tyy he e buildings will need upgrading and renovation again.
The Police and Fire Departments are important, but we can’t let these two departments bankrupt the City. The drop pension concept is ridiculous and should not be considered! The overtime clause in the pension program is ridiculous…. There are Police and Firefighters collecting $100,000 pension for the rest of their lives and in many cases have survivorship for their spouse! We ARE going to see another pension crisis soon and what is the City going to lease off or sell next to pay for this gross incompetence?!?!?!!
https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/politics/pension-perk-drop-costing-millions-taxpayers-20171212.html.
Copy and paste. We are next
I did a little research on the whole APD pension / DROP. Are you aware that in their current contract, they are allowed to retire utilizing their last 30 days as their “salary”…including all holiday pay. They also can use overtime pay but it’s capped at 10% of their salary. Thats why they all leave in the beginning of December because there are 4 holidays in November. That’s why you had guys leaving this past December with pensions in the six figures. So, during this contract year, they are crying now that they need a DROP to retain personnel, at the same time as pushing through an agreement with the mayor to allow guys with previous police experience at other departments to buy back that time so they can retire early which makes TOTAL sense and totally goes against their argument. They are going to allow these guys to use their last 30 days to determine their DROP pensions which is absurd. So you can have a cop with 15 years on, but back 5 years of police work, then enter the DROP because he then has 20 years. Talk about shortsightedness. The mayor and or council better totally reject this DROP proposal. If they want it so bad, offer something big for it during your contract negotiations. Speaking of which, how is the city going to pay for both the fire and SEIU DROPS when they assuredly come for them during their next negotiations.
The mayor bends himself completely over for the unions time and time again. When one finishes he cues up the next.
So we have our police and fire stealing as much taxpayer dollars as possible? The fire sit around and watch movies while waiting for a fire, collecting overtime and sleeping. The police figure out ways to make more money in retirement than regular service, while acting in immoral and unethical manner.
No wonder Turke is their leader.
Ive been in a union for 32 years, 10 of which in a leadership position which assisted in negotiating contracts. So if what is above is true, naturally, the mayor should ask during negotiations (and ultimately to an arbitrator if it gets to it) that the city will offer a DROP if the police union agrees to get rid of using the last 30’days with holidays as your salary. Pretty simple, you never give away something for free during a negotiation year, especially something as big as a DROP which affects pensions and obligations for the foreseeable future
The same crisis has and been going on before pawlowski and his shenanigans. That is why the in house sale was made to the next level of hell going up with malice and criminal forethought of local deeds done behind closed doors. The next level of hell going up is in on this theft of services by public servants that are only in the game for personal gain!)$?
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You describe the way a contract negotiation should occur. Unfortunately Allentown has a weak little bitch of a mayor and a finance and HR team that have absolutely no clue what they’re doing. The HR Director has no formal education in HR but is a good bullshitter. The finance director did taxes before working at the city.
It should be no surprise that the unions are taking the city for all they can, no one is smart enough to negotiate and compromise.
The depiction of fat ass Kistler is on point! Her entire department hates her because they know how corrupt and fundamentally evil she really is.
This DROP discussion is ridiculous. Police and Fire unions across the nation have been trying to get DROPS in their contracts for the last 25 years because it is lucrative as hell for their membership while devastating to cities ( see Philadelphia ). Allentown had to sell off its water rights after its last DROP it tried. Unions use two tactics for the DROP, neither of which make any sense here. They will tell you “it keeps leadership and veterans around”. Yeah, for a few years as they pocket a crap ton of money, then they leave. Putting you at the exact same spot. Since they stay on the job, there is no upward movement so no one is “trained” or in any better position to take over than prior to them entering the DROP. In every industry in the US, leaders leave and retire and new people take over, it’s just the way it is. Secondly, they’ll scare you with the amount of people who will leave if they DONT implement the DROP. In Allentown, all we hear weekly from the Mayor and the Police Chief is the record low crime, calls to 911, homicides etc. So why are we continuing to push to hire even more police officers?! So a few guys leave, I am sure there will be absolutely zero effect on the public. Didn’t like 20 guys just leave last year? Didn’t notice a thing to be honest when it comes to safety, heck, the numbers went down according to the mayor. Up is down and down is up in this city. I hope they do institute this DROP so when it turns into a disaster it follows Tuerk around just like it did for Afflerbach and ruin his political future.
Has anyone been to City Hall lately? You are not free to go to the other floors to perform business without signing in and getting a controlled access card. I always sign in with a bogus name: Donald Duck, Stormy Daniels, PeeWee Herman.
What happened to Tuerk’s claims during his dog and pony show state of the city just two years ago that government should be accessible, competent, and available? We own all city buildings, Tuerk.
How about this? Don't build a central fire and get rid of or reassign the firefighters at Central fire? Save the city millions and millions. With the other locations assuming the duties they would actually have work and less time sitting around eating, sleeping, bitching, and watching movies.
BULLY, like all itZ and the green door back door typeZ imported infectionZ spreading there cisturnios floaterZ as drinkable water!)$?
DROP is for the chiefs. Mayor needs them to stay because they are his "yes men." Plus they can't get other police jobs.
If citizens are unable to get to the floors, they can't hold the employees and the mayor for having no one in city hall doing their jobs. Don't you know the Tuerk administration doesn't work?
She is truly hated by her department. We keep praying for her to retire.
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