A former AT&T research center in Breinigsville will be part of a state-sponsored innovation district that seeks to foster collaboration between universities, entrepreneurs and communities.
Tek Park is in one of five separate nodes in the Greater Reading Keystone Innovation Zone, the second such district in the state to include portions of the Lehigh Valley. The zone's sub-areas will be concentrated around five educational institutions, including Kutztown University and Albright College in Reading. The Lehigh Valley's first KIZ is in south Bethlehem and includes Lehigh University.
The Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce, which will manage the KIZ, will receive $235,000 in seed money. Most of the money will be used to pay a coordinator a salary and benefits.
The KIZ in the Reading area will focus on several industries, including advanced materials and diversified manufacturing, and food processing. Horan of the Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce said the KIZ designation will be ''an attraction tool in and of itself,'' for companies in those fields and others. Companies located the zones receive some tax benefits, and are encouraged to hire area students.
Tek Park is already geared to create some of the dynamics the state wants to encourage. The facility, opened by AT&T as a Bell Labs research center in 1987 and now owned by a private investor, is home to several small tech companies. Kutztown University will open an Innovation Center there, and plans to hold some of its masters of business administration courses there. University officials foresee collaboration with tenant companies on applications for research grants. The companies share common space, and some work in similar industries.
The new bi-county KIZ differs somewhat from the one in south Bethlehem, which is more compact. The one announced Tuesday, by contrast, has five separate zones that stretch from Reading to Breinigsville.
The Bethlehem district was one of the first two announced in the state. It recently unveiled a wireless computer network that includes more than 50 signal access points scattered around the Third and Fourth street business district. The wireless computing system allows students, business owners and visitors to roam around south Bethlehem with laptop computers and handheld devices while maintaining a high-speed Internet connection.
More here.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Lehigh Township increases taxes to help pay for park improvements
Lehigh Township homeowners face a 63 percent property tax increase in 2007 to help pay for parks improvements and badly needed maintenance buildings, supervisors decided Tuesday.
Part of the tax hike would cover debt payments on two projects that total roughly $4 million: creating Delps Road Park, and replacing the township's nearly 50-year-old public works building and its 20-year-old shed for road salt, Township Manager Jeff Bartlett said.
The wooden salt shed has all but collapsed, and the public works building isn't in much better shape. Its garage bays are so small that trucks with snowplows won't fit inside, Bartlett said. Replacing both buildings will cost roughly $2.25 million.
With all supervisors agreeing on that project, the question was whether to also begin work on the 47-acre Delps Road Park.
Creating the park will cost roughly $1.8 million, Bartlett said.
More here.
Part of the tax hike would cover debt payments on two projects that total roughly $4 million: creating Delps Road Park, and replacing the township's nearly 50-year-old public works building and its 20-year-old shed for road salt, Township Manager Jeff Bartlett said.
The wooden salt shed has all but collapsed, and the public works building isn't in much better shape. Its garage bays are so small that trucks with snowplows won't fit inside, Bartlett said. Replacing both buildings will cost roughly $2.25 million.
With all supervisors agreeing on that project, the question was whether to also begin work on the 47-acre Delps Road Park.
Creating the park will cost roughly $1.8 million, Bartlett said.
More here.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Ethnic Eats: New Asian restaurant opens in Easton
Sogo, an Asian fusion restaurant and sushi bar, opened late last month at 237 Northampton St., formerly the Montague Restaurant and Tavern.
Sogo's menu mixes Thai curries and Chinese food with traditional and creative sushi specialties. The name is a contraction of ''so good,'' according to owner Linda Duong.
Duong, who lives in New Jersey, said she went into business here because she perceived a lack of good Asian food in the Lehigh Valley. She's being helped by her brother and business partner, who has an Asian restaurant in Brooklyn, N.Y., and is working at Sogo a few days a week.
''The people really like it so far,'' she said.
More here.
Ethnic Eats will be a regular, weekly feature here at the Afterwork Chronicles.
