New ‘Parknership’ to help Allentown show off ‘crown jewel of the Lehigh Valley’

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A partnership between Allentown and a “first-of-its-kind” nonprofit could mean a bright future for the city’s parks.

Representatives of the Harry C. Trexler Trust joined local officials Wednesday in Arts Park to officially launch the Allentown Parknership, which will work to help the city complete new initiatives and offer more programming.

Those initiatives could include facility upgrades, new equipment and restoration projects.

The Trexler Trust gave more than $500,000 in “seed funding” to “bring the Allentown Parknership to life,” Trustee Jamie Musselman said Wednesday.

The trust has been working with city officials since 2019 to conduct numerous interviews with national park experts to develop “a model that is an ideal fit for Allentown,” she said.

The Parknership will raise money through grants and capital campaigns to fund its work, Musselman said.

But the nonprofit will not take over any current responsibilities from Allentown employees or help the city reduce its parks and recreation budget, Trustee Jamie Musselman said Wednesday.

Parks and Recreation director Mandy Tolino said the Allentown Parknership “will not only bolster (the city’s) efforts but shine a light on the amazing spaces and initiatives” at its many parks.

Though it’s aging, Allentown’s “phenomenal park system” is the “crown jewel of the Lehigh Valley,” Mayor Matt Tuerk said.

He said the city is “so grateful” to the Trexler Trust for funding the Parknership, a name he joked “doesn't roll off the tongue.”

A city ‘needs green space’

Parks are “what makes (a) city be able to breathe,” Musselman told LehighValleyNews.com. They give people “the freedom to think, to breathe and to enjoy their life.”

“The Allentown Parknership truly builds on the legacy of General Harry C. Trexler, who is considered by many to be the father of the Allentown park system,” she said.

Upon his death, Trexler gave much of his land to the city to create parks with the “foresight to understand that a city with (so many) residents needs fresh air, needs green space, needs a park,” Musselman said.

Trexler stipulated in his will that one-third of all annual charitable donations made by his trust go to the city to “help maintain and improve the parks,” Musselman said.

“He knew he couldn't just give the land; he had to make sure, in perpetuity, that it was going to be taken care of and it was going to be available to every resident,” she said.

Up and running

The Parknership also on Wednesday celebrated its first major donation since the nonprofit was unanimously approved last month by Allentown City Council.

A $75,000 gift from the Rider Pool Foundation will help the Parknership with startup expenses, Mussleman said.

“We look forward to partnering with the city and everyone who loves the parks so that we can make Allentown's jewel shine even brighter,” she said.

But the Parknership already has its hands in the dirt, with workers planting 22 trees at several parks in April, Musselman said.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Jamie Mussleman serves on the Lehigh Valley Public Media’s board of directors and is due to be honored Wednesday night at LVPM’s 8th Annual Good Neighbor Awards.