No issue between the 2 sides of the river; healthy that each side has its own identity

Christmas, Fun Stuff, Neighborhoods, Serious Issues, Southside 1 Minute

(the latest in a series of posts on Neighborhoods)

Bruce Haines is a Lehigh graduate who returned to Bethlehem after a 35-year career at USSteel. He put together a 12-member Partnership to rescue the Hotel Bethlehem from bankruptcy in 1998 and lives in the historic district.

Gadfly:

I watched the May22 meeting on video, & I didn’t hear the Southside Historic District gentleman upset about any issue with the Northside. Rather what I heard is that the city is letting developers walk all over the SSHistoric Commission recommendations for the sake of growth.

As a Northside Historic District Champion, I don’t really believe there is any issue between the 2 sides of the river.

I think it is healthy that each side has its own identity & the city itself has divided it into the SS Arts & Entertainment District & Moravian Historic District. The marketing of each separately is healthy & trying to meld it into some amorphous blob to make us the same is a huge mistake IMO.

Each district marketing its strength is very healthy, & white Christmas lights on the Northside & color on the SS is part of our unique identity & heritage.

No animosity between North & Southside today IMO—that is old news!

Bruce

Published by The Bethlehem Gadfly

Edward J. Gallagher, Bethlehem immigrant, retired, nearly 50 years as Professor of American Literature at Lehigh University, known as "Dr. G" and "Conan the Grammarian" to students, whose virtual world avatar "EdwardScholarhands" stares at you here, has reinvented himself as the Bethlehem Gadfly.

Published

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