Sogo's menu mixes Thai curries and Chinese food with traditional and creative sushi specialties. The name is a contraction of ''so good,'' according to owner Linda Duong.
Duong, who lives in New Jersey, said she went into business here because she perceived a lack of good Asian food in the Lehigh Valley. She's being helped by her brother and business partner, who has an Asian restaurant in Brooklyn, N.Y., and is working at Sogo a few days a week.
''The people really like it so far,'' she said.
More here.
Ethnic Eats will be a regular, weekly feature here at the Afterwork Chronicles.
Bethlehem City Council Prez says support Light Rail
Bethlehem City Council President Michael Schweder on Monday called for transportation officials to scrap plans for the more than $776 million widening of Route 22 and put the money toward passenger rail service to New Jersey.
Schweder said the Lehigh Valley had to do its part to alleviate congestion while keeping in mind the extra emissions a 19-mile widening of Route 22 could produce.
He suggested four things needed to happen: building a rail line that would run through the three cities; finding ways to encourage commuters to leave their cars for mass transit; expanding public and private bus services to take people to the rail line; and increasing those services as the need grows.
Although business leaders and transportation experts say a rail system would be expensive and do little to relieve congestion, Schweder said it is time regional planners consider that wider roads may not be the answer to the region's future.
''I did not support the widening of Route 22 30 years ago [before Interstate 78 was built], and I do not support it now for the same reasons,'' Schweder said at a news conference on the second floor of the Bethlehem Area Public Library. ''We owe this to our environment. We owe this to our children.''
The proposal conflicts with a 2002 Lehigh Valley Planning Commission study that concluded widening Route 22 was the best way to fix highway congestion in the Valley. While elected leaders such as Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan and state Rep. Robert Freeman, D-Northampton, have voiced support for the concept of rail, this is the first time someone other than a passenger train advocate has made a public plea to scrap the widening and enlarge public transit.
Easton City Council President Sandra Vulcano issued a news release in support of Schweder's announcement. Schweder's news release indicated Allentown City Council President David Howells Sr. is supportive; however, Howells did not return a telephone call seeking comment.
Schweder does not have cost estimates for a rail line nor a timeline. His next step, he said, would be to meet with the U.S. senators from Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In Washington, D.C., on Monday, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said he already planned to have a discussion with Democratic Sen.-elect Bob Casey Jr. on a proposed railroad line between Scranton and New York City.
Since regular passenger trains to New York City left the Valley in 1961, there has been talk periodically of resurrecting the service. Freeman wrote a 1981 study advocating regional rail service that would run like trolleys through city streets and on their own through outlying areas.
''Every year a group proposes restoring light rail service to the Lehigh Valley and it never flies because of low usage and high cost,'' said Bruce Davis, an organizer of the Route 22 Coalition who is lobbying for money for the Route 22 project. But Davis also said the figure for the 19-mile Route 22 widening — from Route 33 to I-78 — is now closer to $900 million.
Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan, an advocate for rail service to New Jersey, said it is good that local officials are coming together, but it will be an uphill battle.
''It is going to take a tremendous political will at the state and federal levels to come up with the resources to make that happen,'' Callahan said. ''That's a big hurdle.''
Michael Kaiser, executive director of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, sees passenger rail and Route 22 as separate issues. Light rail was rejected in favor of widening because it would be more expensive — one study pegged it at more than $1.5 billion — and would not take enough cars off the Lehigh Valley's portion of Route 22, which carries a lot of local traffic.
Studies show that passenger rail service would carry 3,000 passengers on a given day. Kaiser said 95,000 vehicles pass between the Route 22 intersections at Seventh Street and Airport Road on an average day.
Kaiser said his organization is working with counterparts in New Jersey about congestion issues on I-78, which is a bigger problem in New Jersey. The solutions include widening the road, park-and-ride lots and extending light rail. However, it is not certain rail will be among the recommendations.
This new public support of a light rail system should be good news to young professionals, who along with Renew Lehigh Valley, have made it one of the highest priority goals, and have identified it as key to the redevelopment of the area.
