{"id":94246,"date":"2019-07-30T21:26:04","date_gmt":"2019-07-31T01:26:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=94246"},"modified":"2019-07-30T21:26:40","modified_gmt":"2019-07-31T01:26:40","slug":"ribbon-cut-for-1-4m-hamilton-connector","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=94246","title":{"rendered":"RIBBON CUT FOR $1.4M HAMILTON CONNECTOR"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Mayor Ray O\u2019Connell and Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone Development Authority (ANIZDA) members cut the ribbon this afternoon opening the $1.4 million Hamilton Connector.<\/p>\n<p>The project improves and beautifies this city-owned pedestrian corridor stretching from Hamilton Street to the Court Street Arts Walk.\u00a0 The Hamilton Connector was funded by the ANIZDA Public Improvement Investment program and is in alignment with the city\u2019s Downtown Allentown Development and Urban Design Plan.\u00a0 The project was developed in conjunction with City Center Allentown and integrates seamlessly into the previous ArtsWalk projects.<\/p>\n<p>Renovated corridor includes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>New landscape areas<\/li>\n<li>Decorative paver walkway<\/li>\n<li>Rehabbed stairs<\/li>\n<li>Platforms for seating, congregating or performances.<\/li>\n<li>Enhanced lighting throughout:\u00a0 catenary lighting, platform\/bench lighting, arts display lighting<\/li>\n<li>2 large murals<\/li>\n<li>2 sculpture installations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a tremendous improvement to the area that makes it much more attractive and pedestrian-friendly,\u201d said O\u2019Connell.\u00a0 \u201cOne of the major benefits of this project is to provide an appealing connection between the City\u2019s parking structures and Hamilton Street.\u00a0 I invite city residents to come downtown and take a look for themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cANIZDA has been a great partner,\u201d added O\u2019Connell, \u201cnot just in the redevelopment of the downtown, but in providing funds for physical improvements to pedestrian access, convenience and safety.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnique spaces, like the Hamilton Connector and ArtsWalk, help to foster a sense of community and belonging which is vital to the success of any thriving urban center,\u201d State Senator Pat Browne said. \u201cThese spaces compliment the continued growth and revitalization of Downtown Allentown, providing for recreation, convenient connections to various local businesses, and serve as a welcomed addition to the already vibrant atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Hamilton Street Connector is one of a number of projects where ANIZDA is providing funds to the City of Allentown to improve the city\u2019s public spaces for the benefit of its people,\u201d said ANIZDA Chairman Sy Traub.\u00a0 \u201cThese public capital improvements are in keeping with ANIZDA\u2019s mission to help revitalize the city of Allentown.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe city is growing at a rapid pace,\u201d said Allentown Arts Commission Chairperson Jane Heft. \u201cI applaud the city and ANIZDA for understanding that in order for our progress to be sustainable, our public spaces and creative opportunities must grow with it. I&#8217;d like to think of it as moving at the speed of life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The ribbon-cutting also presented an opportunity to show-off the Arts Alley improvements completed last fall on Court Street between 6<sup>th<\/sup> Street and N Law Street.\u00a0 The work took an unsightly and unappealing portion of Court Street between Symphony Hall and The Americus and turned it into a welcoming area for residents and visitors alike, extending the ArtsWalk directly to the Allentown Arts Park.<\/p>\n<p>The $835,000 project included:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>New decorative sidewalks and curbing<\/li>\n<li>New pavement<\/li>\n<li>Signalized pedestrian crosswalk installed across 6<sup>th<\/sup> Street<\/li>\n<li>Planters with flowers and trees<\/li>\n<li>Lighting enhancements<\/li>\n<li>Benches<\/li>\n<li>Trash and recycling receptacles<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>ANIZDA public improvement funds covered the project costs.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Information provided to TVL by:<br \/>\nMike Moore<br \/>\nCommunications Manager<br \/>\nMayor&#8217;s Office<br \/>\n435 Hamilton Street<br \/>\nAllentown, PA 18101<br \/>\nMike.Moore@allentownpa.gov<br \/>\nhttp:\/\/www.AllentownPA.gov<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><code class=\"code\">-AMAZONPOLLY-ONLYWORDS-START-<\/code><br \/>\n<div class='adkingprobanner sidebar banner3023'><a href='http:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/' target=\"_blank\" data-id='3023' data-ga='{\"campaign\":\"\",\"banner\":\"\",\"implemented\":\"universal\",\"imp_action\":\"Impression\",\"click_action\":\"Click\"}'><img src='https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/inpostblank.jpg' alt='' \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div class='adkingprobanner sidebar banner7036'><a href='http:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com' target=\"_blank\" data-id='7036' data-ga='{\"campaign\":\"\",\"banner\":\"\",\"implemented\":\"universal\",\"imp_action\":\"Impression\",\"click_action\":\"Click\"}'><img src='https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/inpostblank.jpg' alt='' \/><\/a><\/div>\n<code class=\"code\">-AMAZONPOLLY-ONLYWORDS-END-<\/code><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?post_type=adverts_posts&p=7036\" class=\"read-more\">Click here to read more... <\/a>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19932,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5716,69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-allentown","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Allentown.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94246"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=94246"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94246\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=94246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=94246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=94246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}