Click here to sign the petition for a light rail system in the Lehigh Valley.
If you are a young professional, show your support for the rail system by saying thank you to the officials who are for a light rail system:
Schweder said the Lehigh Valley had to do its part to alleviate congestion while keeping in mind the extra emissions a 19-mile widening of Route 22 could produce.
He suggested four things needed to happen: building a rail line that would run through the three cities; finding ways to encourage commuters to leave their cars for mass transit; expanding public and private bus services to take people to the rail line; and increasing those services as the need grows.
Although business leaders and transportation experts say a rail system would be expensive and do little to relieve congestion, Schweder said it is time regional planners consider that wider roads may not be the answer to the region's future.
''I did not support the widening of Route 22 30 years ago [before Interstate 78 was built], and I do not support it now for the same reasons,'' Schweder said at a news conference on the second floor of the Bethlehem Area Public Library. ''We owe this to our environment. We owe this to our children.''
The proposal conflicts with a 2002 Lehigh Valley Planning Commission study that concluded widening Route 22 was the best way to fix highway congestion in the Valley. While elected leaders such as Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan and state Rep. Robert Freeman, D-Northampton, have voiced support for the concept of rail, this is the first time someone other than a passenger train advocate has made a public plea to scrap the widening and enlarge public transit.
Easton City Council President Sandra Vulcano issued a news release in support of Schweder's announcement. Schweder's news release indicated Allentown City Council President David Howells Sr. is supportive; however, Howells did not return a telephone call seeking comment.
Schweder does not have cost estimates for a rail line nor a timeline. His next step, he said, would be to meet with the U.S. senators from Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In Washington, D.C., on Monday, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said he already planned to have a discussion with Democratic Sen.-elect Bob Casey Jr. on a proposed railroad line between Scranton and New York City.
Since regular passenger trains to New York City left the Valley in 1961, there has been talk periodically of resurrecting the service. Freeman wrote a 1981 study advocating regional rail service that would run like trolleys through city streets and on their own through outlying areas.
''Every year a group proposes restoring light rail service to the Lehigh Valley and it never flies because of low usage and high cost,'' said Bruce Davis, an organizer of the Route 22 Coalition who is lobbying for money for the Route 22 project. But Davis also said the figure for the 19-mile Route 22 widening — from Route 33 to I-78 — is now closer to $900 million.
Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan, an advocate for rail service to New Jersey, said it is good that local officials are coming together, but it will be an uphill battle.
''It is going to take a tremendous political will at the state and federal levels to come up with the resources to make that happen,'' Callahan said. ''That's a big hurdle.''
Michael Kaiser, executive director of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, sees passenger rail and Route 22 as separate issues. Light rail was rejected in favor of widening because it would be more expensive — one study pegged it at more than $1.5 billion — and would not take enough cars off the Lehigh Valley's portion of Route 22, which carries a lot of local traffic.
Studies show that passenger rail service would carry 3,000 passengers on a given day. Kaiser said 95,000 vehicles pass between the Route 22 intersections at Seventh Street and Airport Road on an average day.
Kaiser said his organization is working with counterparts in New Jersey about congestion issues on I-78, which is a bigger problem in New Jersey. The solutions include widening the road, park-and-ride lots and extending light rail. However, it is not certain rail will be among the recommendations.
This new public support of a light rail system should be good news to young professionals, who along with Renew Lehigh Valley, have made it one of the highest priority goals, and have identified it as key to the redevelopment of the area.
Click here to sign the petition for a light rail system in the Lehigh Valley.
If you are a young professional, show your support for the rail system by saying thank you to the officials who are for a light rail system:
- Contact Bethlehem City Council President Michael Schweder at (610) 865-7130 or cityclerk@bethlehem-pa.gov
- Contact Easton City Council President Sandra Vulcano at (610) 250-6730 or 6731 or cityhall@easton-pa.gov
- Contact Bethlehem City Mayor John Callahan at (610) 865-7100 or callajohb@bethlehem-pa.gov
- Contact Rep. Robert Freeman, D-Northampton
Monday, November 13, 2006
NET Organizational Meeting - CANCELED
Due to officer scheduling conflicts, November's NET Organizational meeting has been canceled. Please join us for our next Organizational Meeting on Wednesday, December 13 at Wired Cafe in Bethlehem. All members and non-members welcome.
NET Progressive Dine-Out this Friday!
Don't forget to sign up by Wednesday for the NET progressive dine-out on Friday. It's an event not to be missed!
Join the NET for a new kind of Dine-Out this November. Wondering what a progressive Dine-out is?
It's a dinner party with a difference - the difference being that individual courses of a meal are held at different locations. What a great way to check out some of the fabulous restaurants in Downtown Bethlehem!
Appetizers and drinks will be enjoyed at Edge Restaurant from 6p.m. - 7p.m., then the NET will move on to The Bethlehem Brew Works for dinner from 7p.m. - 9p.m. Lastly, but certainly not least, the NET will head over to Apollo Grill for some tasty desserts from 10p.m. - 11p.m.
We hope you can make if out for the entire progressive dinner, but if you can only make it for one or two stops, please come anyway! As always, the more the merrier. All members and non-members welcome.
When: Friday, Nov. 17, 6p.m. - 11 p.m.
Where: Edge, Bethlehem Brew Works, Apollo Grill all in Bethlehem
Cost: Pay only for what you eat or drink.
You MUST RSVP to attend this event. Please contact Wendy Gerlach on the NET events website by Nov. 15th if you wish to attend.
To get the latest news about NET events and more sign-up for our weekly e-mail list here.
Join the NET for a new kind of Dine-Out this November. Wondering what a progressive Dine-out is?
It's a dinner party with a difference - the difference being that individual courses of a meal are held at different locations. What a great way to check out some of the fabulous restaurants in Downtown Bethlehem!
Appetizers and drinks will be enjoyed at Edge Restaurant from 6p.m. - 7p.m., then the NET will move on to The Bethlehem Brew Works for dinner from 7p.m. - 9p.m. Lastly, but certainly not least, the NET will head over to Apollo Grill for some tasty desserts from 10p.m. - 11p.m.
We hope you can make if out for the entire progressive dinner, but if you can only make it for one or two stops, please come anyway! As always, the more the merrier. All members and non-members welcome.
When: Friday, Nov. 17, 6p.m. - 11 p.m.
Where: Edge, Bethlehem Brew Works, Apollo Grill all in Bethlehem
Cost: Pay only for what you eat or drink.
You MUST RSVP to attend this event. Please contact Wendy Gerlach on the NET events website by Nov. 15th if you wish to attend.
To get the latest news about NET events and more sign-up for our weekly e-mail list here.
And the AAA-team name is...
"Ironpigs."
After sorting through thousands of entries in a public naming contest, selecting eight finalists, then waiting for results of online polls and focus groups, the Lehigh Valley's new Triple-A baseball team announced Sunday that the team forever will be known as the IronPigs.
And while team officials, were ecstatic with their selection, fans polled at sports bars on Sunday had a different take on the quirky but memorable name.
''They're calling them the what?'' said Eric Wasser of Allentown, who took his eyes off the Eagles' game at the Mezza Luna Sports Bar & Grill off Airport Road to ponder more important baseball issues.
''That has to be one of the most ridiculous names I've ever heard in my life,'' Wasser said. ''Who would name a sports team after a pig?''
Actually, as Wasser and others learned, the ''pig'' in IronPigs doesn't refer to the much maligned, mud-loving animal, but instead is a reference to the region's rich history producing steel, which is manufactured from pig iron.
The history lesson did little to convince Wasser or most fans at Mezza Luna, or at Rookie's Restaurant & Sports Bar off Tilghman Street in Allentown of the appropriateness of the new name.
This reaction is in addition to a hailstorm of letters to editor which appeared nearly daily in the Morning Call calling the name selections 'dismal' at best.
While most fans took issue with the name or said they needed time to digest it, IronPigs co-owner Joe Finley, a minor league veteran, said he has no doubt what the ultimate reaction will be.
''They're gonna love it,'' said Finley, who also owns the Trenton Thunder and Lakewood, N.J., BlueClaws.
''We went through the same exercise with those teams, and people look at you saying 'Where did that name come from?''' Finley said. ''But both franchises are incredibly successful, and I have no doubt that people here will embrace the team right out of the box.''
Though in the minority, there were several fans at Rookie's who seemed to agree with Finley that IronPigs indeed would win fans over.
''It's strong and sensitive and really represents the area,'' said April Marconi of Northampton. ''At least they didn't name the team something dull like the Phillies.''
What do you think of the new name?
More.
UPDATE: The blogger at Politics: Lehigh Valley Style, a self-proclaimed young professional, has this to say in their post entitled "Iron Pigs? What the Hell!":
"I'm one of the people who is stoked about AAA baseball coming to the Lehigh Valley and I'll probably be one of the people who becomes a regular at the game. I'll own a hat, shirt, and probably a penant that I'll have in my office at work. But the merchandise I buy will have Iron Pigs on it. Listen, I have a sense of humor and recognize that with all the Yocco's I eat and beer I consume, the name isn't out of the question, but for a baseball team. Sigh.
Still, I'll go, I'll watch and I'll cry "SUUUUUU-EY!... here pig, pig, pig" for every big play I watch."
After sorting through thousands of entries in a public naming contest, selecting eight finalists, then waiting for results of online polls and focus groups, the Lehigh Valley's new Triple-A baseball team announced Sunday that the team forever will be known as the IronPigs.
And while team officials, were ecstatic with their selection, fans polled at sports bars on Sunday had a different take on the quirky but memorable name.
''They're calling them the what?'' said Eric Wasser of Allentown, who took his eyes off the Eagles' game at the Mezza Luna Sports Bar & Grill off Airport Road to ponder more important baseball issues.
''That has to be one of the most ridiculous names I've ever heard in my life,'' Wasser said. ''Who would name a sports team after a pig?''
Actually, as Wasser and others learned, the ''pig'' in IronPigs doesn't refer to the much maligned, mud-loving animal, but instead is a reference to the region's rich history producing steel, which is manufactured from pig iron.
The history lesson did little to convince Wasser or most fans at Mezza Luna, or at Rookie's Restaurant & Sports Bar off Tilghman Street in Allentown of the appropriateness of the new name.
This reaction is in addition to a hailstorm of letters to editor which appeared nearly daily in the Morning Call calling the name selections 'dismal' at best.
While most fans took issue with the name or said they needed time to digest it, IronPigs co-owner Joe Finley, a minor league veteran, said he has no doubt what the ultimate reaction will be.
''They're gonna love it,'' said Finley, who also owns the Trenton Thunder and Lakewood, N.J., BlueClaws.
''We went through the same exercise with those teams, and people look at you saying 'Where did that name come from?''' Finley said. ''But both franchises are incredibly successful, and I have no doubt that people here will embrace the team right out of the box.''
Though in the minority, there were several fans at Rookie's who seemed to agree with Finley that IronPigs indeed would win fans over.
''It's strong and sensitive and really represents the area,'' said April Marconi of Northampton. ''At least they didn't name the team something dull like the Phillies.''
What do you think of the new name?
More.
UPDATE: The blogger at Politics: Lehigh Valley Style, a self-proclaimed young professional, has this to say in their post entitled "Iron Pigs? What the Hell!":
"I'm one of the people who is stoked about AAA baseball coming to the Lehigh Valley and I'll probably be one of the people who becomes a regular at the game. I'll own a hat, shirt, and probably a penant that I'll have in my office at work. But the merchandise I buy will have Iron Pigs on it. Listen, I have a sense of humor and recognize that with all the Yocco's I eat and beer I consume, the name isn't out of the question, but for a baseball team. Sigh.
Still, I'll go, I'll watch and I'll cry "SUUUUUU-EY!... here pig, pig, pig" for every big play I watch."
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